Now Available At Brick Train Depot 1:48 Scale Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 Big Boy!!

[Freezingvettes99]

We at Brick Train Depot are extremely proud to offer this beautiful creation by Jeffery Fonda! A 1:48 scale Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 Big Boy Locomotive. This has been painstakenly reproduced in brick and then our instructions brought to you in outstanding detail. This has been in the works for some time and we finally have been able to bring this to our fellow Lego train hobbyist. Enjoy the photos and check out the site for more details.

32803619427_97cc8de890_o by freezingvettes99, on Flickr

47694294282_8f8a32b0c9_o by freezingvettes99, on Flickr

46957677354_152495c451_o by freezingvettes99, on Flickr

46830362715_b282f71b6e_o by freezingvettes99, on Flickr

32803618237_6dd885f018_o by freezingvettes99, on Flickr

32803619937_c32a6ab0de_o by freezingvettes99, on Flickr

46830363015_0f4abcc34d_o by freezingvettes99, on Flickr

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

Beautiful model and realistic design of the large wheels!

[Henry 991]

What a majestical Lego model - as graceful as the real locomotive.

I already purchased the plans and I’m in the middle of assessing the parts lists. How exciting!

[Sven J]

An awesome model indeed!

But you should number it as 4014, in honour of this achievement:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-hGabZ3pPY

Edited May 2, 2019 by Tenderlok

[Jeffinslaw]

1 hour ago, Henry 991 said:

What a majestical Lego model - as graceful as the real locomotive.

I already purchased the plans and I’m in the middle of assessing the parts lists. How exciting!

Happy to hear that! Let us know what you think of the instructions!

17 minutes ago, Tenderlok said:

An awesome model indeed!

But you should number it as 4014, in honour of this achievement:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-hGabZ3pPY

I chose not to number mine 4014 just because everyone usually numbers theirs that. But that is the default decal option when ordering the instructions so lots of people can make theirs 4014.

1 hour ago, LEGO Train 12 Volts said:

Beautiful model and realistic design of the large wheels!

Thank you!

-Jeffinslaw

[legobanker]

Very nice!  Can you provide a link to purchase the instructions ?

[Freezingvettes99]

4 minutes ago, legobanker said:

Very nice!  Can you provide a link to purchase the instructions ?

Click here for these amazing instructions!

[Henry 991]

I just ordered the parts. Preferred new elements for visible parts: slopes, tiles and visible bricks. The bill of materials is not inexpensive for Big Boy!

A question on the wheels: which material should I go in Shapeways? Affordable or premium plastic (nylon)?

Best, H

[Jeffinslaw]

3 hours ago, Henry 991 said:

I just ordered the parts. Preferred new elements for visible parts: slopes, tiles and visible bricks. The bill of materials is not inexpensive for Big Boy!

A question on the wheels: which material should I go in Shapeways? Affordable or premium plastic (nylon)?

Best, H

I try to design with widely available parts to keep the total cost down. My suggestion is to go with the finished white option and paint them. It's the best cost wise. Can use gloss black spray paint to match the gloss of LEGO easily.

-Jeffinslaw

[legobanker]

On 5/2/2019 at 5:35 PM, Freezingvettes99 said:

Click here for these amazing instructions!

Thanks!  Some very nice mocs. I appreciate that you have models in 6 wide. 

[sed6]

6 hours ago, Henry 991 said:

I just ordered the parts. Preferred new elements for visible parts: slopes, tiles and visible bricks. The bill of materials is not inexpensive for Big Boy!

Best, H

Good call on the new parts for certain areas. Curious what the total cost was? 

[Henry 991]

3 hours ago, sed6 said:

Good call on the new parts for certain areas. Curious what the total cost was? 

Difficult to say because I modified the parts list, and also combined it with the parts order for 3 railway cars.

Probably 450-500 euros with many new parts?

Nevertheless, because of the large size of the order, I made some sourcing errors which probably cost me like 50 euros extra. Too bad, didn’t notice that until it was too late, but overall, I’m super happy to get parts for such a great model!

Edited May 4, 2019 by Henry 991

[Henry 991]

I have following modifications in my mind:

1) install FXbrick’s XL speaker into the boiler, in front of the first motor

2) have FXBrick receiver behind the motors

3) install headlight LED and cab lights as well

4) have a big battery in the tender with a 10V switching regulator (I have both components already). The battery is connected with an MPX connector (6 pins)

So if anyone has competence and interest to make Big Boy audio file for FXBrick, I very much would be interested to support! Maybe it’s something as simple as having twin 2-cylinder engines run in parallel, but I simply cannot produce that audio track myself.

btw: I equipped the Southern Pacific 4-10-2 also with the speaker (your earlier instruction). A small LiPo battery and FX Brick fitted the tender. Can send pictures in a couple of weeks if anyone is interested.

Edited May 4, 2019 by Henry 991

[Henry 991]

12 hours ago, Jeffinslaw said:

My suggestion is to go with the finished white option and paint them. It's the best cost wise. Can use gloss black spray paint to match the gloss of LEGO easily.

Thanks for advice!

That’s probably what I will do. I do have a suitable airbrush&compressor and experience from the process of sanding, priming, painting and varnishing.

If done diligently, I expect the quality to be better than Shapeway’s most expensive “premium gloss black finishing” but with a third of its cost. Reasonable?

[legoman666]

If you all are a little patient, BTD will soon be offering Nate Brill's wheels for a better price than shapeways, and already printed in black. Additionally, Nate will get a cut from each sale (he makes nothing from Shapeways). Also, the surface finish is better.

[Jeffinslaw]

10 hours ago, Henry 991 said:

Thanks for advice!

That’s probably what I will do. I do have a suitable airbrush&compressor and experience from the process of sanding, priming, painting and varnishing.

If done diligently, I expect the quality to be better than Shapeway’s most expensive “premium gloss black finishing” but with a third of its cost. Reasonable?

Oh man, do post pictures of that! I bet they will look awesome!

-Jeffinslaw

[Stefaneris]

A big thank you to everyone who was involved in this project. I guess the Big Boy is and will ever be a great part of the railroading history. I hope that your work inspires many people outthere to build their own Big Boy or another of your engines.

[Giottist]

What a wonderful model - without any doubt.

BTW, The original UP 4014 had its roll out last thursday, youtube is full of video clips of that rolling vulcan. Just look for "Big Boy 4014" and enjoy !

[Henry 991]

On 5/4/2019 at 4:45 PM, legoman666 said:

If you all are a little patient, BTD will soon be offering Nate Brill's wheels for a better price than shapeways, and already printed in black. Additionally, Nate will get a cut from each sale (he makes nothing from Shapeways). Also, the surface finish is better.

That sounds real good.

It’s good if the people who make big contributions to this hobby can earn a share. Makes me happy to direct funding for the brick train ecosystem!

[zephyr1934]

A splendid build!

I have now posted two separate lots of rods for this beautiful locomotive. The first is my standard rod design, available here.

But who would want those when there is the deluxe set coming very soon (first run should be ready to ship in a little over two weeks).

The valve gear bars are not quite ready, but should be coming soon.

 

Meanwhile... Wow!

On 5/4/2019 at 9:45 AM, legoman666 said:

If you all are a little patient, BTD will soon be offering Nate Brill's wheels for a better price than shapeways, and already printed in black. Additionally, Nate will get a cut from each sale (he makes nothing from Shapeways). Also, the surface finish is better.

 

 

[legonerd54321]

So the purchase of the instructions is just the instructions and decals, no wheels/rods/etc??

[legoman666]

Purchase is instructions & decals.

[Daedalus304]

I tried to leave a comment on Flickr earlier but it's been acting up and I guess it didn't post properly. I'll try and recount my sentiments here - a little expanded, perhaps, since I'm more confident Eurobricks won't eat up my post. 

Just a little bit of constructive criticism I'd like to leave.

I think that this model would be much improved if some more attention to detail was paid to the chassis area, specifically the parts between the wheels and the boiler. American Steam Engines do have a "light gap" between the boiler and the running gear, but this area is usually filled with lots of details such as the suspension that put really interesting silhouettes in the mix and help bring the locomotive together. Here in this model, this gap is a bit larger than on the real engine but it's also just tiled over and plain, tiles especially being so reflective, this gap draws the eye a lot and is very visually distracting.

These empty gaps without detail unfortunately distract away from the good shaping and surface-level details on the rest of the locomotive, and the end impact is that there doesn't feel to be a lot of "depth" to the detail, and it's missing in the place on a locomotive that's perhaps one of the most interesting to look at - all the components and bits and bobs, but also the crucial impact to the overall silhouette and "character" of the build. If more attention were given to these areas, the model as a whole would feel much richer visually.

I hope also that this doesn't come across rudely. It's a good model as it is, of course. Normally, I wouldn't say anything probably. But I thought to share this bit of constructive criticism for two reasons: Firstly, because I believe that the designer has the capability and skill to go the last mile of detail and help this model feel more complete. Secondly, of course, if someone is happy with their model then they certainly are allowed to enjoy their work, but as an item for sale, I feel like perhaps criticisms and advice are a little more acceptable. For an item being sold with so much care and attention put into the instructions, perhaps just a little more detail work would help add to the richness and value of the work as a product. 

I've found a picture of a Big Boy online that shows this sort of angle really well. Hopefully this helps to illustrate what I'm talking about:

[Vilhelm22]

Excellent to see this! Could we see a picture of it going through a curve, as there are none on Brick Train Depot’s website?

[UPRailfan4014]

With all of the parts as well as the custom wheels, instructions, and standard rod set, how much would this locomotive cost?  This looks like an interesting build!

In USD please!  Any reply would be appreciated!