@rcgrier3406
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@timf, I added your name to those 4 spaces on the layout.
@schu54321, I just noticed that you marked one of those spaces for your wind turbine, so I removed one of the double straights in the Rail Yard and recreated space #16 for your turbine.
Attached are the Load-in, Parking and Access Instructions that we’ve received from the Science Center, as well as maps that show where the Loading Dock, Security Entrance and our Display will be located.
In summary:
* Our Load-in time is 1 pm on Friday 1/16 at the Point View Hall (PVH) loading dock. They will have carts available to get our stuff upstairs. Once your stuff is upstairs, you will need to move your car to one of the Science Center parking lots.
* Please take a ticket when you enter the parking lots and bring it upstairs with you each day. They will provide parking vouchers.
* Re-enter the building through the Security Entrance, which are the double Red Doors on the west side of the building. Tell the guard at the security desk that you’re with Steel City LUG and are there for Locomotion Weekend. They may ask you to sign in.
* After leaving security, go down the long hallway and then all the way through the Cafe to the elevator bank on your left, and then take that to the 3rd floor (Point View Hall).
* Our display location is shown on the 3rd page of the attached floor plan, which is immediately on your left as you enter Point View Hall.@rcgrier3406 Do you need any more modulars? I can’t staff, but can bring some down (or get them to you) to for the display.
Thanks @knb112. I just posted the revised layout with the Rail Yard put back in. There are (5) 32×32 MOC spaces still unclaimed, but several others have also expressed interest in displaying. I expect my car will be full with all the LUG MILS bins and my own stuff, so if you claim any of those and can bring them down and pick them up that would be great.
Here’s the link to the revised Base Layout with the Rail Yard put back in. I’ve also attached a .pdf file. (1) 32×32 and (2) 16×32 MOC spaces had to be deleted from the previous layout with the Bridge, but none of those had been claimed by anyone yet so no issues.
Currently we have (5) unclaimed 32×32 MOC spaces remaining, namely #6, 13, 14, 19 and 20. @willmcdine, @knb112 and @timf have all expressed interest in displaying, so now’s the time to claim the spaces that are left.
There are also (4) 32×32 green blanks at each of the four corners, plus a number of 16×32 green blanks scattered throughout the layout that could be swapped out for MOC’s. Some of those were inserted to provide clearances at the corners for Michael’s longer rolling stock, which we won’t have running this year. If anyone is interested in any of those, just let me know.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1tN5VadkOzo39mNHT8MtlK5hc1BVYeMvLQ0_zjIYKcao/edit?usp=sharing
@playingwithechoes, thanks for the heads up and we all hope you feel better soon!! Won’t be the same without you there!!
I still have the base layout with the rail yard in the Google Sheets file, so I’ll update that over the weekend with the MOC spaces that people have reserved. We might have to shift 1 or 2 MOC spaces, but that shouldn’t be an issue.
@amplef0rth is going to take up the entire 10×4 baseplate area (where the double 9v loop was running) with his Winter Village so that’s (2) less 9v loops to worry about.
In addition to the 9v Mr. Rogers Trolley and the black 9v Steam Locomotive and cars that I usually bring, I also recently acquired the white RC High Speed Passenger Train set and will bring that as well. We also have the LUG’s orange and black RC Diesel engine that I built last year that we can swap in to give other motors a break.
Bob, If there is still space that you need filled I can contribute. I have my fire scene (4×2 32×32 including the road plates) and my larger Fire House (64×48 studs) I could contribute. I wanted to give time for others to come in and display their stuff before I came in with the same buildings I usually have. I should be available for Install, OT on Fridays for me is seeming to be less frequent than it used to.
@willmcdine, here’s the link again to the space planning layout with what’s still available. Nothing quite fits the footprints that you mentioned, but here’s what we do have left:
* Spaces 19 & 20: (2) 32×32 with (2) 32×32 road plates adjacent. We could pull the (2) road plates and put your larger firehouse there and then add some 16×32 blanks to fill it out.
* Spaces 13, 14 & 15: (2) 32×32 + (1) 16×32 with no adjacent roadway. We can stretch that out to (3) 32×32 places by removing the adjacent 16×32 green blank that I have shown. I put that there to give us clear space to run the 9v wires from the controller to the track, but it can be removed as long as we can get the wires past whatever you put there.https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1tN5VadkOzo39mNHT8MtlK5hc1BVYeMvLQ0_zjIYKcao/edit?usp=sharing
i just got my fingers on a wind turbine, ill have it MILSd but im not sure if there is a good spot for it or if anyone has had one of the track before, the clearance is 30-35 bricks depending on how its angled
@schu54321, how about MOC space #16 on the layout, next to your Botanical Garden? That would balance out the “look” (height wise) with the Behemoth Bridge. 30 bricks vertical clearance is just over 11 inches, which should be fine for anything running on the tracks.
Where did the big bin of MILS bricks end up after Trolley teardown, and can we bring it to CSC? I’m hoping to build/rebuild a couple track modules during my shift.
I don’t have it so I assume it went to Josh’s. @joshhall can you confirm?
It would be very much scaled down, of course. But I can come up with a layout in that foot print of 10×4.
Sounds like a plan @amplef0rth!!
@rcgrier3406 Just signed up officially. Forgot how quickly this one comes up!
I have snow covered tracks that could go around my area, but they’re only single RC track. Just an option.
Also, any preference on using the buildings with street or having the train(s) going around the park modules. (In case you wanted to mix things up this year.
@amplef0rth, are you talking about using the same layout that you had at Ultimate Brick? If so I think that’s fine, even with the RC track around your area. The footprint I have for your area is 10 baseplates wide by 4 baseplates deep, including the double 9v track loop. Can you fill all of that with your stuff? If so, we can just eliminate the 9v double track loop.
We’re 2 weeks out from this event, and we still have (9) 32×32 and (2) 16×32 spaces open for MOCS. Here’s the link again to sign up for space, and I’ve also attached a .pdf of the latest space planning layout.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1tN5VadkOzo39mNHT8MtlK5hc1BVYeMvLQ0_zjIYKcao/edit?usp=sharing
In addition, here’s the link to the shift sign-up for this event. Set-up is Friday, 1/16 from 1 pm – 8 pm; the event runs Saturday 1/17 and Sunday 1/18 from 10 am – 5 pm, with teardown immediately following the event.
Locomotion WeekendJan 16, 2026 – Jan 18, 2026Kamen Science CenterClosedLocomotion Weekend Display at the Kamen Science Center.Created by Bob Grier · Google Calendar: not synced
Extras Participation Cups Quick linksShifts: 9
Empty Shifts: 2
Participants: 8Total cups allotted (current signups): 22.5 Dimensions for the (4) lockable glass cabinets at the Bricks & Minifigs Store in Allison Park.
– Shelf Width = 33 1/2″
– Shelf Depth = 13″ from the back glass to the sliding glass door.
– Overall height = Approx. 6 ft.
– (4) shelves per cabinet, adjustable and removable for taller displays.Bob, The LUG has 1pm till 2pm as the scheduled dock time for load in. We have till 5 to set up.
I am m iving the trains in at 10am but plan on sticking around to help set up.Thanks Tom. I haven’t seen the email on load-in times from the Science Center yet, but Tim may have it (he’s been on vacation).
Here’s the current layout that we plan to use, along with a link to the spreadsheet for you to sign up for MOC spaces. Please use the link to the Google Sheets spreadsheet below to access it. Available MOC spaces are numbered 1 through 25. Please sign up for the ones you want by filling out the information on the second page of the spreadsheet.
@playingwithechoes, @amplef0rth, I’ve already boxed your spaces out so no need to sign up. We will have power to the interior of the display for running the 9v trains if you need it for battery charging.
We will also have (2) tables in back like we normally do for rolling stock not in use and for train maintenance.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1tN5VadkOzo39mNHT8MtlK5hc1BVYeMvLQ0_zjIYKcao/edit?usp=sharing
I’ve also attached a .pdf of the layout and the sign-up sheet below.
The event sign-up for shifts is now open! Please note that we have
notreceived formal confirmation that our load-in time on Friday 1/16yet, but I’ve listed it asis 1 pm at the loading dock, and they’ve asked everyone to be out by 7 pm on Friday.Public hours for the event are 10 am – 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday.
UPDATE: Sign up for the “Display” shift if you’re bringing MOC’s, Modulars or Rolling Stock. The “half day” shifts on Saturday or Sunday will earn 0.5 cups each (the event sign-up shows them as “0 cups”). If you sign up for the “Set-up” or “Tear Down” shifts, we ask that you help out with the entire display, not just your own stuff.
Locomotion WeekendJan 16, 2026 – Jan 18, 2026Kamen Science CenterClosedLocomotion Weekend Display at the Kamen Science Center.Extras Participation Cups Quick linksShifts: 9
Empty Shifts: 2
Participants: 8Total cups allotted (current signups): 22.5 @joshhall, some more items for the punch list from the migration:
1. Except for one or two items loaded after the migration, it looks like the last image in the Media Library is from December 6th. Missing items would include the gallery photos for South Park Light-up Night and Winter Trolley, plus any photo submissions of Christmas ornaments from the Q4 build challenge. I can delete and then reload the galleries for both South Park and Winter Trolley if that’s easier for you.
2. Photos that support the “MILS” and “General” inventory item files didn’t make it over, but the photos for the “Sets” inventory did make it. ???
3. The Member Map link just goes to the Home Page and not the map.We have a 20″x30″ table? I thought we had a 20″x40″ table…
@josh batsignal activated
Josh had mentioned in an earlier post that we had “built a standard 2×3 baseplate table” so that’s what I used. If it’s not, then we’ll have to build one or come up with something else.
@joshhall can you verify?
Still trying to figure out if I can join this year. Do we have times yet, especially for setup?
Nothing official yet. For set-up on Friday 1/16 we usually get assigned the last time slot at the loading dock, which is usually around 12:30 or 1:00 pm. For Saturday 1/17 and Sunday 1/18, the Science Center is open from 10 am – 5 pm. Shifts normally run from 9am-1pm and 1-5 pm. Hopefully we’ll hear something more on times in the next week or so, and once we do we’ll open up the event and the shifts for sign-up.
I had some down time at Trolley last Friday and was able to come up with another layout that uses the Behemoth Bridge in what was previously the rail yard area! To make this work, I used the 20″ x 30″ LUG table that Gabe/Josh built and will need to add a 2″ spacer to it to get the 40″ space needed for the bridge. The footprint of this layout 10′ x 18′, so it fits within the 12′ x 20′ space allotted to us by the Science Center when you add some room for stanchions around 3 sides of it. It also uses (10) of the (12) tables being provided by the Science Center, which leaves (2) for the back wall where we can set up a rail yard for storing rolling stock not in use. Note that I was able to add 1 switch and a rail siding in the front of the layout (in front of John’s Winter Village) to give us some “on table” rolling stock storage.
The only concern I have is matching the height to the commercial tables that the Science Center provides to us. Our commercial tables are 29 1/2″ high, and the LUG tables are typically 30″ high, so a custom set of shorter legs for the LUG table should take care of that. Comments???
I just signed up to cover Friday, December 12th, so one less gap in coverage to worry about.
As far as getting stuff from the Trolley Museum to Locomotion Weekend is concerned, it’s already been covered in the Locomotion Weekend thread. @timf, @joshhall and I have already made plans for Tim and I to take or get what we need in terms of MILS bases and stanchions whenever we do teardown for Winter Trolley. Currently we’re not planning to use the LUG tables, so they’ll either be stored at the Trolley Museum or Josh will take them back to HQ, along with any other LUG supplies that we don’t need for Locomotion.
All stanchions are at my house, but I’m happy to take them to trolley tear down for someone else to take home.
Sounds good. I’ll let you know how many we need beforehand.
On another note, I still have (4) LUG commercial tables (6 ft. x 30″), (4) LUG chairs and the easy-up that Greg donated to the LUG earlier this year sitting in my garage. If they’re needed for any of the December events, let me know and I can arrange a drop-off or bring them back to @joshhall’s house next time I’m in the South Hills.
anyone thinking about how to get stuff from trolley museum for that weekend? maybe we do try to empty out of trolley museum at tear down and divide and conquer all the bins since I can’t fit everything in the van. If you know you won’t use the lug tables, I think I can fit all/just those in my van.
as to custom tables, we built a 2×3 standard baseplate table, and I’ve got plenty of wood to make whatever other dimensions needed at request/confirmation.
@joshhall, I just signed up for teardown at Trolley on the 21st and can take a bunch of the bins of MILS stuff that we’ll need for Locomotion Weekend, but I don’t know if I can take it all and still have room for the stuff I need to take to Locomotion. @timf, can you take some of it as well, especially the stanchions??
As of right now, the Science Center has said that we can’t have any more space than what we had last year, so it’s doubtful that we’ll be able to modify the layout to include Michael’s bridge. For sure we won’t be using any of the LUG tables, but we will need some of the stanchions.
I can contribute these dinosaur skeletons from the display we did at the Science Center in 2021. The rest of the scene has been disassembled but I still have the dinosaur skeletons together in a box somewhere in the garage. The Diplodocus is a MOC (Dippy from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History), and the rest are from the LEGO Ideas Dinosaur Fossil set from a few years ago.
@greg, there is power (extension cord) available in that case.
That’s right @gabevistica. Another reason why we always left space around the perimeter in the past. We might want to leave space (or use a spacer) between two of the tables on the left side to account for this and let the MILS bases span the gap.
Here’s a first pass layout to chew on! I had some time over the weekend to play with this.
For reference, we’ve always used 30″x72″ venue tables for this event, primarily because of the logistics of getting the LUG tables there and back, and also to avoid the bottleneck at the elevator and loading dock with the other train clubs that typically bring large pre-assembled modules to this event. Our usual “layout” is on a grid that’s 3 tables wide by 4 tables deep (11 tables total with an open space in the middle). To add the bridge, I added one more table to the left side making the grid 3 tables wide by 5 tables deep (12 tables total with a bigger open space in the middle).
Couple of things to note:
* We’ve always left a 5″ space open between the MILS bases and the edge of the tables. To make the bridge fit, I’m right to the edge of the tables on the top and bottom sides in this layout.
* In order to fit, the bridge has to start and end right at the MILS bases that either exit or enter the long radius curves. Don’t know if this will be an issue with some of @playingwithechoes longer wheelbase engines and cars, especially as they go under the drive side structure of the bridge.
* Since the movable portion of the bridge is 40″ wide, I had to land 10″ of that on a table. That may be an issue with the structure of the bridge at the landing point.
* In this layout we would lose one of the 9v loops that would have normally been on the right side, but that still leaves us with (2) RC long radius loops, (1) 9v double track loop, and (1) 9v single track loop.
* We used our own stanchions last year and would definitely need to bring them again for this layout.By comparison, our footprint last year was 18 ft. wide by 10 ft. deep without stanchions, and our footprint with this layout would be 18 ft. wide by 12′-6 deep without stanchions.
Created by Bob Grier ·