MOC Pioneer Zephyr

[zephyr1934]

[

MOC gallery]

I am proud to present my take on the small train that was the first modern streamliner. Built in 1934, numbered 9900 and originally simply called the Zephyr (the last name in passenger comfort). After its success it was quickly joined by many more Zephyr's and was soon renamed the Pioneer Zephyr. There are many great articles on this historic train, e.g., here (note the PDF schematics that were incredibly helpful); here; and here.

The Zephyr was the first lightweight train set, the first (or one of the first?) diesel electric powered trains, and the first stainless steel train. It was small and light, consisting of a motorcar that was a combination engine and RPO, then a combined express/coach, and a coach observation car. The entire train was articulated, with shared trucks between each pair of cars. I sought to reproduce the as delivered version of the train set. Several substantial changes were made over the first few years of the train's long life, including the addition of a 4th car (or 3rd car if you consider the motorcar a locomotive) and a large Mars light on the front and rear of the train. As such, my model might differ in appearance from many photos of the train after the changes were made. The train has been restored and is on display at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, IL, USA. Another three of these train sets were built for the Burlington route, and the nearly identical Flying Yankee for the B&M. But enough history for now, first a quick image of the train itself,

Look at all of those round curves...

The nose was a challenge- how to get the rounded and sloped front. The above photo shows my solution. I would have liked to have gotten a little more slope, maybe one plate where I'm currently using half plate steps, but that would have only worked if there were curved sloped bricks of just the right shape/size. I was pleased with how well I was able to capture the distinctive air vents above the cab (including the small gap between the two vents, with room for the headlight), and also how I was able to get the right topographical shape from the rectangular slope bricks for the transition from the front to the top curves. At the end of the engine compartment is an abrupt narrowing and slow drop in height (again at half plate tall steps) to the roof of the cars. The photo also shows the IR receiver not so eloquently hidden. Some of the other shots show a "cap" built over the receiver. That was for the show this past weekend (which I'll post more about after uploading photos), and at this show, 10 ft away from where my trains were running, there were four stations for kids to run lego city train sets, with IR controllers and all. The cap blocked most of the IR, but you could still operate the train from 2 ft away. With that success, I rebuilt it again this morning and put the IR receiver completely under the 1x3 curved slopes so that it is now completely hidden. Again, it will hear the IR receiver from 2 ft away. I'll post photos of that update soon, but that will send the entire folder back for Brick Shelf moderation and I don't want to do that right now.

Below the car you can see the skirting on the powered truck and along the body. This feature of the prototype also made it easy to hide a black PF train motor while blending it in with the model (similarly on the trucks, using standard PF train wheels in black, but more on that in a moment). Also of note are the doors with a half plate recess, the brick built mail catch, and custom decals using fonts from RailFonts.com

The above shot shows a side view of the motorcar. The stark light does not do the step down in the roof justice. It looks much better with overhead lighting (as seen in some of the other shots).

The above thumbnails show how I did the connections between cars. As noted above, the skirting on the wheels covers plain black PF train wheel sets. I got the idea for the 4x4 curves for the diaphragms from Swoofty's SP cars. The configuration in the photos is designed to run on R88 or better curves. The lenght of the cars lead to too extreme swings on R44 curves and the outer corners will knock together. However, with a quick rebuild of the trucks to add one stud separation, she will run fine on R44 tracks.

Here is the middle car. The doors were another challenge to get the half plate offset with the profile bricks, and then quick turn from studs up to studs sideways. All sorts of fast brickwork in the intervening 6 stud width of the train. Needless to say, my brain is still hurting a bit from all of the hoops to get the offsets working. Although none of the photos show it, the coach windows offer a clear view across the train.

Here's a shot of the observation car. More half plate offset doors, skirting, etc. The rounded observation end was another challenge...

... I started with my basic design from the North Coast Limited. I made a few quick improvements- the NCL had 1 brick tall windows on the sides and so I had to make the observation windows either 2.5 plates tall or 5 plates tall. The Pioneer Zephyr has 5 plate tall windows to help emphasize the small size of the prototype, which then made the transition to the snotted windows on the curved section a lot easier. But I also faced a challenge. The NCL uses a curved winshield to transition from the 1x3 curved bricks of the roof to the curves of the rear of the train. I did not have enough height to fit that same piece on the Zephyr. So I wound up using a wedge plate design to again capture the topographical form of the curved section. It works from a distance at least.

Here's a shot of the train from the inside of a R108 curve...

... and a shot at speed at the show this past weekend. Note the bulb over the IR receiver (which as noted above, has since been smoothed over and the IR receiver can no longer be seen from the outside (I'll post those photos in a week or two).

If that isn't enough, you can find more photos here in the full gallery.

Comments, questions, suggestions, etc. are welcome...

[Nemo57]

Stunning faithful copy of a very high level of performance.

[THERIZE]

Hallelujah man, EPIC!!!!!

[alois]

It is always a challenge to capture the shape of a streamlined train in Lego; you did it quite well. Would these parts have been an option to create the upper front part?

[legoman666]

Sweet. I vote that you extend it to the fourth coach :)

[Man with a hat]

O wow!

Magnificent work. The looks are absolutely fantastic.

I only feel the front angle of the original is a bit less steep. But still great work on the front and the other amazing details

[MaineBrickFan]

Wonderful! I have in mind to attempt an 8-wide Flying Yankee at some point; will be hard to improve on this version. Superb as always and I'll bet it looks great flying around the track - post a vid if you have one!

[HoMa]

Thanks for showing your latest model. I was not aware that the started streamlined, non-steam trains back in the 1930s in the US. Good to see that you also had a good challenge with a streamlined nose using all the curved slopes and 1/2 plate offsets. You captured the front very well! Especially when the prototype does not have much details (which a modern streamlined train does not have in comparison to a steam engine or freight train) it is very good to see little details like 1/2 plate offset door etc. Great work, now rebuild it in rare LEGO metalic silver (http://www.bricklink.com/catalogList.asp?v=1&pg=1&colorPart=67&catType=P) ;-)

[eurotrash]

Curvy goodness! It's a challenging shape to reproduce in Lego, but you've done a really good job.

[Graham Gidman]

Fantastic!

[xboxtravis7992]

Very well done. But now I'm also curious about the picture of the Amtrak Superliner and the Auto-Racks at the LUG layout, all three of these trains are spot on!

[wylan_1994]

I love this train! Very nice build! This is probably the train that made me love trains. Whenever I would go to the Museum of Science and Industry, I would look at it for 10 to 20 minutes and I would go about once a week. They even gave out free tours of the train. I greatly recomend going to check it out if you ever go to Chicago.

Edited November 23, 2015 by wylan_1994

[dr_spock]

This is very nice. Good job on capturing the curves.

[Hod Carrier]

Chuffing nora!!!! Well done for an excellent build. If you can ever find a way to increase the angle on the front end it would improve the looks even further, but that doesn't detract from an otherwise faithful reproduction.

[zephyr1934]

Thank you all for your kind words!

It is always a challenge to capture the shape of a streamlined train in Lego; you did it quite well. Would these parts have been an option to create the upper front part?

Oh yes, that was a definite contender early on, but I ultimately went a different direction for a couple of reasons. It precluded the brick built vents and headlight that I thought were iconic features of the MOC and it created to much of a vertical element at the bottom of the curve. It was bad enough that I could not take a half plate step where the herald is, as noted right after your post...

I only feel the front angle of the original is a bit less steep. But still great work on the front and the other amazing details

Chuffing nora!!!! Well done for an excellent build. If you can ever find a way to increase the angle on the front end it would improve the looks even further, but that doesn't detract from an otherwise faithful reproduction.

... the front angle is indeed too steep. So I did not want to make it any steeper. I've seen a few other brick built versions with slopes for the nose, and some of those get the correct vertical slope, but they do so at the expense of the rounded front. Getting round on one dimension and sloping in another dimension is very hard at 6 wide, especially if you then want to cut it off with a horizontal line for the windshield or the bottom of the nose. I did see an interesting hybrid that used normal slopes mixed with curved plates to get both features to some degree, but that is just falling at a different point in the trade-off. I'd be interested in seeing if someone has further ideas for getting the curved and sloped closer to the prototype though.

Some possible ideas include this,

only it is too steep and it does not come in gray.

And this,

Only it is 8 wide, does not come in gray, and has not been made in over 15 years.

Wonderful! I have in mind to attempt an 8-wide Flying Yankee at some point; will be hard to improve on this version. Superb as always and I'll bet it looks great flying around the track - post a vid if you have one!

Can't wait to see your Flying Yankee, definitely post about it in the future.

Meanwhile, my model looks great snaking through curves, when I upload the shots of the train with IR receiver moved completely inside I'll also add a couple of videos.

Thanks for showing your latest model. I was not aware that the started streamlined, non-steam trains back in the 1930s in the US. Good to see that you also had a good challenge with a streamlined nose using all the curved slopes and 1/2 plate offsets. You captured the front very well! Especially when the prototype does not have much details (which a modern streamlined train does not have in comparison to a steam engine or freight train) it is very good to see little details like 1/2 plate offset door etc. Great work, now rebuild it in rare LEGO metalic silver (http://www.bricklink...rt=67&catType=P) ;-)

I think it was the emergence of these small streamliners (the Zephyr and UP's M-10000) that triggered the streamlining of various steam locomotives, e.g., the first generation of Milwaukee Road's streamlined Hiawatha locomotives also debuted in 1934. Most of those first generation streamlined steamers soon had the skirting cut drastically back because it was so hard to actually service the locomotive.

Pahh! Forget metallic silver, I want chrome... lookout ChromeBricks here I come! (grin)

Very well done. But now I'm also curious about the picture of the Amtrak Superliner and the Auto-Racks at the LUG layout, all three of these trains are spot on!

The Superliner MOC is the grand-dad of my Pioneer Zephyr. I haven't started a (long over due) photo gallery of them yet, but I did write up an article in RailBricks #10. You can find a little more about the autoracks in this archaic thread, as noted in that thread the autoracks were more a MOD of another builder's great design.

I love this train! Very nice build! This is probably the train that made me love trains. Whenever I would go to the Museum of Science and Industry, I would look at it for 10 to 20 minutes and I would go about once a week. They even gave out free tours of the train. I greatly recomend going to check it out if you ever go to Chicago.

The real train sat outside long neglected for a few decades and then was cosmetically refurbished (1990's) and moved inside, where it sits today. The original prime mover is in the Smithsonian, it was on display for many years but I think it is now in storage. From what I gather the prime mover in the Pioneer Zephyr is the one it had when it retired in 1960. They do still given tours of the inside (went on one during a break from Brickworld earlier this year) and indeed, definitely worth the visit if you are in Chicago.

More details of the prime mover can be found in the comments of this photo, supposedly showing the Pioneer Zephyr a year before retirement (note the large Mars light above the cab, missing shrouding from the trucks, etc.). However, I suspect this shot is actually the Mark Twain Zephyr, number 9903. The MTZ had 3 cars from the start, with the second unit being strictly baggage and express, whereas the second unit on the Pioneer Zephyr (as built and as displayed at the Museum of Science and industry) was a combine of Express and coach.

Sweet. I vote that you extend it to the fourth coach :)

Hum... the extra car was added in late 1934, before the Mars light was added, so it would be fairly simple to add that car too.

[James Mathis]

Great work! You definitely produced a stunning design solution. Loved your description of design ideas, tries, compromises, and then final result. Nice process.

James

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

Another spectacular historical creation Zephyr ... I like the classic lines of this wonderful convoy and the metallic effect of the silver surfaces :wub:

The nose of the locomotive with those splopes cheese is a masterpiece (as the panorama coaches that you've created last time)!

The bogies are the icing on the cake!

[Rijkvv]

So you finally built the train of your nickname? I only got to know the real train some years ago but I began to like it and I'd say your recreation is outstanding!

[zephyr1934]

Great work! You definitely produced a stunning design solution. Loved your description of design ideas, tries, compromises, and then final result. Nice process.

James

Oh, that was just the summary (grin). There were several good ideas that got dropped along the way. For example, I tried using the old style 1x2x3 panels like this over the PF train motor to keep that truck a true 6 wide. I'm pretty sure I got the idea from a 9v tram that you posted over 10 years ago, but I can't find the source anymore.

While it works well over 9v motors, I wasn't able to get it to work over the pf motor. I think the train wheels are a little bit larger... but spinatundei was able to get the wheels to work in his creation linked above, so ...? Maybe I got the orientation of the panels wrong...?

Another spectacular historical creation Zephyr ... I like the classic lines of this wonderful convoy and the metallic effect of the silver surfaces :wub:

The nose of the locomotive with those splopes cheese is a masterpiece (as the panorama coaches that you've created last time)!

The bogies are the icing on the cake!

You are too kind LT12V, but that means a lot coming from a builder like you (and all of the other prolific builders who posted)

So you finally built the train of your nickname? I only got to know the real train some years ago but I began to like it and I'd say your recreation is outstanding!

Heh heh, you got me!... but don't let anyone else know... okay?

Oh, and one thing I forgot to include in my original post. The show was my first all PF display and I only have two chargers. So I was paying close attention to the charging times. I would run two trains for 2 hrs and then swap them out. While I did not run any trains until the batteries died at this show, I did find that the Pioneer Zephyr would recharge in less time than it took to discharge.

[Hod Carrier]

Getting round on one dimension and sloping in another dimension is very hard at 6 wide, especially if you then want to cut it off with a horizontal line for the windshield or the bottom of the nose.

I feel your pain, brother.

Compound curves are something that seems to be beyond LEGO, especially at the smaller scales. (Try doing it in 4-wide. Grrr!!!) Even simple curves can be a trial, as there never seems to be a part that curves in quite the right way and smaller scales are not as forgiving to layering. As you have discovered, stepping the curved plates on the front out to one plate rather than a half would probably make it look less like a nice sloping wedge and more like a staircase.

I'm not sure that we might be able to come up with anything better, and almost certainly nothing that would satisfy your eye. I did go through the same mental process after happening on some photos of the Pershing Zephyr during one of my online perambulations but elected to leave such a challenging prototype to someone with greater talent and expertise.

[zephyr1934]

Oh yeah, I have some ugly looking 4 wide F7's. There is one qualification though, occasionally there is an otherwise useless part that just so happens to bend in exactly the way you need it to and becomes invaluable to your MOC. For example, digging through my gray parts I stumbled on to one of these wedges,

I never would have imagined finding a use for one of those, but it perfectly fit the angle of the cheese bricks with 1.5 plates offset snotted for the observation car. At 4 wide, there are some odd ball pieces that might just have a strange but very useful curve. For example, I'm still slowly scratching my head as to how to take two of these,

and turn them into an Electroliner. While it has most of the angles right, it seems to be about 3 studs wide... or maybe 3.5. A big hassle to try to get anything else to line up. Still, there may be some promising parts in bionical masks or other unusual parts.

[Sven J]

Somehow I completely missed this wonderful model until now…

As previous posters already wrote, you did an outstanding job modeling all those complex slopes and curves. Absolutely fantastic! :thumbup:

The bogie skirtings and the front air vents are very well done, too. But I also like the recessed doors and how you modeled the exhaust pipes (?) on the roof.

Just one thing: Why does the side lettering say „Burliington“ with double „i“?

P.S. Sorry if I seem to be a smarta**, but I have to take up the cudgels for German engineering: The world’s first diesel-electric train was indeed the Royal Saxon DET 1/2; and when it comes to streamlined, lightweight high-speed trains, the „Flying Hamburger“, DRG class SVT 877, was built two years bevor the Zephyr…

Edited December 12, 2015 by Tenderlok

[Hod Carrier]

As a newer AFOL I don't have a stock of parts to call on, so can't go rummaging through parts bins for inspiration. I have to design everything in LDD (supplemented by a bit of experimentation with actual LEGO bricks) and then order precisely what I need for my MOCs.

However, I do always have a good look through the weirder parts menus for inspiration whenever I'm stuck with a front end or some other detail. That said, I've yet to find any use for a Bionicle part in a train MOC, whether actual or virtual, but I don't rule it out just yet.

The parts you mention as being potentially suitable for constructing an Electroliner do appear to have some merit but, as you say, the real problem is how you work them into a car body. Sometimes the most promising part is actually the least promising part. Sometimes you have to be brave enough to give an idea up and embrace the least worst compromise in pursuit of some kind of verisimilitude. Play lots and try everything that has promise, but bear in mind that if we wanted to create a perfect recreation of a real prototype we wouldn't be modelling in LEGO. At least, that's what I keep trying to remind myself when a design is somehow failing to come together. Ha ha!!

[zephyr1934]

@Tenderlok

Ha ha ha, I must say "Doh!". That misspelling, my friend, is the combination of my focusing so hard on how to get the actual model just right and prepping the artwork late into the night (including three new boxcars, which I'll post about in the near future) when it was already at risk of being too late for the show, while juggling unusually high demands of the day job, family and home life; all on 4 hours of sleep. If it wasn't for you meddling kids.... In all seriousness though, in all of my scrambling that typo slipped right under my nose. I'll fix that on the next print run and get out a scissors for the short term. Thank you for catching that for me.

And thanks for helping flesh out the backstory. Indeed there were a handful of earlier diesel electrics (some successful, some not) and there is no doubt that the Pioneer Zephyr borrowed liberally from those earlier advances. I was thinking specifically of the earlier GE efforts but I also had vague remembrances European developments. Looking again, the Flying Hamburger (built in 1932) would have to have been one of the original inspirations for the Pioneer Zephyr (which was conceived in 1932). While building my lego model it became very clear to me that the real Pioneer Zephyr was actually little more than a prototype testbed that brought together all of the major ingredients in the right proportions. Aside from moving to larger, coupled units, the basic proportions would persist with little change through the streamliner era in the US.

@Hod Carrier

That is almost exactly how I started out with MOCs and in fact how I still build today. The only difference is that I use MLCad instead of LDD. Like you, I still build up physical subsystems to make sure it will work in real bricks. In general I think some of the Bionical parts have potential for grebling on steam locomotives, etc., and the mask based Electroliner has remained on the back burner for almost a decade. Still, I keep my eye out for all sorts of great inspiration from other builders (e.g., some of the impossible curves others have done with the Siemens Taurus)