I've written previously ( here) about my love for the Modular Buildings, and have coincidentally just submitted what amounts to a eulogy on the subject of Cafe Corner to Bricks Culture magazine which will appear in Issue 5. I consider myself very fortunate that the first of LEGO's Modular Buildings, Set 10182 Cafe Corner(below), was still on the shelves when I emerged bleary-eyed from my LEGO Dark Agesin the late 2000s. I'd previously experimented with covering the exposed dark bluish grey studs on the track sections with reddish brown tiles to give the appearance of wooden sleepers, filling the gaps between sleepers and the area just outside the rails with ballast in the form of 1 x 1 dark tan plates, and adding a few plants for good measure having been pleased with the overall effect I'm planning on decorating the rest of the upper track loop in the same way and I started with the curved track section below. I did briefly consider trying to anchor the curved sections to the base in a few places via judicious use of 2 x 2 turntables or 2 x 2 plates with one stud, but it became clear that it wasn't necessary as the curves were anchored securely at their ends and the tiles beneath offered sufficient support. As I'd done previously when constructing the lower track loop I used dark bluish grey plates to raise the straight track sections off the base by one plate in height and rested the curved track sections on dark bluish grey tiles. Laying the 9V track was very straightforward and I was quickly able to complete most of the upper track loop as you can see in the picture above. In the end, however, I had a change of heart and decided to go with 9V track instead as it'll enable me to run a host of classic older LEGO trains such as the Santa Fe Super Chief and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Locomotive on the upper track loop in their original, unmodified form - delicious! Thankfully, as you can see from the picture above I just about managed to find what I'd need to fashion the upper track loop plus some track sidings on Bricklink, although the switch tracks (or points if you prefer) were pretty hard to find. My plan had initially been to use currently available plastic track at ground level as there wouldn't be the same issue with line of sight leading to possible problems controlling the trains as there was for the enclosed lower track loop. So it's hard to find in any real quantity and expensive, basically, particularly if you want your track to be dark bluish grey to match the rest of your layout rather than the more common older dark grey. Because LEGO don't make 9V track any more, and because 9V is the system of choice for many LEGO enthusiasts who build and exhibit train layouts, the supply of 9V track and compatible electric motors is limited and ever diminishing. So that's all well and good then, but there's a catch.
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