[MOC] PRR DD1 Electric Locomotive

[jtlan]

New MOC! This is the first model of an electric locomotive I've built.

The Pennsylvania Railroad used these odd-looking twin-unit electric locomotives starting in the 1910s. Each half of the locomotive was powered by a single large electric motor in the body, connected to the driving wheels via a jackshaft and side rods, resulting in an effective wheel arrangement of 4-4-0+0-4-4 (2'B+B2' in UIC notation).

To me, the jackshaft-and-side-rods drive system is a key part of the DD1's appearance. Consequently, the first thing I did was to figure out how to replicate the mechanism as faithfully as possible within the width of the model. By SNOT-ing the sides of the locomotive, I was able to make the bodywork only 1 plate thick in places, allowing me to pass a technic half-beam behind them. As a side benefit, the studs on the side line up nicely with the rivet lines on the prototype.

After figuring out the mechanicals, I designed the bodywork in LDD, then placed a whole bunch of BrickLink orders with Commander Wolf to acquire all the windows, 1x3 tiles, and the giant pile of brackets required for the SNOTwork. I actually finished the model a couple weeks ago, but the soggy weather and other commitments prevented me from taking photos until now. I also took some video:

Brickshelf gallery

Let me know what you think!

Edited November 25, 2014 by jtlan

[garethjellis]

What a fun and unique train, you did good capturing the details!

[UrbanErwin]

That is indeed an interesting engine, it looks great!

[Man with a hat]

That looks very nice. I like the way you did the roof and also the sides are looking very good.

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

Simply amazing ...I love to see the train run during a LEGO event! :wub:

[dr_spock]

Cool. I like old electric box cabs with large drivers. They are very unique.

[zephyr1934]

That's a great build, although the prototype is rather boxy, there are some tough angles on the front end that makes this an even trickier build. And those poor minifigures who gave an arm for the trucks... do not forget about them...

[jtlan]

That's a great build, although the prototype is rather boxy, there are some tough angles on the front end that makes this an even trickier build. And those poor minifigures who gave an arm for the trucks... do not forget about them...

I salute them, for they can no longer salute themselves. I considered using the minifig paint roller there, but they only come in grey and it's hard to get enough of them.

I also wanted the first window on the side to be a bit more distinctive, but that probably requires a lot of the 1x1x2 old-style windows.