Bauspielbahn-Treffen 2022 LEGO Train Event

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This time last year, I wrote a Bricknerd article about a relative newcomer to the LEGO fan event calendar: Bauspielbahn-Treffen (BSBT). BSBT is a LEGO fan event dedicated exclusively to trains and takes place in the charming town of Schkeuditz, just 12 km northwest of Leipzig, Germany. BSBT 2022 is the fourth event since its inception in 2019. Despite the intervening pandemic, BSBT has managed to attract a very committed and enthusiastic fan base not only from its native Germany, but from many countries in Europe, and beyond!

The sublime Wörrstadt station built by Nick Kleinfelder. Nick started building this amazing layout when he was just 14 years old—the future of the hobby is in good hands with such incredible talent on the horizon!

Bauspielbahn-Treffen roughly translates to "track/railway construction meeting"; the key word being "meeting". The "meeting" in this case is both metaphorical and literal in that nearly all of the participating layouts are literally joined with connecting tracks to form a massive collaborative layout. The result is a 700 sq meter (7500 sq ft) heavenly landscape for fans to operate their trains on vast continuous circuits of track.

When I wrote about this event last year, it was from the agonizing perspective of a LEGO train fan desperate to participate. However, now I can write a gushing and enthusiastic first-hand account of my participation at this year's event. First a disclaimer: I was participating at BSBT wearing "two hats". First, as a train fan and second, in the capacity of CEO of Fx Bricks which was an official sponsor for the event. Fx Bricks was thrilled to contribute to the event with donations of track, prizes, and giveaways. Fx Bricks also used the event to showcase new pre-production products to gather valuable feedback from train fans and to seriously road-test some new products like 9V track switches. Suffice it to say, this article is strictly written from the perspective of a train fan.

Lastly, rather than showcase the incredible level of talent and MOCs (which one article cannot do justice), I am going to write an article focusing on my impressions and observations as a participant and how my expectations were exceeded. For another perspective, I would encourage you to check out Enrico Lussi’s excellent BSBT 2022 article in Brick Model Railroader. It was awesome to hang out with builders like Enrico and it was a joy to relive the experience through the lens of his superb article.

The Team

The team behind BSBT is LEN-Eisenbahner, a subgroup of LEGO train fans part of the LBrick.de LEGO User Group based in Leipzig. It is easy to underestimate the amount of work and planning that goes into organizing an event of this type. The coordination of many participants, each with layouts of different sizes, shapes and requirements is very challenging.

From the moment we arrived, we were instantly made to feel at home. The BSBT team was quick to offer assistance and guide us around the venue to get us acquainted with the setup and common resource areas. Furthermore, they offered us out-of-town visitors a wonderful guided walking tour of Leipzig starting (where else?) but the magnificent Leipzig railway station!

The Venue

The BSBT venue is perhaps the most endearing and distinctive feature of this event. Located in the small town of Schkeuditz (12 km northwest of Leipzig), the venue dates back to October 1910 and is a former tram shed of Leipzig's extensive tram network. The shed was closed in 2001 and is now under the custodianship of a local model train organization. This organization generously offers the use of the entire venue for BSBT.

The venue is a former tram shed of the Leipzig tram network located in Schkeuditz. I cannot think of a more charming and appropriate venue for a LEGO train show!

The venue space is a cavernous 70 m x 10 m open space with a vaulted roof featuring skylights at regular intervals. This results in a bright naturally lit space contributing to the overall warm and relaxed vibe of the event. The open end of the venue with wide and tall doors allows for easy access for loading and unloading as well as being a welcoming focal point for visitors. Adjacent to the venue is an open park space and best of all, it also contains an active turn-around loop for local tram traffic!

The venue during setup. The generous, bright, and open space inside the venue offers the ideal backdrop to showcase the very best of this hobby.

The Setup

It is worth emphasizing just how unique the focus on trains is for this LEGO fan event. This focus changes the approach to how the venue is arranged and planned. Rather than simply arranging blocks of stand-alone/isolated displays, the fundamental goal is to physically connect each participant with tracks. Not only does this contribute to the shared collaborative spirit of the event itself, but it literally results in an unimaginably long railway in which to enjoy playing trains!

The word "play" is absolutely appropriate and intentional. I can think of no better opportunity to finally "play" with a treasured LEGO train MOC. A MOC which likely took months of time and effort by its builder can now be enjoyed in the context of wonderful landscapes and endless track miles!

The overall plan of BSBT 2022 shows the scope of the event and the extensive planning involved in configuring a functional train layout and efficiently utilizing the available space.

As mentioned previously, interlinking each layout segment is not just a challenge for 2D space planning, but also in the vertical space. Although there is a nominal height for track level, vertical adjustments are still required between adjacent modules. Furthermore, it is impossible to simply adjoin each module consecutively and hope the result is a continuous circuit that fits within the venue footprint. This scheme requires the construction of bespoke spans of track of different shapes and sizes to fit between modules. In many cases, these spans were constructed on-site using lumber from disused shipping pallets! Since a workshop full of tools is available on-site (another amazing attribute of this venue!), the organizers and participants are able to rapidly fabricate interconnecting infrastructure as required on-site.

My Impressions

The tram shed not only looks great in the daytime, but also transforms into a magical backdrop for nighttime viewing and operation! Making the effort to add lighting to a layout is rewarded abundantly in showcase events such as BSBT.

I had a sense before I arrived at BSBT that this was going to be a special event. However, I couldn't have imagined the extent of just how special this event felt in person. I can summarize my impressions in three ways:

1. Quality - I can't say I've seen such a high concentration of talent and stunning LEGO train models under one roof before. Every single participant brought their "A-game" in terms of the quality and scope of their models. Setting aside the rolling stock, each layout module representing either a station, yard, roundhouse, etc. was a stunning model in its own right. Attention to prototypical details and crafting a natural landscape context shows the level of commitment and passion these builders brought to the event.

2. Technology - Another aspect that surprised me was the extent that builders embraced and implemented cool technology into both their layouts and rolling stock. This includes:

  • Generous use of lighting of buildings, trains, and infrastructure

  • Working prototypical signals, switches, and control systems; some of which use occupancy and block detection to automate signals and routes

  • Integration of modern model train features such as sound, lighting, smoke generators, and operating animated accessories such as cranes, uncouplers, etc.

  • Active "hacking" of both LEGO, OEM, and DIY components to make cool accessories, and control panel that take operational "play" to another level

3. Vibe - In a way, I felt that there was a paradox in my experience at BSBT. The vibe of the event was very much casual, friendly and relaxed--some might even say "chill"! Yet, this is in contrast to the professional appearance of the event and the degree of highly skilled organization, planning, and coordination of the BSBT team. In any case, it represents the best-case scenario: a supremely well-organized event with a relaxed and friendly vibe.

Another contribution to the vibe of the event was a surprisingly diverse demographic spread of event participants of all ages. I have been to many model train shows around the world, and one common observation is the stereotypical dominance of “grey-haired” men. However, I was both impressed and encouraged by how many talented “young” builders I met. The cross-section of builders from all different ages and backgrounds was awesome. It certainly does give me a great deal of hope for the future of this hobby!

Conclusions

There is not much else to say other than a big "thank you" to the BSBT team. They should be proud of their achievement of bringing this relatively new, yet unique event to the LEGO fan calendar. BSBT is an event that is uniquely focused on the LEGO train fan community. It is an event that fosters collaboration and has organically grown participation and interest well beyond Germany into Europe and now internationally.

I left Leipzig inspired and energized. As well as catching up with old friends, I made many new friends. I learned so much and walked away with a head full of new ideas and inspiration to build new trains and layouts. I thought my capacity to “think big” in terms of LEGO train layouts was already above average, but I left BSBT with even bigger ambitions for future building projects! I definitely intend on returning to BSBT in the future--with the same simple goal: to play trains of course!

Links and References

For more information about the event and to see more photos and videos, I’ve included a list of links and some embedded videos that help showcase Bauspielbahn-Treffen 2022 in all LEGO train glory.

How long do you think it took one train to go all the way around the interconnected track? Let us know in the comments below.

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