[moc] Chapelon-derivative "what if" Exchequer Class 4-8-0 'Thomas Cromwell'

[SteamSewnEmpire]

In my defense, locomotives like this were at least considered by engineer and steam design critic W.A. Tuplin, who was apparently much taken with André Chapelon's SNCF 4-240A Class, considering it to be an ideal locomotive (which isn't all that strange, since a lot of people at the time believed that the French 4-8-0s equaled diesels in efficiency). No engine was ever constructed for any British line, but the locomotive was at least plotted out in diagram form. I took that line drawing and ran with it, though I deviated from the general design in my placement of cylinders (the GWR 6000 Class had a fair amount in common with Chapelon's locomotives, so it seemed logical to follow that aesthetic), and the length of the cab (I don't believe they ever would have gotten past the drawing board with a compartment that was that small). The tender is mostly stolen from my latest iteration of the 9f, but I think it looks very good here, and jives decently enough with the drawing. And before anyone says it - yes, the color palette is probably impossible, but standard blue would likely look pretty (if not quite-as) good, too, and should be doable. Also, the wheels are just stand-ins for XLLs, which sync up with the 74" drivers of the real thing fairly well. Finally, the part count is low: only 1,280 pieces for a really hefty locomotive. 

I'm giving serious consideration to building this one... I think it's one of my best efforts, and it was really a lot of fun (and easy) to design.

 

Edited August 31, 2020 by SteamSewnEmpire

[JintaiZ]

Excellent build! Reminds me of the beautiful Emerald Night.

[SteamSewnEmpire]

17 hours ago, JintaiZ said:

Excellent build! Reminds me of the beautiful Emerald Night.

Thanks.

As an aside, I actually am going to be able to build it in purple, strangely enough. I never expected there to be this level of piece availability in such a bright and seemingly obscure color, but my guess is that I have Friends™ to thanks for that. 

[Redimus]

23 hours ago, JintaiZ said:

Excellent build! Reminds me of the beautiful Emerald Night.

That's a bit harsh, his actually looks like it could be a real loco! :P

Aside from the regional whiplash of a loco with a lot of hints of the GWR running with a BR standard looking tender, it looks good!

Edited September 1, 2020 by Redimus

[High_Admiral]

11 minutes ago, Redimus said:

Aside from the regional whiplash of a loco with a lot of hints of the GWR running with a BR standard looking tender, it looks good!

Reasoning behind that could be that it could've been originally a GWR loco, just got a new BR standard tender because the GWR one was inadequate for the loco's job.

That being said, this is a fantastic engine! I might actually have to look into another British engine to add to my digital stable after seeing that.

Edited September 1, 2020 by High_Admiral

[JintaiZ]

57 minutes ago, Redimus said:

That's a bit harsh, his actually looks like it could be a real loco! :P

Aside from the regional whiplash of a loco with a lot of hints of the GWR running with a BR standard looking tender, it looks good!

A bit harsh!? Emerald Night is my favorite lego train of all time!

Edited September 1, 2020 by JintaiZ

[SteamSewnEmpire]

3 hours ago, JintaiZ said:

A bit harsh!? Emerald Night is my favorite lego train of all time!

Lol. It's okay, I wasn't in any way offended. EK is beautiful, I agree, but the proportions bother me. Hopefully Lego will follow on the heels of the croc and do more justice to British steam in the future.

[Pdaitabird]

Great work! That's a nice SNOT technique on the top of the firebox. Even if it never got past the diagram stage, I think the British version looks much nicer and cleaner than the French original. (CS Lewis once explained his aversion to insects by comparing them to French locomotives; they "have all the works on the outside.")

[SteamSewnEmpire]

28 minutes ago, Pdaitabird said:

Great work! That's a nice SNOT technique on the top of the firebox. Even if it never got past the diagram stage, I think the British version looks much nicer and cleaner than the French original. (CS Lewis once explained his aversion to insects by comparing them to French locomotives; they "have all the works on the outside.")

Heh, great quote. I won't dump on any steam (there's never enough), but I do believe that the Brits were the best at achieving elegance in simplicity, and the U.S. chief at creating locomotives that simply looked powerful, with everyone else trailing behind, or representing some effort at compromise (Canada and Australia) between those two poles. Lewis, though, had the luxury of living in an era when he could be picky - we must find the beauty in what remains. The Sandaoling 2-8-2s are (were? :( ) just flat-out ugly, but I treasure them all the same:

Edited September 2, 2020 by SteamSewnEmpire

[Redimus]

On 9/1/2020 at 3:18 PM, JintaiZ said:

A bit harsh!? Emerald Night is my favorite lego train of all time!

Oh, boy.

You have so much to learn young Padiwan, lol

[SteamSewnEmpire]

9 hours ago, Redimus said:

Oh, boy.

You have so much to learn young Padiwan, lol

It's undeniable that, for more casual fans of Lego trains (and I don't even mean casual fans of Lego - I would, for example, categorize Jangbricks as a member of this crowd), the Emerald Knight is the iconic train. It may be very flawed (I recoil in near-horror every time I see those driving wheels smushed so closely together [and being so small to begin with]), but it's the best TLG has done (and this probably includes the Crocodile, which seems to have serious performance issues when unmodified). I don't begrudge anyone for fawning over it - at a distance, it is downright glorious, and if you aren't a bit of a rivet counter, it's a good, solid 'train.'

So, yeah, to most of us here on this subforum forum, the EK is amateurish in its design. But for the vast bulk of Lego fans - including people who make a living out of the hobby - it's spectacular. And I don't think those two camps are ever going to occupy any sort of middle ground (outside of a shared love for Lego). 

[zephyr1934]

The EN is a fantastic set. Most AFOL's only buy a couple of sets a year and do not dabble much in MOCs.

[rday1982]

On 9/1/2020 at 3:40 AM, SteamSewnEmpire said:

As an aside, I actually am going to be able to build it in purple, strangely enough.

Given any thought to British Rail green or blue? I think it'd be at least possible to build it in green thanks to EN, and probably possible to do in blue thanks to... ... ...well, everything that's available in blue. It'll look fantastic in any colour, but I do think that this would be very nice looking in almost any BR livery except for flat black. In flat black, I think this would risk looking drab.
 

Mixed black and grey could be a good colour scheme, in fact. Black with grey highlights/trim if you see what I mean. It's just a shame that there would be parts not available to do it in dark green with gold highlights.