Metro Vancouver’s biggest train show ever!

The BCTrains.org show and meet is moving to new home and getting a new look and a new name! This year’s show will be held at the Pacific National Exhibition Forum on the weekend of November 6-8. All the familiar meet activities—operating sessions, layout tours, clinics, banquet—will be part of the weekend, along with a new and expanded train show in the 44,000-square-foot Forum.

This year’s show features:

• more space for model railways, displays, vendors and manufacturers
• drive-in, all-weather access to your display location for easy load-in and load-out
• food concession and social area on the show floor
• all show activities on the same level for better accessibility
• ample on-site parking with exhibitor parking adjacent to the Forum
• easy access from Highway 1 and via public transit
• exhibitor and vendor access beginning at 3 PM on Friday

The Vancouver LEGO Club is excited once again to be participating as one of the exhibitors.   As always, we’ll be showing our LEGO trains, but bringing it all to life will be all the minifigs in the dioramas around the entire layout.

Photos from last year’s display can be found on our Flickr account.

For more info visit the Vancouver Train Expo website at http://www.vancouvertrainexpo.ca

Vancouver Train Expo  November 7th and 8th 2015 (Saturday and Sunday)
Pacific National Exhibition’s Forum Building
Saturday November 7th          10 am to 4 pm
Sunday November 8th              10 am to 4 pm

Please note ticket sales are cut-off at 3:30pm both days. All guests must exit the hall at 4pm.

Entrance Fares

Fares may be paid with cash only. An entrance fare entitles an individual to the public display areas of the Trains show. An entrance fare is good only for the day it is purchased.

• Senior(60+)            $8
• Adult(16-59)            $10
• Youth(6-15)            $5
• Child under 6         free (with an Adult)
• Family          $25 (Maximum 2 Adults, 3 Youth)
• NMRA Members         $5

Thanks so much for coming out to see the display LEGO: A Fraser Valley Odyssey at the Surrey Museum. A lot of hard work went into the display and we’re happy to have you there.

For those that missed out, then check out our Flickr albums. We’ve just uploaded a bunch of galleries and there are more coming over the next few weeks from displays of the past 15 years.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127243838@N03/albums

If you’re looking out for LEGO in your future, you’ll want to write in your calendar:

BrickCon in Seattle – Oct 3rd and 4th .
Mt Cheam Train and Hobby in Chilliwack (display by AbbyLUG) – Oct 17th and 18th
Trains 2015 at the PNE – Nov 7th and 8th
Festival of Lights at Van Dusen Gardens – Dec 1st to 31st.
BrickCan at the River Rock in Richmond – April 23rd and 24th

More detailed posts to follow.

We’re in the final stretch of our 900 square foot display at the Surrey Museum in Cloverdale.   If you haven’t been, what are you waiting for?   Okay, so you’re one of those people who have to know more about what you’re going to see?  Well, check out our Flickr album with 100’s of shots from the display from the six distinct eras of the Fraser Valley.   Which time is your favourite?  And can you spot all the famous time travellers?

The exhibit closes on Sept 19th, 2015.

https://flic.kr/s/aHskctAcJ6

And best of all, admission is free thanks to the Friends of the Surrey Museum, and yes, donations are always appreciated.  For more info:  http://www.surrey.ca/culture-recreation/16675.aspx

Jeff of Breaking Dads on his All Sorted podcast did a great review of the display which can be found and heard here.  http://www.breakingdads.com/all-sorted/as-pod/ep-16-lego-fraser-valley-odyssey/

I did say that we were busy.  This is the third event/display that we were working on.  We provided a different classic toy (recreated in LEGO) for each decade of the past 100 years.    Some are so old that they’re new again.  So come and check out the display!

Whether a yoyo, Slinky, Etch-a-Sketch, or XBox, toys have existed for centuries as an essential part of any child’s life. Play teaches everything from motor skills, to engineering, to everyday tasks. Toys allow us to develop our imaginations and creativity, to explore, discover and learn from the world around us.

Join us from June 6th to October 12th as we celebrate some of the most popular toys of the last 100 years. Follow the evolution of handcrafted wood and ceramic toys to factory produced plastics and computer microprocessing.

The exhibit features toy re-creations from members of the Vancouver Lego Club, historic toys from the Museum’s collection, as well as ten interactive toy stations and balloon sculptures by Korki the Clown, Smile Ambassador of the Semiahmoo Peninsula. Make sure to grab your play passport on your way in and test out all the stations in our gallery for a chance to win a 2015 Easy Bake Oven!

With thanks to our exhibit sponsors and partners: City of White Rock, Peace Arch News (2015 Print Media Sponsor),  Charlie Don’t Surf Restaurant (2015 Reception Sponsor) and Bricks 4 Kidz – Surrey/Delta. Exhibit artwork provided by: Monica Blachnio.

We’re spilling ALL the beans about BrickCan 2016, western Canada’s first and largest major LEGO Fan Convention and Exhibit, which will happen less than a year from today.  Mark your calendars now – April 21 – 24, 2016 – at the River Rock Resort in Richmond, British Columbia, just minutes from downtown Vancouver, and easily accessed whether your’re planning to drive, train, or fly in.

Families and LEGO Fans of all ages – Saturday, April 23 and Sunday, April 24 is all about coming and checking out the hundreds of cool creations built by expert builders from all over North America.  There will lots of other cool things to see, fun LEGO activities, and awesome LEGO-related and exclusive merchandise to buy and take home.

Adult LEGO fans – Plan to attend all four days, April 21 – 24, 2016.  Better yet, plan to come earlier and stay later.  The local crew will be planning some before and after activities and fun for you to enjoy your Vancouver experience even more.

Anything CAN Happen!

This one is labeled teaser2.  It does not look like a tasty meal.

Anyone have an idea what this is about?

Lego artist Paul Hetherington works on his piece Mouse Guard at his North Vancouver home.
Photograph by: Mike Wakefield , North Shore News

One of our amazing LEGO artists, Paul, was recently interviewed by Jane Seyd from the North Shore News. It’s a fantastic article and certainly worth a read. Congratulations Paul!

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Lego+artistry+awesome/10872002/story.html