MOC: E444 - The Turtle - Electric FS Locomotive

[helos]

Hi everyone, I posted some photos of the my Lego creation of the italian electric locomotive E444 - 044 with "Gran Confort" passenger coaches. The main features are the unsymmetrical solution between the front bogie and the rear bogie with hook for aestethic result along the bends and the car bogies representing the real ones for high speed.

This machine began its regular service over forty years ago. It was validated for a maximum speed of 220 km/h – it was an high speed performance at the beginning of seventies but the majority of the rail lines along coasts and across mountains has not allowed to this innovative engine of releasing its full power (over 4200 KW)

I don't exactly know why it was nicknamed “ tartaruga"– "turtle” by the drivers but for personnel, train enthusiasts and even indifferent passengers it was love at first sight. At that time among steamy engines still in service and rough electric locomotive full of studs it became soon famous and recognizable for its futuristic shape and livery wich flaunted on the portside an unusual cartoon of a turtle wich runs.

It became the official engine of the new-born “Gran Confort” coaches.

At that time the Gran Confort were extremely advanced and expensive passenger cars and still today they preserve a good level of standard if properly upkept. The main features were automatic doors both external and internal, high speed bogies, antivibration and antitwisting dampers, double insulation and climate control, intercom and audio devices, compartment or saloon outfitting,, bar and restaurant. They were painted in slate-grey and ivory livery with red stripes and in TEE livery.

The unsymmetrical solution

The panssenger coaches built in 46 studs lenght

my gallery:My link

Edited November 5, 2011 by helos

[Duq]

That's a good looking train. Nice colour scheme for both the engine and carriages.

I particularly like the bogies for the passenger carriages. Interesting design.

[lightningtiger]

A beautiful train and those pantographs , AWESOME work 'helos' !

You have tried to copy every aspect of the real train in yours - a huge to your skills 'helos' and Brick On !

[L@go]

I really think this is one of the best trains I've ever seen - the train itself looks amazing, and it's so much like the real thing. The shapes are spot-on, and those colour schemes are wonderful. A lovely recreation, and very good (but still subtle) use of decals. The carriages, too, are just fantastic. Very inspiring!

[pikappa79]

Impressive MOC. I love the cars and obviously the engine.

Edited November 5, 2011 by pikappa79

[Laura Beinbrech]

That is one sweet locomotive, and your rolling stock is lovely as well! I like your bogie designs, even though I probably won't use them myself.

[Sokratesz]

It would probably look better if you made the portholes trans-clear instead of empty.

[LegoSjaak]

I'm in love with those cars....and the engine is also very well done!!!

Greetz, LegoSjaak

[Spike the train builder]

very clever use of "the unsymmetrical solution"

[peterab]

I have to agree the colour scheme of these is very attractive. Particularly the red fronted engine.

I like your micro spacing of the passenger doors.

How is the friction of the custom bogies? Whenever I've built custom I've ended up going back the the standard wheelsets because of friction.

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

Simply wonderful!

There's nothing I like better than a well-made MOC Locomotive, and this is better than well-made!

All the train is a masterpiece, and I love to see the Italian Turtle on this pages.

The SNOT technique is awesome: the nose of the E444 is perfect!

T-O-T-A-L-L-Y COOL!

[zeki]

This is a Trully amazing looking train! I love every single thing about it! Good job!

[Man with a hat]

Wow.

That's nice.

Really good work on the front of the engine there. I also like your asymmetrical solution for the bogies.

And those bogies for the cars are great. I used the other wheels to built the bogies for my 7-wide cars, but this must work much better. I must try it myself.

[helos]

I like your micro spacing of the passenger doors.

The doors are simply assembled on a bracket 1x2-2x2

How is the friction of the custom bogies? Whenever I've built custom I've ended up going back the the standard wheelsets because of friction.

The wheels came from the 2878c01 assembly well known for its intrinsic problems of friction.

As you can see in the picture the axle is inserted into two pin ¾ 30002 but yuo can’t see the two pieces of hose 3mm inserted into the pins where the axle spins. I've had to check if the axle spins without friction into the hoses because of their thickness can be inconstant. When friction occurs I passed into the hose a 2mm drill bit (or better a 2.2 mm drill bit). At the end I applied a small coat of graphite powder on the axles as lubricant - the reproduction of high speed bogie runs in high speed on Lego rails indeed!

At the Itlug 2011 show in Lecco the E444 Turtle ran for hours at fast speed with its convoy without any problem.

Edited November 6, 2011 by helos

[peterab]

The doors are simply assembled on a bracket 1x2-2x2

As you can see in the picture the axle is inserted into two pin ¾ 30002 but yuo can’t see the two pieces of hose 3mm inserted into the pins where the axle spins. At the Itlug 2011 show in Lecco the E444 Turtle ran for hours at fast speed with its convoy without any problem.

Thanks for sharing your secrets :-) I'll have to try the 3mm hose. I've got a couple of grain wagons where it might help a lot.

[Legoist]

Perfetta!

[Selander]

Beautiful train set. So many nice technics used, and estetically perfect.

Very well done indeed.

[AussieJimbo]

Fantastic work, helos.

Both the engine and the coaches are superb.

:classic:

[Hrw-Amen]

Really nice colours, especially on the passenger coaches, I am quite impressed by these.

[1974]

Spot on!

[Gigi]

W-O-W! Very well done! It's so similar to the original :-) by the way it Was named "turtle" because of the round-shaped front and (ironically) because of its maximum speed by engineers

Edited February 19, 2020 by Gigi