[MOC] Boston and Albany D1a 4-6-6t

[Coal Fired Bricks]

The Boston and Albany had two wheel-arrangements that were used in their Suburban tank locomotives the 2-6-6t:

 In 1906 the Boston & Albany received ten 2-6-6T locomotives built by Schenectady followed by eight more in 1907 designated Class L-1a and L-1b.  The tank engines had 20x24 inch cylinders, 63-inch drivers, and operated off 185 lbs. of boiler pressure.  During 1928-1931 Lima rebuilt the engines with superheaters, increased the cylinder bore to 23 inches, and the boiler pressure to 200 lbs.  The rebuilding produced a substantially more powerful engine.  The rebuilt locomotives became Class L-3 and L-3a and when 4-8-2's were delivered in 1940 as that class, they were reclassified D-2a and D-2b.  

 

After that, the B&A came out with a class of 4-6-6t locomotives:

In need of specialized locomotives for its Boston commuter service, the Boston & Albany purchased five 4-6-6T locomotives from Alco in 1928. The locomotives were designed for rapid acceleration, adequate power for heavy trains of up to 20 cars and perhaps most uniquely – to be operated equally well in either forward or reverse. Not having to turn the locomotives at the end of the line saved space and cost and also a lot of time. The locomotives bore a strong resemblance to the New York Central's Hudson in the front, with a small attached "tender" behind the cab riding on a shared 6-wheel trailing truck. Coal and water capacity was adequate for the commuter runs. The D1-A class served the railroad and Boston's workers well for two decades before being replaced by diesels. Although these locomotives were unique to the B&A / NYC, there were similar designs used on other railroads with the same needs.

 

My Model:

 

I'm still waiting for side rods which I will 3d print at my library after COVID is over. 

The model took me 4ish months to build

A lot of parts

Many modified bricks

Powered with an L-motor geared 1:1

Entered in the Brick Train Awards under the 'Teen' Catagory

 

 

D1a 4-6-6t Brick Train Awards by Coal Fired Bricks, on Flickr

D1a 4-6-6t Brick Train Awards by Coal Fired Bricks, on Flickr

D1a 4-6-6t Brick Train Awards by Coal Fired Bricks, on Flickr

D1a 4-6-6t Brick Train Awards by Coal Fired Bricks, on Flickr

 

Comments, Questions, Praze, and all critical thinking are welcome. 

 

Bye Bye everybody,

Cole (the name I own on my birth certificate)

[monai]

Really wonderful  realization, you should only look for a larger wheels set (new BBB XXL?), the LEGO wheels are not in scale  for this locotender. Do you have some  more information about this locomotive? n the literature is very difficult to find something, it is claimed to be  the world's heaviest locotender ever, but it is a bit strange because they say the tender weights about 41 tons, a bit hard to believe..

How have you solved the LEGO tight curve problem? the tender should swing a lot from the boogies.

many congratulations

Sergio and Eros

[Coal Fired Bricks]

20 minutes ago, monai said:

you should only look for a larger wheels set (new BBB XXL?), the LEGO wheels are not in scale 

Yes I would say that is true.  When putting this into scale using the engineering drawing(for 8 wide 10'=8 stud so m*0.8=s is the formula I use) I found the wheels need to be between L and XL and I don't belive those are on the market.  I would've printed my own on a printer at my local library but because of COVID that is closed and I don't want to pay $40 on Shapeways to find out I designed the wheels in CAD wrong

. Engineering drawing 

22 minutes ago, monai said:

How have you solved the LEGO tight curve problem? the tender should swing a lot from the boogies.

I can take r40 but the loco hates it. I'm planning to have a r104 mainline switching layout at home so I don't care for r40  The back tender is fine but it swings out an inch from the bogies, but the cylinders get in the way of the lead truck.  I will post a picture of it on r40 soon.

[zephyr1934]

That prototype looks like someone took a heavy Pacific and ran it backwards into a wall a little too hard. The design makes total sense though and if anything, one should wonder why this type of tank engine did not see wider use in commuter service. Anyway, you did a great job capturing the essence of the real locomotive. Are you going to build a few commuter cars to go with it?

[Ts__]

Hello Cole,

I like the many details and I think, its impossile to take the machine in a hand... (without falling parts^^)

 

I also like to use the strings but I try to avoid modify parts (not solved alltimes).

What kind of drive do you use? Train motor in the Tender? But I can´t see a motor...

 

Thomas

 

 

 

[Coal Fired Bricks]

1 hour ago, Ts__ said:

I also like to use the strings but I try to avoid modify parts (not solved alltimes).

By modifying parts I mean cutting the buffers off of the coupler part, using a bit of hot glue where things wouldn't stay on and "modifying a boatload of flex tube to fit on minifig hands. 

 

1 hour ago, Ts__ said:

What kind of drive do you use? Train motor in the Tender? But I can´t see a motor..

I guess I hid the motor well then.  It is an L-motor that powers the back driver and the rods the transfer movement to the other drivers.  The motor is hidden under the firebox which rests on it. 

IMG_3510 by Coal Fired Bricks, on Flickr

IMG_3509 by Coal Fired Bricks, on Flickr

IMG_3508 by Coal Fired Bricks, on Flickr

3 hours ago, monai said:

How have you solved the LEGO tight curve problem? the tender should swing a lot from the boogies.

IMG_3512 by Coal Fired Bricks, on Flickr

 

Thank you to all of the kind comments. 

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

Fantastic steam engine ... I like how you inserted the various PF components in such narrow spaces!
Great work!

[monai]

Wow the swinging is large but is, let's say, harmonic, not disturbing. I wonder if using a train motor instead of L one (the first and second driving axis are separated quite exactly by 7 studs) would  be simpler. I love  the rendering of the inclined firebox; you know you have realized a loco I was thinking about since longtime, now it will be difficult to emulate you..

regards

 

[Coal Fired Bricks]

4 hours ago, LEGO Train 12 Volts said:

Great work!

Thank you

 

4 hours ago, monai said:

I wonder if using a train motor instead of L one (the first and second driving axis are separated quite exactly by 7 studs) would  be simpler.

I don't know the lego train motors seem to hate rods for me, also they are underpowered for the task. 

 

4 hours ago, monai said:

now you have realized a loco I was thinking about since longtime, now it will be difficult to emulate you..

Thank you, I would love to seem a model of a 2-6-6t

6 hours ago, Ts__ said:

I like the many details and I think, its impossile to take the machine in a hand... (without falling parts^^)

Thanks

 

8 hours ago, zephyr1934 said:

That prototype looks like someone took a heavy Pacific and ran it backwards into a wall a little too hard.

Ha, that could be a fun story.

 

8 hours ago, zephyr1934 said:

Anyway, you did a great job capturing the essence of the real locomotive. Are you going to build a few commuter cars to go with it?

Thanks.  My next project is a 72' NYC combine and a 72' NYC coach.  Then I will start my mainline switching layout. 

[Coal Fired Bricks]

Check this out. 

NYC 72' Heavyweight Coach WIP by Coal Fired Bricks, on Flickr

I hope you like it, as a WIP I am open to any suggestions and/or complaints, complements, and concerns.

 

-Conner(the other kid in the family)

Edited July 16, 2020 by Coal Fired Bricks

[Pdaitabird]

That coach looks good so far!

[Ts__]

22 hours ago, Coal Fired Bricks said:

hope you like it, as a WIP I am open to any suggestions and/or complaints, complements, and concerns.

It´s a solid architectural style, think about the weight. My big coaches have a weight of 750 - 1000 grams, with a "couple" of them something comes together. The roof looks "too" massive to me, saving weight where you can't see it and doesn't need stability.

Too many small windows for my taste, but that can also be due to the model.

On 7/13/2020 at 8:52 PM, Coal Fired Bricks said:

I guess I hid the motor well then.  It is an L-motor that powers the back driver and the rods the transfer movement to the other drivers.  The motor is hidden under the firebox which rests on it. 

Good and discreet integration for the motor. Well done. I don´t have see the motor.

Thomas

 

[SteamSewnEmpire]

I like everything but the rods - really feel like you should buy some customs. Lego simply doesn't give us the right parts for the job.

[Coal Fired Bricks]

22 hours ago, Pdaitabird said:

That coach looks good so far!

Thank you

36 minutes ago, Ts__ said:

roof looks "too" massive to me, saving weight where you can't see it and doesn't need stability.

The whole inside is 100% hollow, and it will use ball bearings. I built a previous model where the roof was also hollow and that worked fine, I will have to do a parts order to get the rest of what I need.  But if they end up being heavy well the they are "heavyweights" HA HA HA(Corny Joke).  As for the size of the roof here is a engineering drawing that is similar to the one I have in a book.    For me in 8 wide 10 ft=8 studs so if  S=Studs  F=Feet   then f(0.8)=s   so the top of the roof is five wide(ish)

 

1 hour ago, Ts__ said:

Good and discreet integration for the motor. Well done. I don´t have see the motor.

Thank you

50 minutes ago, SteamSewnEmpire said:

I like everything but the rods - really feel like you should buy some customs. Lego simply doesn't give us the right parts for the job.

I agree, I will print some after my local library opens back up so I don't have to pay $40 for something I can get for free.  At 18 I would rather spend the $40 on a 1/4 loop of BT r120.

 

@Ts__ as for the little windows, I just need to buy new parts to get the 2*2*2 windows.

[SteamSewnEmpire]

Oh, and for the record, I think the coach roof looks spot-on.

[gvb2003]

Hey awesome make! Can you tell the secret behind the front axle? Is that glued to the metal axle?

[monai]

On 7/13/2020 at 5:41 PM, Coal Fired Bricks said:

Engineering drawing 

On 7/13/2020 at 5:14 PM, monai said:

could you give us the bibliography reference of this book? it is very difficult to find something about this Loko.

many thanks

 

[Sven J]

@monai

Hi Sergio,

it's Edwin P. Alexander, American Locomotives: A Pictorial Record of Steam Power 1900-1950.
Look here...

[Coal Fired Bricks]

1 hour ago, Tenderlok said:

Hi Sergio,

it's Edwin P. Alexander, American Locomotives: A Pictorial Record of Steam Power 1900-1950.

Thanks for the link, I have been looking for a digital copy of the book as the 60 year old book has seen it's better days and I don't want to ruin it. 

How did you find the book that fast? I've been looking for months for it. 

[Sven J]

2 hours ago, Coal Fired Bricks said:

How did you find the book that fast?

Actually I just googled "edwin p. alexander american locomotives"...

[monai]

Many thanks Sven, the book is very interesting but the informations are very basic indeed. It seems as this lokotender were a ghost, only minimal descriptions and numbers in a small table..I would still debate about the total weight which looks very high above all for the tender.

 

[Coal Fired Bricks]

12 hours ago, monai said:

It seems as this lokotender were a ghost, only minimal descriptions and numbers in a small table.

There is some more info here: https://sites.google.com/site/bostonalbanyrailroad/home/0-6-0/0-8-0/2-8-0/2-8-2/2-8-4/4-4-0/4-6-0/tank

Also this may help:  

There were five locos of this class but information on it it hard to come by other than the tidbit on the above website and on Lionel(which is already copy and pasted into the original post).  I based the model on the above table and the mechanical drawing in the American Locos book. 

 

Hope this helps @monai with your information hut on this Loco.

 

-Conner

[monai]

Many thanks Coal Fired

I already knew this site, nice but I was looking for something more technical, what sounds strange to me are the weigths of the different sectors of the loko:

180000 pounds for the entire driving section (with the boiler full of water) and 110000 for the trailing one, also taking into account the 5000 gals of water and 6 tons of coal it means the empty tender would weight more than 24 tons! There are no accesible detailed plans for this loko and is a pity because it would be the heaviest locotender ever..

anyway your model catched its spirit (but think about larger driving wheels)

regards

Sergio

Edited July 21, 2021 by monai