Pdaitabird Posted October 2, 2018 (edited) Since rediscovering LEGO, I've been astounded by the number of parts that didn't exist when my dark ages began, circa 2005. But I recently began to wonder, what kind of locomotive could have been built using parts that were available during the 9V-era? Or, more specifically, what could I build using only the parts that I already own? So, with some checking of Bricklink set inventories to verify that I have all the necessary parts, I came up with this: no new parts engine by the chestertonian, on Flickr I took advantage of the different appearance of the 9V motor's metal wheels to serve as drivers. The cab is 7-wide, and the running boards are 6-wide. The pilot wheels pivot to negotiate curves. no new parts engine-1 by the chestertonian, on Flickr This engine is roughly the same size as the only official LEGO steam engine I had, the My Own Train Large Black Locomotive With Tender. Here's a comparison shot. To this day I don't understand why TLG put green headlamps on that thing. no new parts engine-2 by the chestertonian, on Flickr And of course, the purpose of a locomotive is to pull a train. The passenger train below includes a dining car, sleeping car, and baggage car/guard's van. The red-and-white color scheme is a result of insufficient bricks in other colors. For some reason, the coaches' colors reminded me of Imperial Austria, which is why I gave the locomotive a vaguely Teutonic-looking tender. no new parts engine-3 by the chestertonian, on Flickr The .lxf file for the engine is available here: https://bricksafe.com/pages/Pdaitabird/9v-era-locomotive I may eventually build this train in real bricks...if I can bring myself to take apart all my other models. Thanks for looking! Soli Deo Gloria Edited October 3, 2018 by Pdaitabird Added link to .lxf file Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy Glascott Posted October 2, 2018 That’s very impressive, I love the use of the 9v motor as drivers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sed6 Posted October 2, 2018 Very nice! I'm impressed that you can build that from your current parts inventory. I'm curious what process you used to verify them? Not doubting you, I just don't know an easy way to do that. Since you're newish, are you familiar with Bricklink? You can import you LDD file over to Bricklink and simply purchase all the parts instead of taking your current sets apart. A work of caution, the pivoting front truck might not be sufficient, depending on the pivot point. Those front wheels often need to both pivot and slide (a double pivot point) in order to stay on track and not jump off. PS, I really like your little orange narrow gauge train on Flickr! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ColletArrow Posted October 2, 2018 That looks far better than the My Own Train, and yet only uses parts from the same era... really quite impressive. I will echo @sed6's comments about pivot points. Firstly, the front truck might need 2 pivots (look at the Emerald Night instructions), although given it's a single axle you might get away with it. You might also have trouble with the loco-tender connection. As the loco continues on around that curve in your pictures, the cab and hence the coupling will swing out. If there isn't enough give in the couplings the tender might be pulled off, or will at least add a fair amount of resistance for the motor to overcome. I'm afraid I can't tell for certain, but when (if) you build it with bricks expect to have to experiment with the hinges! I can't fault the look of the whole train though, the detail you've given it is gorgeous. An ingenious idea, and well executed. Well done! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pdaitabird Posted October 2, 2018 18 hours ago, sed6 said: Very nice! I'm impressed that you can build that from your current parts inventory. I'm curious what process you used to verify them? Not doubting you, I just don't know an easy way to do that. Since you're newish, are you familiar with Bricklink? You can import you LDD file over to Bricklink and simply purchase all the parts instead of taking your current sets apart. A work of caution, the pivoting front truck might not be sufficient, depending on the pivot point. Those front wheels often need to both pivot and slide (a double pivot point) in order to stay on track and not jump off. PS, I really like your little orange narrow gauge train on Flickr! Thanks for the feedback! My process for verifying that I have the right parts went something like this: 1. Hmm, I seem to remember having a few of part X... 2. Look on Bricklink to see which sets contain part X in a given color. 3. Count up the sets that I have containing part X and the quantity of part X in each set. 4. Use LDD's "Color and shape selection" tool to see how many of part X are in the model. It's a somewhat tedious process, but it's better than relying on memory alone! I've never uploaded a model to Bricklink before; thanks for the tip! (Although I started this design hoping not to spend any money!) The front truck currently uses a ball and socket joint, which I have used in an earlier brick-built version of the engine. It does tend to derail when going over points. I'll try your suggestion if I ever build this one! Thanks again for the kind advice! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zephyr1934 Posted October 3, 2018 That looks really good for the era and far better than any of the MOT steamers. There are actually a few parts from that era that are no longer available but are better than many of the current alternatives (e.g., the palm tree segments for a stack). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Capparezza Posted October 3, 2018 That's a very nice build. The detailing that you have achieved with the old parts is gorgeous, as has already been pointed out. Any objectives about me trying to rebuild it? If no, would you be so nice to explain which part(s) you have used for the chimney? I can make out all the other parts, but I'm pretty stuck on this one... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pdaitabird Posted October 3, 2018 (edited) 18 hours ago, Capparezza said: That's a very nice build. The detailing that you have achieved with the old parts is gorgeous, as has already been pointed out. Any objectives about me trying to rebuild it? If no, would you be so nice to explain which part(s) you have used for the chimney? I can make out all the other parts, but I'm pretty stuck on this one... Thank you for the kind words, and feel free to rebuild, modify, and upgrade to your heart's content! I've added the link to the LDD file in the first post. The chimney uses this tire for the spark arrestor: https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=30028#T=C And this piece for the lower part: https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=75535#T=C (Along with some 1x1 round plates). I'd love to see pictures if you build it! Edited October 4, 2018 by Pdaitabird Kant spel Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Capparezza Posted October 3, 2018 Oh wow, thanks a lot for adding the LXF. I'll try to get something assembled in the next weeks, but don't be disappointed if it takes me longer, I'm quite a slow poke when it comes to building Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
