Chinese railway worker builds a "train world" with Lego bricks (4)

Chen Xiangdong tests a model. (Photo/Xu Lingbo)

Chen Dongxiang, a power distributor with China Railway Lanzhou Group Co.,Ltd. born in the 1990s, has been obsessed with trains since he was a little boy. After taking up the post of power distributor at the state-owned railway company, he combined his hobby with his career and devoted himself to his "dream of trains".

During his spare time, Chen built a "train world" with Lego bricks, encompassing various train types. In fact, all the train types that Chen encountered in real life have been recreated in his "train world".

Chen started to make a miniature scale model train system in 2017. In a bid to make the models more realistic, he learned how to use 3D software to create blueprints and put together fine pieces meticulously according to the designs. In addition to locomotive circuits and mechanical principles, he also learned to "lay" tracks and "set up" signal machines and stations. Eventually, Chen got these hand-made trains to run in his miniature train system.

As Chen became more skilled in making train models, he began to think about getting engaged in something more meaningful -- thinking of his father, who works in the railway engineering section, he decided to make models of engineering trains.

"Compared with passenger trains and freight trains, the structure of engineering trains is more complicated, and it is quite difficult to achieve the latter's functioning using Lego bricks," said Chen.

For this reason, Chen taught himself relevant knowledge and cleverly used the pneumatic system to provide power for a tamping hammer. In 2018, he took his work to a national Lego train summer vacation competition, where his tamping wagon model won second place.

This award was a great encouragement to Chen, who then went on to build a material truck and a rescue crane. At the beginning of this year, he started to create his new work, a ballast cleaning machine. After making these model trains, Chen learned the main parts and working principles of engineering trains just like the back of his hand.

"I hope to promote railway culture through Lego trains so that people can understand more about the rapid development of China’s railway," said Chen.