Emerald Night MOD to 4-6-4 to hide the XL motor

[Deeks]

Well I've been working away on my Emerald night playing with different ideas to MOD it. Now this is my first lego train (save my beloved Futron Monorail) and I always loved MOCing as a kid so I went for broke and bought two ENs on the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale. I've looked through many of the other great MODs & MOCs here in the train forum and I'm awed by the skill many of you have.

Anyway I love the EN but I really didn't like the way the motor and battery box are installed. I really liked the furnace & engineer went in the back and was sad to have to pull them out for the motor. After taking apart and re-assembling my engine 3 or 4 times I came up with the most workable solution. This was to extend the boiler 4 studs and push the cab back making room for the furnace & engineer again.

As you can see I've made it a 4-6-4 locomotive, which I found out is the configuration of the "Hudon" locomotives, the largest user of which was Canadian Pacific. When I was a kids there was one of these restored locomotives that ran a tourist run out of Vancouver which was called the Royal Hudson. I was fortunate enough to ride it a couple times while it was still running. It is now a museum piece. There are pictures of it Here

Pulling the passenger cars

As you can see the XL motor fits nicely with the extra 4 studs of space

Room for the engineer and furnace again.

The only issue I have is that the extra 4 studs of length are all behind the drive wheels so the engine does stick out a fair bit on the corners.

Moving the wheel base would require much greater modification and from looking at the pictures of the Royal Hudson I realized the drive wheels actually were positioned closer to the front. I think I need to rework the rear boggie to better match the look of the Royal Hudson.

My next step is to deal with my other annoyance, the battery box. For that my plan is to rebuild the front end and build the battery box into it. I think I've mostly figured out what I need to do the only trouble is I only have the AAA battery box and I'll have to take the whole front end apart to change the batteries. I might pick up a rechargeable battery box before I embark on that endeavour.

[kyphur]

My next step is to deal with my other annoyance, the battery box. For that my plan is to rebuild the front end and build the battery box into it. I think I've mostly figured out what I need to do the only trouble is I only have the AAA battery box and I'll have to take the whole front end apart to change the batteries. I might pick up a rechargeable battery box before I embark on that endeavour.

This is the exact reason I've invested a few hundred dollars in LiPo Battery Boxes.

In converting my 9v Locomotives to PF I prefer to be able to enclose the battery box and have only a small section of removable roof to access the charging port. I also like to have a disguised power button on the roof.

Even the newer trains are better with the LiPo and a disguised power button. I hated taking the Maersk Loco apart to change the batteries.

[SavaTheAggie]

Nicely done. That's an excellent mod to an already great set.

I think with a firebox that large, I would suggest one of two things. My first suggestion would be to spread the rear trucks wheels apart one stud and move the whole truck closer to the drivers and more under the firebox. It is, after all, what the real trailing truck was for.

Or, instead of that, if there's room, I would suggest adding another blind driver between the existing drivers and the trailing truck. That would turn your Hudson into a northern.

--Tony

[Gioppa]

Excellent work,i have made the same to keep the cabin in the original way,but...

I change the loco in a 4-8-4,feel free to copy the idea and check the photo on the link

http://www.brickshel...ry.cgi?f=442689

Edited February 19, 2012 by Gioppa