AT&SF Bluebonnet F7 and Super Chief - style passenger train

[Murdoch17]

Background for the locomotives and train:

"Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe 302" is one of a very rare breed. Built in August 1949 as a “A” (cab) and “B” (booster) F7 diesel unit for the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railway (AT&SF), This Electro-Motive Division (EMD) product was painted in a variant of the famous Warbonnet (red,yellow and silver) color scheme called Bluebonnet (blue yellow and silver). The engine was intended for freight service and did so faithfully for 28 years. In late 1977 the two unit set was on the short list for conversion to an CF7 hood unit when the Wabash Frisco & Pacific (or WF&P for short) went looking for a engine to pull it's recently refurbished Merrimack River Runner. The Santa Fe gave them a two-for-one special on the tired F7 units, with the WF&P buying the A unit and getting the B for free. The new owner realized the historic meaning of this deal more than the old owner did: this was one of the last bluebonnet engines left, and one of a handful of AT&SF F7's not converted to the horrid looking CF7 hood unit. Needless to say, the WF&P snapped up the offer, and even set the loco to the EMD La Grange, Illinois assembly plant for the motor to be replaced with a newer, more powerful and easier-to-maintain power plant. The units came back to the WF&P in 1979, and have since been teamed up with the recently restored Southern Pacific Daylight 4460 (owned by the St. Louis-based National Transportation Museum) for trips up and around WF&P system.

The front of the two units.

The inside of the Cab (or A) unit.

The inside of the Booster (or B) unit.

Here we see the Merrimack River Runner being pulled by ex - AT&SF unit #302

The open platform observation car beings up the rear of the train.

It may be hard to tell, but each passenger car has tables and chairs with removable roof on top. The baggage car is empty, and the locomotives have mechanical stuff including engine blocks and cab controls.

Builders notes:

Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe 302 really existed, but I have no idea what it was painted. It was probably either scrapped or converted to a CF7 hood unit along with most of the other F7 locos. The number I used came from the LEGO set number 10020, which uses number 301 for it's Warbonnet painted loco. I wanted this to a be a sister loco, so I used the next one up: 302.

The Wabash Frisco & Pacific is a real 12 inch gauge steam railway based in Glencoe, MO. For my purposes they have been turned into a "real" railway.

The Merrimack River Runner is a copy of the Missouri River Runner, a real Amtrak train starting from St. Louis and ending in Kansas City before reversing course and going back to St. Louis with some stops in between both cities. Also, the original LEGO Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe (known as the Santa Fe) Super Chief trains cars from the early 2000's were looking a little dated, so I redid them. I added Emerald Night style doors, removed the expensive roof slopes, and added a rear platform instead of the (extremely costly) curved window glass.

The Southern Pacific 4460 really exists, but has not steamed since 1959. It is located in St. Louis MO at the real-life Transportation Museum.

This is my Bluebonnet powered passenger train made into a sprite of the same style used by Herby's New LEGO train Depot, which features every Lego train rendered as a sprite. (link to that website: http://www.fa-meier....epot/index.html ) Anyway, the train is pulled by two F7 locomotives (that's one cab unit and one booster unit), while the train is made up of one baggage car, three passenger coaches, and one observation / lounge car.

Here is the LDD file for the train: http://www.mocpages....1417446093m.lxf

And as always Comments, Questions and Complaints welcome!

[Heppeng]

Very nice, and I like the story to go with it too!

[Murdoch17]

Very nice, and I like the story to go with it too!

Thank you!

[Steph 104th]

Wesome loco, the front is very nicely done.