Ideas for freight locomotive to complement 4559

[Elana-chan]

Hey there. I know I seem to be in the minority when it comes to liking the 1996 "cargo railway". In my case I love that set enough to try and base a large portion of my rail system around the aesthetics that the train uses. I personally see it as a simi-futuristic set that could potentially be a means to transport people between a city setting and a space themed area. To this end I would like to work with someone on figuring out how come up with a freight loco that would similarly fit the transition between the two themes. For the most part I think the freight rolling stock that comes with the sets would work just fine, and I intend on using the more contemporary freight cars unaltered, as they will be sent all over the place, not just into the space area. It just feels like I could be doing more with a loco designed to make runs to that area and I'm unsure where to start. To give an idea of what could potentially be seen in the space area, I am focusing on the themes from the late 1980s through 1999, namely all of the themes between futron and insectoids. It is possible I will eventually get ahold of the monorail sets which would provide an additional link to the city, but for now the trains are my only real means to connect the two in a way that's visually separated (through a tunnel or other similar means).

Edited January 9, 2019 by Elana-chan

[M_slug357]

@Elana-chan I’d say a good place to start would be with some of the suggested builds from that set’s box art and instruction manuals. Another fun route would be to look at science fiction media from the same time period? Lastly, you could search the world wide web for real-world prototypes that were either proposed or actually built, that have the sort of retro futuristic aesthetic that you’re looking for.

Hope this helps to get you brainstorming?

[Elana-chan]

4 hours ago, M_slug357 said:

@Elana-chan I’d say a good place to start would be with some of the suggested builds from that set’s box art and instruction manuals. Another fun route would be to look at science fiction media from the same time period? Lastly, you could search the world wide web for real-world prototypes that were either proposed or actually built, that have the sort of retro futuristic aesthetic that you’re looking for.

Hope this helps to get you brainstorming?

Maybe a little? I posted here after my googlefoo failed to yield any inspiration. It seems there isn't much demand for locomotives that deviate from real-world examples.

[Pdaitabird]

Among all the historical and present-day locomotives, there are a few futuristic looking engines in the Eurobricks Train MOC index here. May not be what you're looking for, but it might help.

[Elana-chan]

4 minutes ago, Pdaitabird said:

Among all the historical and present-day locomotives, there are a few futuristic looking engines in the Eurobricks Train MOC index here. May not be what you're looking for, but it might help.

The only thing I see there that comes close is from the thread bellow:

With how tiny the 4559 loco is, and the lack of anything to suggest pantographs or a third rail, part of me wants to say the thing could be powered by a miniature nuclear reactor (maybe a micro fusion generator?). I do also have the theory that the 4559 cars could be potentially lighter weight than the freight cars sense they aren't design to carry bulk loads.

Edit: for the above link to be a possibility, it would need to be modified so there are couplers at both ends. Part of me is thinking of making the rail lines in the associated project end to end instead of a loop. Between that and being used as a switcher when required, it can't be expected to only pull form the back.

At M_slug357's suggestion, I found a picture of the rear boxart. The locomotive itself is unremarkable as anything that would suit my needs, but the support structures and vehicle might have value:

Edited January 10, 2019 by Elana-chan

[M_slug357]

@Elana-chan there are even more alternate builds suggested in the instruction manual(s), and I believe you can find them on Peeron...

[Roadmonkeytj]

One of my LUG members actually has a beautiful rendition of this train...  Feel free to poke around our site for more pictures of it! 

https://fortlug.org/?topic=the-new-nickel-plate-express

[Elana-chan]

Neat looking setup, but I'm looking for something that more closely matches the loading gauge of the original set. By having the cab lifted that much, the loco (and the rest of the train) is noticeably taller. I'm seeking to make the roof height consistent between the sets I use.

[dr_spock]

You could make it more like the Windhoff concept for transporting ISO shipping containers.  (I think their concept eventually became the Windhoff Cargo Sprinter.)  You could build some shipping containers from the Maesk train and see if it fits and MOD accordingly.

 

[Elana-chan]

Are you suggesting some kind of streamlined casing to cover the cargo loads from things like 4565? I'm using the 4x8 standard for my trains at this time for cargo loads.

Edited January 14, 2019 by Elana-chan