Eight-wide steam engines and rolling stock of the WXYZ Railroad Wild West MOCs

[Murdoch17]

In this latest model series, I decided in order to keep the "toy like" proportions of it's inspirational genesis, set 71044. (Disney train) Now, people who know my design style are probably scratching there heads right now in confusion, as I don't EVER build in 8-wide for trains. But in order to make it look as good as possible with the original 2010 Toy Story figures and their stretched appendages, I had to do 8-wide.

My current setup... minus a few things on the other table not shown. This scene will change, as the freight 4-4-0 needs revision on the tender, and the passenger 2-6-0 and it's train need heavy work done, as you will see!

Loco Number 1 - 2-6-0 Mogul w/ passenger train

This 1890's style train is to be pulled by my revised Western 2-6-0 steam loco, and will be made from my older three yellow train cars. These newer cars are four studs shorter, so I can fit a fourth car in the storage box with the extra space. Also, the sidewall closest to the camera comes off on all the cars so you can get at the inside details.

The coal-burning straight stack-styled locomotive is a mish-mash of two steam locomotives, the 4-4-0 from the Toy Story 7597 set and a British 2-6-0 train model designed by Block Junction. I repainted the British engine into a Toy-ish color scheme, then added 8-wide late 1800's American-style features with printed parts from set 7597. Oh, and I built a brand new small size tender from the rails up, which uses new red wheels from BrickTracks..

The rear of the engine features a coal tender with a ladder from the water tank-top down to the magnetic coupler. This tender is smaller than before, as it looked very silly next to my 2-6-0 IRL, and even worse next to my blue Western 4-4-0, which currently has an exact copy of the earlier tender version as well.

The baggage car features two sliding freight doors in red along with two non-functional passenger doors in black.

The side wall comes off, as it does on all the cars, to reveal seating. In this car, that means lots of luggage room and two seats.

The two coaches are identical in every way, and are also quite similar to the parlor car at first glance.

The inside features side seating, as in LEGO set 71044's Lilly Belle car... this also allows for easier moving of figures, and placing them in any of the five seats per car.

The observation car features a rear platform, plus a red drumhead ready for the train's logo.

The inside is the same as the two coaches, with five seats.

Loco Number 2 - 4-4-0 American w/ freight train

This freight-hauling locomotive is meant to be built from sets 7597 (Western train Chase from Toy Story 3), 71044, (Disney Train and Station) and set 10014. (Caboose from the My Own Train series, albeit a bit bigger width-wise!) I also used set 10013 (Open Freight Wagon, also from My Own Train) as a guide for the pipe-carrying car, plus model 15 (Tanker) from set 10183, Hobby Trains for the tanker car.

This loco shares the same tender as my other Western 8-wdie loco from this time period. The engine itself, however, is an enlarged version of 7597, in yellow and blue. It's also meant to have inside pistons as it's an early-to-mid 1860's locomotive. (thus the lack of visible pistons!)

The locomotive is missing these printed parts.
They are as follows:

The four yellow 1 x 6 bricks are supposed to be printed with this number 2.

while the headlamp is supposed to have two of these printed yellow 1 x 1 tiles.

The firebox door requires this print.

This boxcar is an enlarged to 8-wide and recolored boxcar from set 3677 (2011's Red Cargo Train). The printed doors (not shown) and from set 7597. (2011's Western Train Chase)

The coal-filled 8-wide gondola was inspired by a sub model from set 10183.  (2007's Hobby train)

This water tanker is a version modified of set 2126's (Train Cars) design with newer reddish brown tanks instead of the vintage 1998 brown of the original model, and now in 8-wide.

This model was built from instructions seen at the Old Workhorse's Lego Ideas page as seen here. (I am not affiliated with the creator of that page, I just used their free instructions, visible further down in the updates section, to build the traction engine seen here.)

This car is a mashup of set 10013 (2001's Open Freight Wagon) and the bed area from set 60059. (2014's Logging Truck)

This caboose was inspired by set 10014 (Caboose) except this versions is 8 wide and the main two colors are reversed.

Loco Number 3 - 4-10-0 Super Mastodon w/ military train

This entire eight-wide military transport train was inspired by sets 71044, 60052, 79106, and 79111. It is inspired by the 1975 film "Breakheart Pass", which features an US Army resupply train traveling to a Western frontier Fort under siege.

This train also has a couple play features, such as a rotating Gatling gun, moving steam engine side rods, and a exploding jail car wall, among a few others.

This engine is basically a stretched version of my Western 2-8-0, with another driving axle and a four wheel truck in front. The wheel diagram show which six wheels will be blind and which four will be have a flange. I've tried a similar (albeit reversed) setup on my UK 2-10-0, so I know the wheel arrangement works in it's basics, I'm just not sure how the magnetic coupler will like this new arrangement. (My 2-10-0 doesn't like having a magnet, so it's hard-connected to the tender by a lift-arm on that MOC.) I included the working pistons, and a more cohesive color scheme of red and green, with a splash of yellow as on the previous 2-8-0 steamer.

Big Ben bricks' medium size wheels, 4 with flange and 6 blind, are meant to take the place of the gear wheels in the order shown above. You can buy them at his site here.

The tender and cab walls are supposed to have four of this printed red 1 x 6 piece inserted into them: 

The front headlight is supposed to have two of this printed 1 x 1 placed on it.

This horse car was originally a cattle car from set 60052, (2014 Cargo Train) but I've re-purposed it for my Army officer horses.

These cannons are from set 79106 (Calvary Builder Set) and were placed on a generic two-axle flatcar for transport by rail.

The rotating Gatling gun you see here was taken from set 79111. (Constitution Train Chase)

This car has the basic "look" of the Lily Belle parlor car from 71044, (Disney train and station) but is less ornately furnished due to be a second-hand coach refurbished cheaply for use by the US Army of the 1880's.

The right-side wall is removable for access to the inside.

The jail / baggage car you see was originally from set 79111, (Constitution Train Chase) with the basic coach styling of set 71044.

This car has one play feature that is sure to blow you away: the back wall can be removed to get at the jail cell via the "dynamite" on the outside of the back wall.

When pushed back towards the other end of the car, the lever on the left side pops the back wall out and the bad guys can escape!

Also, the right-side wall is removable for access to the inside.

Loco Number 4 - 2-8-0+0-8-2 Garratt w/ rotary snowplow train

This blue train is marked (2-8-0+0-8-2 Garratt, for heavy duty rotary snow plow jobs) number 4, and joins the family of similar mid-1880's engines such as the large 2-8-0 for military transport, the inside-piston 4-4-0 for freight, and the fancy 4-6-0 for passengers. This 8-wide Garratt-type steam locomotive is perfect for use on the mountainous terrain of Colorado Rocky Mountains, with it's double steam locomotive pistons sets.

(Before anyone says anything about Garratt loco's not being ever sold into the North American market, I'll say it's an lost experimental prototype to help with a motive power shortage. It may have been seen by the owner as a economical way of sending one locomotive to do the job of two.)

This steam powered rotary snowplow was inspired by the real-world Denver and Rio Grande's narrow gauge plow "OY", as now seen on the Cumbres and Toltec RR in New Mexico / Colorado. I've decided to name my plow "YO" in tribute to my inspiration, using four of this part from the original Toy Story sets as a sort of marker.

The rear of the plow features the coal tender.

This 8-wide engine was originally a SRW locomotive works product, (made by Anthony Sava and formerly available on Bricklink until LEGO sadly removed most of his models.) I reworked the engine to have working pistons and side-rods plus a longer frame. This made it from 2-4-0+0-4-2 to a 2-8-0+0-8-2, among other smaller updates to the engine. I also substituted a Disney train-style boiler onto the engine to backdate it to the mid-1880's or so.

Even with the added pistons, the engine can go around corners and switches quite easily.

A simple caboose, for the snow plow train. I used a pair interesting windscreen parts for the cupola windows.

Loco Number 5 - 0-6-0ST shop switcher

Locomotive number 5 is an eight wide model of a generic 0-6-0 saddle tank steam engine from the later half of the 19th century, and was inspired by a @ScotNick build of Stanley from Thomas and Friends for the stripe work, and this build of Percy (also from Thomas) from the L Gauge site for the front of the boiler/ piston assembly.

Here is the coal bunker / driving controls shot for this 8-wide yard goat. NOTE: The color scheme is red and yellow, though sadly here red looks pink.

Loco Number 6 - 4-2-4T w/ RR office car

I created a more realistic version of the 2016 Winter Village holiday train (set 10254) for all the train fans who didn't like the engine. I added working pistons, and more colorful (and less festive!) color scheme plus two more sets of fuel bunker-based wheels on the rear of the engine.

The accompanying business car is for the WXYZ railroad president, and features a accessible interior, like the Disney Train (set 71044) it's modeled after. This private car has been given the name "Mount Clutchmore", after the tallest peak and highest point on the WXYZ line, at the tunnel under said mountain in Colorado.

This locomotive is modeled after the unique C.P. Huntington of the Central Pacific railroad. The model will be numbered 6 for use on my Wild West railroad, and and features a (small) balloon stack, yellow and blue paint scheme, with red accents.

This railroad office car is modeled after the dark red observation car as seen in the Disney Train LEGO set. It has been changed to a blue paint scheme, with red doors/ windows and brown trim, with a black roof.

As the car has been stretched by four studs to fit the longer frame, there is more room inside. The Mount Clutchmore office car features three chairs, a table with drinks for investors / newspaper reporters, and a planter on a table at the rear-most end. Almost the whole wall is removable to get at these inside details.

Loco Number 7 - Automotive Rail-Speeder

The early '50's automotive rail-speeder is inspired by this fairly recent @hachiroku build here and by @Cale's pictures of Ma & Pa RR 101 as seen here. The vehicle is numbered "7", for use on the WXYZ Railroad, and rolls quite well on the track with no problems in stock switches or standard R40 curves.

The rear has two coverings almost fully obscuring the rear wheels, in true retro style. This model is designed for track inspector's and high-up executive's to get up close and personal with the railroad.

The roof is removable and the doors open, with seating for two figures side-by-side.

Loco Number 8 - Galloping Goose (freight version)

This Galloping Goose's front half was inspired by @hachiroku and his Indiana Jones staff car MOC, as seen here.

The rear of Number 8, with all the doors open.

Loco Number 9 - 2-4-0 Old English w/ silver ore and mine payroll train

This very short train is based off set 7597, Toy Story 3's Western Train Chase, which my dad purchased for my birthday gift for later this year. I digitally converted the 4-4-0 "American" into a 2-4-0 "Old English" type which I then based off the real world 2-4-0 'Montezuma'. That 1871-vintage engine was the Denver & Rio Grande's first steamer. (which was the basis for the fourth Disneyland loco, the Ernest S. Marsh, by the way.)

I had a real urge to name the LEGO version of the engine after Achu, the South-American tribal leader from the Adventurers' "Jungle" subtheme as a tribute to the real-world Montezuma engine and it's namesake Aztec leader. But I didn't think anyone would get the reference, so I didn't... at least not yet!

The locomotive as it will be later in the year. I used the basic look of the Disney set 71044's engine for the two wheel tender, as it was too good an opportunity to pass up. (and it's accurate to the real engine it's based on, too!) I also managed to add working pistons, though quartering was not possible, sadly.

The rear view of the engine, which will be numbered 9 in my numbering scheme for the Wild West-era W.X.Y. & Z. Railway. (This means it is replacing the 2-6-2 loco on the wanted list.)

These three silver ore cars are taking their loads to the U.S. Mint in Denver to be made into coins. 

The mine payroll boxcar will feature dollars signs on the doors, as in the Toy Story 3 set.

The caboose will have printed parts on the sides, saying "GREAT WEST".

The inside with the roof removed.

The Wichita Xenia Yazoo & Zephyrus Rail-Road (Stock market trade name WXYZRR) was a mid-19th / early 20th century enterprise also known as the Wasted, eXausted, Y bother & Z*. (*No one could figure out an insult to the railroad that started with the letter "Z") The railroad started in Wichita, Kansas in 1868, then went straight through Xenia, Oklahoma, while then meandering into Yazoo, Colorado and barely making it into Zephyrus, New Mexico by 1875. Other stations included several army forts dotted along the route through Oklahoma and Colorado, along with scattered mining camps and agricultural towns across the maps of New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Kansas. The railroad is hardly mentioned anywhere in writings of journalists, except in scathing "letters to the editor" of various newspapers about lack of the promised service on the line in the early years. 

Also, the much derided company slogan "last railroad you'll ever need" did not work out well for the new railroad, but it did vastly increase questions fielded to the main office about coffin, headstone, and various other memorial shipments from all over the area from which the railroad served. It is therefore shocking the railroad lasted as long as it did, a substantial fifty-six years from incorporation in 1867, to it's sale at auction in 1923!

The old WXY&Z railroad had about 35 locomotives on the books at the maximum, but most of these were already very old when purchased and broke down frequently so they were chronically in the workshop for some reason or another. In fact, the seven additional 4-4-0 locomotives purchased third-hand from engine dealers were of the long-obsolete inside-piston variety of the mid-1850's, yet were bought in the early 1870's! However, what the railroad lacked in regular service motive power, it made up for in the snow plow-train department. A single prototype of what would later be called a "Garratt" (a doubled-power-unit steam loco with a single boiler not normally found in North America) was first run on the "High Line" between Fort Legoredo, Colorado and Glencoe, New Mexico in the steep Rocky Mountains. This is where the railroad really shined, in keeping the trains running through steep mountain passes with a single experimental train with a rotary snowplow at the head end... of course, there were other plow trains, but only two rotary trains. (One would work from either end of the Glacier Gulch Pass, and meet in the middle on a passing siding. The Garrett would be on one train, and two regular locomotives pushing the other.)

After 1923's closing of the railroad, it was bought wholesale by a consortium of stock brokers from Denver, with plans to redo the line with less sharp grades and more snow sheds. However, during this reconstruction, the 1929 Great Depression began, leaving half the line with old grades though most of Colorado mountains, but new grades on New Mexico were finished in time. The passenger car fleet was upgraded, but the freight engines (downgraded passenger power, really) and rotary plows remained vintage as far back as 1878 for motive power. The older inside-piston locomotives went for sale once the Depression really started up, and one was snapped up for a potential history museum in Glencoe, while the rest were scrapped. Then, a miracle happened: the movie industry intervened, and several production houses bought some of the oldest rolling stock, engines, and the line was given enough cash to stave off it's dismantlement until 1941, when trains of heavy munitions from companies on the line came rolling through for the War effort, making the line the busiest it had ever been. The profits from this, and the later 1950 / '60's movie companies use of the stunningly scenic "High Line" line for motion pictures saved the line. When the good times started to dim in the early 1970's, the railroad was jointly bought by the states of Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, & New Mexico for tourists, occasional movie trains, and the freight that still used the line, as the original stock broker consortium had by then been dissolved. The "new" WXYZ railroad, (the town names were shortened to just the initials for simplicity's sake) was thus founded in March 1st, 1971. It has been running, mostly non-stop and is closed during the three winter months of December, January, and February for running of the single remaining rotary snowplow to get the line ready for opening day on March 1st of every year since the early 1970's.

(NOTES from the writer: Only Wichita (Kansas) and Xenia (Illinois) are real-world towns, with them being based in name ONLY on real places. Yazoo, for example, is really a river in the state of Mississippi, while Zehyrus was simply because I needed a "Z" name that sounded plausible, and the Colorado Zephyr train was on my mind at the time. The rest of the story is also fiction, as no Garratt ever rode the rails of North America.... ever. Also, the WXYZ logo is an old Union Pacific logo from the early 1910's, while the railroad name's initials have never been used ANYWHERE on a railroad in the USA.)

EDITED 8/3/21: added screenshots of engine No. 9 and it's train. I still need to take real-life photos of the private car and 4-2-4T, and now the blue 4-4-0 and it's freight train require photos too.

Edited August 11, 2021 by Murdoch17

[Murdoch17]

Freight train added to the first post as of 1/6/21.

Passenger train also revised with straight-stack and color changes for coach doors / windows.

Please see first post for more details!

[Murdoch17]

UPDATE: The freight train has updated cars, like a boxcar and tanker. Please see the first post for more details.

The two finalized western trains together. 

Edited January 12, 2021 by Murdoch17

[Murdoch17]

This snow plow engine is next on the list to be built, which should happen sometime in February / March with the passenger, then freight, and finally military trains to follow later in Spring / Summer. The snow plow + it's tender and caboose bits are already built, with the loco 1/2 way there... the older version of the engine is donating it's parts to this endeavor. Any thoughts / ideas / suggestions to improve these would be helpful, and any comments in general are welcome!

[Murdoch17]

The Wichita Xenia Yazoo & Zephyrus Rail-Road (Stock market trade name WXYZRR) was a mid-19th / early 20th century enterprise also known as the Wasted, eXausted, Y bother & Z*. (*No one could figure out an insult to the railroad that started with the letter "Z") The railroad started in Wichita, Kansas in 1868, then went straight through Xenia, Oklahoma, while then meandering into Yazoo, Colorado and barely making it into Zephyrus, New Mexico by 1875. Other stations included several army forts dotted along the route through Oklahoma and Colorado, along with scattered mining camps and agricultural towns across the maps of New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Kansas. The railroad is hardly mentioned anywhere in writings of journalists, except in scathing "letters to the editor" of various newspapers about lack of the promised service on the line in the early years. 

Also, the much derided company slogan "last railroad you'll ever need" did not work out well for the new railroad, but it did vastly increase questions fielded to the main office about coffin, headstone, and various other memorial shipments from all over the area from which the railroad served. It is therefore shocking the railroad lasted as long as it did, a substantial fifty-six years from incorporation in 1867, to it's sale at auction in 1923!

The old WXY&Z railroad had about 35 locomotives on the books at the maximum, but most of these were already very old when purchased and broke down frequently so they were chronically in the workshop for some reason or another. In fact, the seven additional 4-4-0 locomotives purchased third-hand from engine dealers were of the long-obsolete inside-piston variety of the mid-1850's, yet were bought in the early 1870's! However, what the railroad lacked in regular service motive power, it made up for in the snow plow-train department. A single prototype of what would later be called a "Garratt" (a doubled-power-unit steam loco with a single boiler not normally found in North America) was first run on the "High Line" between Fort Legoredo, Colorado and Glencoe, New Mexico in the steep Rocky Mountains. This is where the railroad really shined, in keeping the trains running through steep mountain passes with a single experimental train with a rotary snowplow at the head end... of course, there were other plow trains, but only two rotary trains. (One would work from either end of the Glacier Gulch Pass, and meet in the middle on a passing siding. The Garrett would be on one train, and two regular locomotives pushing the other.)

After 1923's closing of the railroad, it was bought wholesale by a consortium of stock brokers from Denver, with plans to redo the line with less sharp grades and more snow sheds. However, during this reconstruction, the 1929 Great Depression began, leaving half the line with old grades though most of Colorado mountains, but new grades on New Mexico were finished in time. The passenger car fleet was upgraded, but the freight engines (downgraded passenger power, really) and rotary plows remained vintage as far back as 1878 for motive power. The older inside-piston locomotives went for sale once the Depression really started up, and one was snapped up for a potential history museum in Glencoe, while the rest were scrapped. Then, a miracle happened: the movie industry intervened, and several production houses bought some of the oldest rolling stock, engines, and the line was given enough cash to stave off it's dismantlement until 1941, when trains of heavy munitions from companies on the line came rolling through for the War effort, making the line the busiest it had ever been. The profits from this, and the later 1950 / '60's movie companies use of the stunningly scenic "High Line" line for motion pictures saved the line. When the good times started to dim in the early 1970's, the railroad was jointly bought by the states of Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, & New Mexico for tourists, occasional movie trains, and the freight that still used the line, as the original stock broker consortium had by then been dissolved. The "new" WXYZ railroad, (the town names were shortened to just the initials for simplicity's sake) was thus founded in March 1st, 1971. It has been running, mostly non-stop and is closed during the three winter months of December, January, and February for running of the single remaining rotary snowplow to get the line ready for opening day on March 1st of every year since the early 1970's.

(NOTES from the writer: Only Wichita (Kansas) and Xenia (Illinois) are real-world towns, with them being based in name ONLY on real places. Yazoo, for example, is really a river in the state of Mississippi, while Zehyrus was simply because I needed a "Z" name that sounded plausible, and the Colorado Zephyr train was on my mind at the time. The rest of the story is also fiction, as no Garratt ever rode the rails of North America.... ever. Also, the WXYZ logo is an old Union Pacific logo from the early 1910's, while the railroad name's initials have never been used ANYWHERE on a railroad.)

Edited February 16, 2021 by Murdoch17

[Murdoch17]

I'm back, and with the diminutive (yet powerful) locomotive number 5, built in the late 1870's for use in the Wichita Xenia Yazoo & Zephyrus Rail-Road's shop facilities.

Number 5 is an eight wide model of a generic 0-6-0 saddle tank steam engine from the later half of the 19th century, and was inspired by a @ScotNick build of Stanley from Thomas and Friends for the stripe work, and this build of Percy (also from Thomas but by a different builder) for the front of the boiler/ piston assembly. (The website I got Percy from is pretty cool, and has some really interesting models. I puzzled him out from the pictures provided, as there are some models, like Percy, without any instructions or L-Draw files.)

The 1 x 1 black tiles on the coal bunker should have the number "5" printed on them. Also, Big Ben Bricks' medium size wheels in yellow (4 flanged and 2 blind ones) are needed to take the place of the six 40-tooth gear wheels when built in real life. You can buy the wheels at his site here.

Edited February 26, 2021 by Murdoch17

[Murdoch17]

I ordered the last few parts today from BrickLink for this 8-wide steam loco + train. (Also, the blue 2-8-0+0-8-2 Garret is finished in real life, but needs photos taken.)

[Murdoch17]

Just got to find two more "GREAT" and two more "WEST" printed 2 x 4 tiles for the Wild West eight wide passenger train + locomotive models.

The last hard-to-find bits I ordered cost $45 total (I had the rest) and should be here Monday or Tuesday.

 

…Then I start all over again with Engine No.3, and the US Army train. (The #2 loco and freight train I am skipping over currently cost too much to build... I'll be waiting for funds for a while for that one.)

[Murdoch17]

Sorry to bump this again, I know it's annoying. BUT: I have news to share!

These are all the parts that are left (minus the four blind and four flanged medium Big BenBricks and several Brick Tracks wheels in red) to find for my 2-8-0 and the Western / Toy Story military train.

The Western turntable, with it's eight outlet tracks, is two 10 inch base plates across, with a little extra for the slightly larger circle of plates. I will need to buy at least 20 pieces of straight RC track for this, with 11 being on the outlet tracks / turntable itself.

 (Purists look away!) I will need a half track, with 1/4 of track at each end (a taken-apart flex track will do nicely for this) for this table to work "right". This "Armstrong" turntable has moved up and onto the To-Build list, and is to be constructed over the summer. (I measured the available space this morning with almost a dozen inches to spare, so hopefully it works out!)

...As a side note: the small 0-6-0 switcher has been purchased as of yesterday, with six red medium-size Big Ben bricks wheels ordered from the site.

Edited March 8, 2021 by Murdoch17

[Murdoch17]

(Singing)  They gave him his orders in Monroe, Virginia, they said: Steve, you're way behind time! This is not Thirty-eight this is...

...old Ninety-Seven Number 5, get her into Spencer on time! 

If Steve Brody (R.I.P.) took this yard goat instead of 97, I don't think he would've gotten anywhere near 90MPH (as in the song and near his supposed actual speed), but he probably would've reached Spencer in one piece though! (unlike old 97)

Wild Western loco number 5 is an eight wide model of a generic 0-6-0 saddle tank steam engine switcher (or yard goat) from the 1870's, and was inspired by a @ScotNick build of Stanley from Thomas and Friends for the stripe work, and this build of Percy (also from Thomas but by the L Gauge site owner) for the front of the boiler front / piston assembly.

NOTE: The color scheme is red and yellow, though sadly here red looks pink / magenta... stupid phone camera.

Edited March 12, 2021 by Murdoch17

[mark6399]

Nice looking collection!

[Murdoch17]

On 3/12/2021 at 6:02 PM, mark6399 said:

Nice looking collection!

Thank you @mark6399! Here is some more teasing of the real world builds of the passenger and snow plow trains:

Gold City Junction, Colorado, was a division point on the WXYZ Railroad. It marked the end of the western prairies, and the start of the climb into the tall peaks of the Rocky Mountains. Zachary Yreka Smith first found the pass the trains used at this time, (first plotted out in 1870 and named by him as Glacier Gulch Pass) that actually was nearly impassible in winter without heavy equipment due to the steep cuts needed to get through the pass on the west side. Much like Rodgers Pass up in Canada, snow-sheds and a tunnel eventually replaced most of the pass' route, as Bucking Bull Tunnel was finished in 1905. (Rotary snow plows were still need for some sections in the run-up the tunnel portals on either side, however.)

This shot was taken atop Raindance Ridge by an amateur photo enthusiast in Late Summer 1888. It shows locomotive No. 1 about to enter Boulder Cliff Canyon tunnel, and then onto the frontier town of fort Legoredo, located to the back of the photographer on the other side of the ridge. The switch track to the right is for a yet-to-be-built roundhouse and turntable, which was finished being constructed in January 1890. The track to the left is for rotary snowplow "YO" (pushed by engine number 4) in storage for use in Winter in these higher elevations. The disused tunnel entrance is at the end of that track, and was for access to a silver mine further into the mountains that had mostly played out by this point.

Edited March 21, 2021 by Murdoch17

[Murdoch17]

A little later than the rest of my Wild West models (1920's vs 1890's), but still tied to the railroading timeframe I'm building in by the thinnest of threads, is this Galloping Goose.

After the very brutal winter of 1920 with many rockslides and avalanches in Glacier Gulch Pass, the WXYZ Railroad had a major problem: It's Western most reaches, consisting of the tracks-end at Zephyrus, New Mexico all the way to Glacier Gulch Pass (just beyond the mining town of Yazoo, Colorado) was cut off from the rest of the line. Tracks in the pass were gone for nearly a mile, and two bridges were washed away by the roaring waters of a late-spring thaw to boot. This, in effect, cut the railroad in two. The tracks west of the pass were in fine condition, as were the ones directly east of the break. The line's steam-loco servicing facility, located in Wichita, Kansas struggled with how to service customers on the far side of the break - only three or four working steam engines were on that side - until the idea of combining a boxcar with a Ford Model A was borrowed from a Rio Grande Maintenance Of Way vehicle from 1913. The WXYZ built three (numbered 7, 8, and 9) of them, two for freight and one with seats and windows for passengers (that was number 8). These "doodlebugs" or "motors" were later termed "Galloping Geese" after the Rio Grande came up with a very similar idea (yet in narrow gauge) in 1935. They were retained by the Railroad once it was repaired for branch-line duty, even after it's 1923 bank sale to investors and reorganization thereafter. Number 9 was converted to passenger service like number 8 in the 1950's for use with tourist trains, while 7 retained it's freight look into the 2020's, as it was made into a rolling museum of the WXYZ  railroad for use touring the country on other tourist lines, and being trucked to isolated locations.

Here is number 7 with the doors open. (The number six goes on the black 1 x 1 tile near the doors.) This vehicle's front half was inspired by @hachiroku and his Indiana Jones staff car MOC.

Edited March 22, 2021 by Murdoch17

[Murdoch17]

(singing )

"I've been working on the railroad
All the live-long day
I've been working on the railroad
Just to pass the time away
Can't you hear the whistle blowing
Rise up so early in the morn'
Can't you hear the whistle blowing
Dinah, blow your horn"

Now that I've got your attention, here is my latest addition to the main post, which was inspired by @Cale and his pictures of Ma & Pa inspection car 101, as seen above in one of his photos.

The early '50's rail-mobile was also inspired by this fairly recent @hachiroku build here. Most of the car model is already finished, but a few parts (two black 2 x 6 tiles) for the lower-rear side skirts are still needed. The vehicle is numbered "6", for use on the WXYZ Railroad, and rolls quite well on the track with no problems in stock switches or standard R40 curves.

The rear has a license plate and two coverings almost fully obscuring the rear wheels, in true retro style. This model is designed for track inspector's to get up close and personal with the railroad.

Edited March 22, 2021 by Murdoch17

[Paperinik77pk]

A nice group of old glories here!!!

I love that Garratt, it's smooth and colorful like all your creations. You've a personal style in recreating locomotives and rolling stock which may seem simple but it's not. I personally love it - it puts me in a good mood!!!

And that Goose is very very nice - I was wondering how it could be "motorized" in some way  - it should be nice seeing it going round the track!

Ciao!

Davide

 

 

[Murdoch17]

On 3/23/2021 at 3:15 AM, Paperinik77pk said:

A nice group of old glories here!!!

I love that Garratt, it's smooth and colorful like all your creations. You've a personal style in recreating locomotives and rolling stock which may seem simple but it's not. I personally love it - it puts me in a good mood!!!

And that Goose is very very nice - I was wondering how it could be "motorized" in some way  - it should be nice seeing it going round the track!

Ciao!

Davide

Thank you @Paperinik77pk, I appreciate the compliments! The Goose *could* be motorized with 9V, but it would require a heavy remodel to do so. Oh, and that Goose should be here tomorrow afternoon or so.

Below you will find another addition to my stable of Western engines / cars:



I created a more realistic version of the 2016 Winter Village holiday train (set 10254) for all the train fans who didn't like the engine. I added working pistons, and more colorful (and less festive!) color scheme plus two more sets of fuel bunker-based wheels on the rear of the engine.

The accompanying business car is for the WXYZ railroad president, and features a accessible interior, like the Disney Train (set 71044) it's modeled after. This private car has been given the name "Mount Clutchmore", after the tallest peak and highest point on the WXYZ line, at the tunnel under said mountain in Colorado.



This locomotive is modeled after the unique C.P. Huntington of the Central Pacific railroad. The model will be numbered 6 for use on my Wild West railroad, and and features a (small) balloon stack, yellow and blue paint scheme, with red accents.



This railroad office car is modeled after the dark red observation car as seen in the Disney Train LEGO set. It has been changed to a blue paint scheme, with red doors/ windows and brown trim, with a black roof.

As the car has been stretched by four studs to fit the longer frame, there is more room inside. The Mount Clutchmore office car features three chairs, a table with drinks for investors / newspaper reporters, and a planter on a table at the rear-most end. Almost the whole wall is removable to get at these inside details, as shown.

[Murdoch17]

Great Galloping Goose!

…and an okay rail-mobile plus sweet saddle tanker loco too!

In other words, I just finished working on the eight-wide Roaring '20's-era Galloping Goose, and the semi-final round of parts are now applied to the 1950's Rail-mobile for my track inspector. Oh, and the 0-6-0ST switcher loco is now number 6, after I numbered the Goose to 8, and revised the rail-mobile to be number 7 on the motive power list. (This leaves room for the 4-2-4T in the number 5 slot.)

A little later than the rest of my Wild West models (1920's vs 1890's), but still tied to the railroading timeframe I'm building in by the thinnest of threads, is this 8-wide Galloping Goose. This vehicle's front half was inspired by @hachiroku and his Indiana Jones "Raiders" staff car MOC.

Here is number 8 with the doors open.

Any thoughts?

Edited March 30, 2021 by Murdoch17

[Murdoch17]

Happiness is a steam train and a circle of track.

Happy Easter everyone!

[Murdoch17]

First two complete trains are up in the first post!

The passenger train pulled by Number 1...

…and the Rotary Snow Plow train pulled / pushed by No. 4.

Plus, as an added bonus, the rail-speeder's pictures have been uploaded too.

(As a side note: the private train car pulled by Number 5 (the 4-2-4T) is on order as well as of  yesterday, with just the military and freight trains left to purchase.)

Edited April 5, 2021 by Murdoch17

[Murdoch17]

I finished another vintage train... it's not Western per say, but a Depression-era WPA (Works Project Administration) dam building materials train, to bring electricity to rural areas of Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, and Oklahoma border-area by damming up the river in Boulder Cliff Canyon to make a power generating plant and lake. The WXYZ Railroad used vintage late 1800's RR equipment to bring the rail cars to the future dam site.

Please note, the loco is a modified and backdated @SavaTheAggie build while Charles Pritchett designed the loads on the depressed center flatcar for his train book. I merely modified them (quite heavily).

I added the screenshots of engine No. 9 (seen above) and it's train to the first post. I still need to take real-life photos of the private car and 4-2-4T. (Plus, it is likely the 4-4-0 and freight train will be bought next, as it's the cheapest of the remaining three trains.)

[Murdoch17]

I've devised a "wooden" coal hopper for my eight-wide wild West trains that can be filled with either 1 x 1 flat studs or round bricks.

However, it can't be emptied unless turned upside down. (This is because I can't figure out a dumping mechanism that won't compromise looks or structural integrity.) Four of these wooden hoppers (and a yellow caboose) will be pulled by the 2-6-2 steam loco I plan on building.

Speaking of which, here is the update where is all the eight Western - themed trains I've built (or am building soon) Three of those shown are not yet built in real life, and they are:
4-4-0 + freight train (only about $30 of parts left)
2-8-0 + U.S. military train ($50 worth of parts left)
2-6-2 + silver mine train (unknown amount of parts left, model still needs tweaking)

Also, the 4-2-4 still needs photos taken of it and it's nearly-completed train.

Any thoughts?

[Murdoch17]

Here is the final parts I've found for the western 4-4-0 and it's freight train... the remaining parts have been ordered, too. Stay tuned to find out what it looks like soon!

[Murdoch17]

The 2-6-0 and it's train are going into the workshop for an overhaul.

Here's what it will look like when done!

See the first post for detailed looks at each car and the loco.

Thoughts?

[Murdoch17]

new train alert!



This very short train is based off set 7597, Toy Story 3's Western Train Chase, which my dad purchased for my birthday gift for later this year. I digitally converted the 4-4-0 "American" into a 2-4-0 "Old English" type which I then based off the real world 2-4-0 'Montezuma'.

That 1871-vintage engine was the Denver & Rio Grande's first steamer. (which was the basis for the fourth Disneyland loco, the Ernest S. Marsh, by the way.)

I had a real urge to name the LEGO version of the engine after Achu, the South-American tribal leader from the Adventurers' "Jungle" subtheme as a tribute to the real-world Montezuma engine and it's namesake Aztec leader. But I didn't think anyone would get the reference, so I didn't.



The locomotive as it will be later in the year. I used the basic look of the Disney set 71044's engine for the two wheel tender, as it was too good an opportunity to pass up. (and it's accurate to the real engine it's based on, too!) I also managed to add working pistons, though quartering was not possible, sadly.



The rear view of the engine, which will be numbered 9 in my numbering scheme for the Wild West-era W.X.Y. & Z. Railway. (This means it is replacing the 2-6-2 loco on the wanted list.)



These three silver ore cars are taking their loads to the U.S. Mint in Denver to be made into coins. 



The mine payroll boxcar will feature dollars signs on the doors, as in the Toy Story 3 set.

The caboose will have printed parts on the sides, saying "GREAT WEST".



The inside with the roof removed.

This train will be built around Thanksgiving of this year... Any thoughts?

Edited August 10, 2021 by Murdoch17

[Rise Comics]

Really nice looking wild west steamers and rolling stock you got. Can't wait to see what else you come up with. The lore behind the railroad is also neat.