LDD MOC/WIP: BR Intercity 125 - 1970s Livery

[whosscruffylookin]

I'm a long time lurker here, thought I'd risk a first post...

I've always loved the original blue/white/yellow livery of this loco. I've used the train hundreds of times - was even in one that derailed - but only once in the original livery (everything since then doesn't look right to me) - to go to a lego show in Milton Keynes circa 1982!

Here's some links to the real thing:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dawlish_Warren_1970s_-_5.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:British_Rail_Class_43_at_Chesterfield.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_43_(HST)

Carl Greatrix hasn't done this one yet, I'd love to see what he could do for it. I've tried to be reasonably accurate, but also tried to make it playable, e.g. opening doors, removable roof. One problem with the roof is that it needs to be a plate higher, but I don't how I can do this without damaging the lines of the cab.

Anyway, here's my Lego version, which I hope to build in real bricks at some point. I haven't figured out how I'm going to the carriages yet, and getting it to go round curves with carriages attached will probably be a challenge.

If I built this for real, I'd use stickers to get true diagonals on the yellow and white stripes, and on the doors. The train base isn't available in blue, so that would need stickers too.

There's plenty of room for power functions - ideally I'd get two pairs of red and white leds mounted in the headlights.

Thanks for any suggestions for improvements!

[Fuzzylegobricks]

Very nice train, and welcome to Eurobricks whosscruffylookin! This sounds like a big part of your life this train.

The model is really nice, you could add a coupling in the front of the engine (it looks a little bare).

Great Moc!

[roamingstop]

Yep a nice colour MOC - reminds me of seeing them as a child go past my grandparents window.

For the slopes; you can fit 45 degree angle brick / inverted angle brick next to each other - but with one flat in between (under the inverted). This gives a good approximation of the angle, but not perfect alignment. There is a tutorial somewhere online for this. The better approximation is with the 1x1x3 slope 75 which fit next to each other to give a smooth diagonal, but not quite the same effect.

I would not worry about lifting the roof line up higher; unless you want to have a removable roof and not worry about the door falling out... then a simple tile should be sufficient.

For the base plate; the bluish grey colours are not a bad approximation, or you can choose to make a complete custom base out of plates, which is not too difficult, but slightly more complicated / costly building.

That said, I really look forward to one day seeing this charging around with the black diesel fumes pumping out the air vents....

Edited April 25, 2011 by roamingstudio

[Gareth]

Nice I remember this colour when I was little, nice MOC.

For the front blue doors wouldn't using the blue and yellow doors from set '7710' be more useful? Love to see it when it's fully built.

[Odyssey]

A very nice MOC you are workin on there! :)

How about you use rounded slopes for the lower part of the front to better represent the rounded front maybe?

If you make the roof one plate higher you could try using cheese slopes for the transition from the front to the roof. Or try one of those bigger sloped plates. Just some ideas...

[whosscruffylookin]

Thanks for the warm welcome and comments, everyone!

I've not had much chance to work on this since posting, but I've come up against a few problems with the design as is...

Fuzzylegobricks: well, maybe hundreds was an exaggeration. But I used to travel a lot between Paddington and Swansea. Both a terminii which maint walking past the loco to get on the train... The train would never have a coupling at the front (well, I think there may have been a tow bar thing behind a hatch on the front), and no buffers either...

Roamingstudio: I don't like gaps much (well, in a design like this) so won't be doing the slopes thing for the livery... I originally built a plate based chassis, but the problem is that it's difficult to make a skirt like in the train base, without lots of snot, and not having a skirt takes the wheels too far from the front... difficult to explain without a picture. The way the grilles are done should allow for venting of diesel funes though :)

Gareth: I've just bought what looks like most of a 7710 and a few other 12V era train bits on ebay, mainly to get some doors, which are sadly missing from the today's lego trains... so there's hope yet...

Odyssey: I'd love it to be a bit more curvy, but it needs to slope inwards as well, although if you can show me a better solution I'm all ears/eyes!

Other stuff: I've found that a piece I was relying on (left) is not available in blue, so I've switched to using the 45 degree windscreen (which was actually the inspiration for attempting this model, when I saw it in a new space port set my son has) - it will look ok with some stickers applied (I'll have to learn Greatrix-fu). An advantage is it gives me a way to do the side windows...

[greenmtvince]

This is great! I remember being a kid in the early 80s having a big hardback train book and this locomotive and livery was always one of my favorite to look at.

[Legoless]

Welcome to the board.

I think I'd be inclined to lose the house doors and brick-build a much narrower opening, and if possible, try to round out the corners of the cab somehow.

Incidentally, there is at least one HST poower car with buffers and couplings- it was used (minus the engine) as a prototype DVT (Driving Van Trailer)- ie an unpowered vehicle at one end of the train with a driver's cab with an electric loco at the other- so it could be driven from both ends. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Grand_Central_HST_Newark.jpg

Edit- one of the power cars in the Flying Banana (HST based 'New Measurement Train') has couplings also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Measurement_Train.

Edited April 29, 2011 by Legoless

[johnny cogs]

This has just given me sooo many ideas!!!! Good post!

[ILoveLegoTrains]

Hey, do you think you could post a instructions vid and post it on youtube? also how much did it say this model was?

[andythenorth]

Try this part for the front grille...(between the headlights).

http://www.bricklink.com/search.asp?itemID=418&colorID=3

[mred]

Funny that you should be working on an Intercity 125, I've been working on an XPT which is based on the Intercity 125.

I've found it quite difficult to reproduce the current colour scheme, but have had more success with the colour scheme from it's introduction, so that is what I've stuck to. I found that using rocker bearings on the top edge, I was able to get the illusion of the curve, especially when using a couple of curved pieces to break up the grills......

As you can see, I did not worry about doors.....

I would love to make the front a little more like the original, but will probably end up using stickers if I end up buildiung it..... if only I had more money to spend on lego!

[Beej]

Nice Candy XPT there mred! I've got a Countrylink Blue XPT on the way, it's just taking a break while I work on a set of V/Line N carriages.

[mred]

Nice Candy XPT there mred! I've got a Countrylink Blue XPT on the way, it's just taking a break while I work on a set of V/Line N carriages.

I presume by Countrylink Blue you mean the current livery? Would love to see that!

[AussieJimbo]

Nice job, mred.

I prefer the original candy livery for the XPT.

Shame our track infrastructure is so poor in this country, it can rarely run at the speeds it's capable of doing.

I wished they'd finally bite the bullet and start building a proper high speed train here.

:classic:

Edited December 16, 2011 by AussieJimbo

[Beej]

I presume by Countrylink Blue you mean the current livery? Would love to see that!

Yep, current livery. I might go work on it again if there are people out there eager to see it.

[mred]

Count me in Beej