[MOC] Lego DRG V3201 - Diesel/Pneumatic Locomotive - in 12v style

[Paperinik77pk]

 

Hi all, 

always starting from this inspiring discussion...

... @Reker1000000 introduced me to a very particular locomotive: 

"DB V3201 seems like it would be an interesting starting point for a locomotive to model in 12v style with the red motor..."

The locomotive we're speaking about  is the DRG V3201, one of the first experiments to upgrade from steam to Diesel engines. In this case, Diesel motors were available , but problem was related to transmitting their power to the wheels. Gears were too weak, Hydraulic transimission was still in development...so the idea was to replace steam with compressed air, therefore maintaining the "old" transmission system (including distribution) used by steamers. In short, it worked this way:

DIESEL ENGINE --> COMPRESSOR --> RESERVOIR -->CYLINDERS --> COUPLING RODS --> WHEELS

More or less what is seen in some Pneumatic locomotives made in Lego (great stuff!) with electric motors. Well, seems great, but there were many problems related to the heating of compressed air, its cooling (!) and cylinders lubrication - all for maintaining its efficiency.

Here's an interesting link!

http://www.douglas-self.com/MUSEUM/LOCOLOCO/diesair/diesair.htm

All in all - a very complex hybrid system, with many gaps to be solved with engineering "patches". But it's a cool locomotive  and making it in 12v style could really be a challenging task. 

First of all, it's the most asymmetric thing I've ever seen , second - it's a very tormented design  - which cannot be captured fully in 12v style, due to lack of parts at the time.

It's however a very peculiar locomotive (depicted also in a postal stamp!!!) and it's worth to be tried.

Here it is, just out of the shed , helped by a small V60. In reality, this event could not happen, since the V3201 was scrapped many years before the launch of the little shunter, but since we can do whatever we like with our fantasy, I was more optimistic and imagined a restored V3201 ready for some hystorical train! 

The V3201 is based on the chassis of a BR78, which -  luckily - is one of the 12v locomotives I've already tried to create. Therefore, chassis was already prepared and only needed to be adapted to the longer body.

This big beast has a quite boxy body, which seems to be made soldering together some parts of cabins, cut from steam locomotives.

The central part of the body is sticking a bit out from the overall shape, and this is due to the big submarine diesel and air reservoirs. The main charachteristics are the two big gray radiators, the small windows on the corridor side, and those big stairs.

Stairs were a nice thing to replicate, even if these are not the same as in the prototype. I did not use the big train doors, since these did not allow me to recreate the stairs and handrails.

In the real thing, the stairs go over the cylinders, so using the 12v standard ones was quite a mess. I replicated them with normal parts. and this was not a problem. I had however to "cut" the stairs in half, the upper one being fixed to the body, while the lower one being part of the bogie (and turning accordingly).

With the 12v motor, this design needed to be somehow adapted. On a real 12v motor, the central hole can accept an half Technic pin. Using a normal Techic brick some plates and tiles solved the problem. The ladder is kept in place by the pin and "slides" together with the motor.

Between the radiator and the cabin there's a  small, virtually transparent door since it's made of a panel full of small holes. The body in reality should be 4-wide in that point. I tried fences, door fences, everything did not fit and SNOTting was quite impossible (for me at least), given the limited parts available.

Even Marklin's model is solid in that point, so I concentrated more on having at least a grille pattern. Using the ladder part was not so nice, it was just confusing. 

I therefore tried the just seen @zephyr1934 technique (thanks to you and Katy!), to have some visible horizontal lines. I used 3794b parts (jumper) . It works also with normal plates, but this is way better.

Doors features a possible, even if not used at the time, SNOT for the door hadle, using headlamps bricks.

Here's a shot from above, showing the 7-wide central part of the locomotive. As you can see I played a lot with the jumpers parts.

And here's the "blind side" of the locomotive there's not so much to say ,being pretty smooth! 

 Apart big red wheels and red motor, 2x1x2 and 1x1x2 black windows are there, just to remember there's some 7730s and 7750s blood inside the veins of this "thing". Here is visible the big radiator...

...and here is visible the smaller one. Looking better at the central headlight you can see some "white stuff" between the bricks - it's the classic 12v light brick with the addition of a small diode. This old trick allows the headlight to be lighten up according to locomotive's direction.

Radiator is made by 1x1 plates, trying to replicate the "pattern" of the real thing.  I put here red lights in 7777 style, even if these should be white, according to prototype.

A brief mention to the Shed - it's an old MOD - I do not sincerely remember if I already presented it here in Eurobricks.

It's a 7777 build, converted to a more shed-looking thing. Since I like to replicate dioramas in 12v style, this could be a nice addition to the overall scene.

I hope you like it! 

Thanks again to @Reker1000000 for his inspirational idea!

Ciao,

Davide

[Hod Carrier]

Someone has been reading my mind again. I'm going to have to get one of those tinfoil hats, I think.

I'd also been aware of this crazy machine for a few months since reading about it online and was idly considering building it, but I hadn't made any start. You've done a fantastic job of capturing it's shape as well as keeping the essence of the 12V aesthetic. Will you be building it for real?

[Paperinik77pk]

I was sure to have seen this locomotive somewhere years ago , maybe in a Marklin's catalogue. It was buried in my memory until I searched again for pictures! I have to be sincere, the fact I already had the BR78 chassis ready in Stud.io was a great start. Then, it rained for two days, and I had some time to draw it.

I truly don't know if it will be built. Big wheels and small black windows are quite pricey. But it's really an original piece of machinery and could be nice to have it in the collection 

[JopieK]

Nice one @Paperinik77pk. Will be probably costly to build in real life.

[Paperinik77pk]

1 hour ago, JopieK said:

Nice one @Paperinik77pk. Will be probably costly to build in real life.

Thanks!!! 

Eeeeeeh...yes.I know it's not nice to speak about money ...but I was just searching on Bricklink and the other site with the bay inside its name...all in all, not including shippings...it's quite a loan! 

 

Edited November 2, 2021 by Paperinik77pk

[HoMa]

@Paperinik77pk ... again, a wonderful MOC addition to the classic Grey Era scheme and the way would have build our MOCs a kids back in the 80's.

Can you give me (us) a few numbers of the required rare elements? I see 3x large red wheels, 2x standard red wheels, 1x red 12 V motor, 4x black 2x2 windows, 4x black 1x2 windows if I get it right. Probably some red bogie plates from #7750? Anything else? I might loan some of those elements from other sets from my collection to give it a try in real bricks.

[Paperinik77pk]

1 hour ago, HoMa said:

@Paperinik77pk ... again, a wonderful MOC addition to the classic Grey Era scheme and the way would have build our MOCs a kids back in the 80's.

Can you give me (us) a few numbers of the required rare elements? I see 3x large red wheels, 2x standard red wheels, 1x red 12 V motor, 4x black 2x2 windows, 4x black 1x2 windows if I get it right. Probably some red bogie plates from #7750? Anything else? I might loan some of those elements from other sets from my collection to give it a try in real bricks.

Thanks a lot Holger!!! I'd add the 4  red heads with solid stud, but your list is perfect!!!  

The rest is pretty easy to do, I will make some technical shots of the chassis, cabin and diesel motor in the next days 

[ivanlan9]

That's.  That's *ugly*.  Like, maybe the ugliest loco ever.

Have I mentioned how ugly it is?

Well.  Of course I am *insanely* jealous. 

[Paperinik77pk]

13 hours ago, ivanlan9 said:

That's.  That's *ugly*.  Like, maybe the ugliest loco ever.

Have I mentioned how ugly it is?

Well.  Of course I am *insanely* jealous. 

I heard "ugly" or am I wrong? 

Yes, it is  - ugly but fascinating, somehow...it's a Fronkensteen locomotive ("IT...COULD...WOOOOORK!")

The correct term maybe is "unfinished" or better "unrefined". It seems a patchwork of re-used things, just to show it could move on her wheels 

 

 

Edited November 3, 2021 by Paperinik77pk

[ivanlan9]

That thing's a fright.  "Frankenstein" loco is absolutely right!  I wish I'd seen it and built a version first.

[Reker1000000]

I have no words. This is BEAUTIFUL!!!  It's captured the design of the train so nicely with proper 12v parts and design. Now time to buy some 7750 parts to see if I can create my own MOC of this engine...

[XG BC]

captured this really odd looking loco pretty well! i first saw it in a book some years ago and thought it looked weird. i think i know where the book is! will post a picture of the page with it here when i find it!

[Paperinik77pk]

24 minutes ago, Reker1000000 said:

I have no words. This is BEAUTIFUL!!!  It's captured the design of the train so nicely with proper 12v parts and design. Now time to buy some 7750 parts to see if I can create my own MOC of this engine...

Thanks sir, and thanks to your great proposal to try this one!

I've prepared an exploded view of the "beast" , just to show its main parts. If someone needs, the .io file - just ask, it's not a problem to share it and can be surely be improved. 

 Ciao!

Davide

[zephyr1934]

That thing is insane (the prototype that is) great job capturing it in 12v style

[Paperinik77pk]

4 hours ago, zephyr1934 said:

That thing is insane (the prototype that is) great job capturing it in 12v style

Thanks as always for the kind words!

 

I just found an error on the chassis.

The third big wheel near the motor should NOT have the two red macaroni parts. In case of working headlights with 12v light bricks, the chassis should have a small hole to let the electric cable to go down and connect to the motor.  

This error was due to the fact that in many pictures the V3201 does not have the central headlights, and I added them at the end without thinking to the chassis!!!  

[HoMa]

Hi Davide, I've solved the cable issue a different way. But I need to check if it really works using the top outlet of the motor to connect the cable. And for better turning I modified the 3rd large wheel chassis a bit. Nice reverse challenge with the cylinders on the front boogie ... Now let's go hunting for the small black windows ...

 

[Toastie]

On 11/2/2021 at 3:38 PM, Hod Carrier said:

I'm going to have to get one of those tinfoil hats, I think.

Aluminum hat. Don't do the tin thing - tin is unhealthy - and who knows, maybe tin is even less effective . OK - was unsure on the tin thing - I checked Wikipedia:

Tin foil

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

...

Not to be confused with aluminum foil.

 

And further down: Tin foil, also spelled tinfoil, is a thin foil made of tin. Tin foil was superseded after World War II by cheaper and more durable[1] aluminum foil, which is still referred to as "tin foil" in many regions (an example of a misnomer).

 

Now this is something you don't see every day: Tin foil is a foil made from tin, aluminum foil is a foil made from aluminum. The tin bit in tin foil is a misnomer. In other words: "In many regions", tin is aluminum, as the foils are apparently foils in all regions. Man, man, man. What a day - always learning. This could turn out to be dangerous though - according to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (book), one finds: "Oh, that was easy," says Man, and for an encore goes on to prove that black is white and gets himself killed on the next zebra crossing.  

 

So you are looking for a tin foil hat made from aluminum foil and that is entirely OK, because it is a misnomer. Don't prove it though ...

All the best and have fun,
Thorsten 

[Paperinik77pk]

47 minutes ago, HoMa said:

Hi Davide, I've solved the cable issue a different way. But I need to check if it really works using the top outlet of the motor to connect the cable. And for better turning I modified the 3rd large wheel chassis a bit. Nice reverse challenge with the cylinders on the front boogie ... Now let's go hunting for the small black windows ...

 

Eh, yes - it was something I did not consider, since the first version was not designed for lights. In the BR78 I'm using the short side outlet and then turning immediately the cable upwards into the chassis - and it works nicely - but the upper outlet is an interesting thing!

Regarding black windows  - I had a bad thought...and began to think that, all in all, these are MOCs and not real LEGO rarities like 7750s and 7730s.

So maybe I can be less purist and a bit more inventive... ...and I tried this:

The BL Parts Designer is great stuff, I imported the windows in .obj format in Tinkercad and I've "cleaned" them a bit - since the import is not so precise.

This weekend I'll try to 3D print these in PLA material, and then I'll try ABS. Also medium wheels can be imported (in the past I designed them from scratch, but it's waaaay easier this way).

Let's see the output of this "TINkering" ...

 

 

[HoMa]

@Paperinik77pk you gave me a great afternoon/evening converting your explosive image of the V 3210 into real bricks. Great fun and here the beast comes in real bricks. I've used three 12 V lights in total, on in the middle section giving a nice touch while illuminated. I have not 7760 stickers so I used some repro 7755 sticker I found in my sticker collection. Hmm, but no red head with solid stud in my collection. But Bricklink will deliver some the next days (less then 1 Euro per head is not to bad, if you compare this price with the price for black small windows.

Most parts are original parts which existed back in the 1980s. For the structure next to the doors I've used the new type of jumper brics (and ran out of them on the other side of the loco). Maybe I try to rebuild the light grey radiators at the front and back of the loco this way (in light bluish grey) … what do you think?

The most challenging part in reverse engineering this model were the cylinders on the front bogie. 1x1 round bricks are attached to a 1x1 plate with a ring, the lower ones are build in upside down to get the cylinders as close together as possible. So I ended up in a half stud gap on the red tiled surface. But I promise, I've just used 1x1 and 1x2 tiles and 1x2 jumpers, no other modern half-width or SNOT elements. I am really looking forward to the original solution @Paperinik77pk did use in his original design?!

Again … a weird prototype which I never heard before.

The weekend is not fare away, then I will set up a loop and give it a ride on 12 V rails.

But now the night approaches at the quay …

[ColletArrow]

This is a fantastic thread! First of all we get yet another incredibly detailed, accurate yet 'simple' model of an unusual prototype from @Paperinik77pk , but then @HoMa turns it up a notch with the real build and some beautifully atmospheric shots!

Excellent work both, I've really enjoyed reading!

Edited November 5, 2021 by ColletArrow
Couldn't tag people from mobile

[Hod Carrier]

1 hour ago, ColletArrow said:

This is a fantastic thread! First of all we get yet another incredibly detailed, accurate yet 'simple' model of an unusual prototype from @Paperinik77pk , but then @HoMa turns it up a notch with the real build and some beautifully atmospheric shots!

Excellent work both, I've really enjoyed reading!

Absolutely!! It's amazing to see the fast progress made from announcement to realisation. Well done @Paperinik77pk and @HoMa for bringing such an unusual and unique loco to wider attention. 

And if that wasn't enough, we also have our resident poet @Toastie riffing on the subject of metal foils. It may not necessarily help, but here's a bit more reading on the subject and it's less conventional uses.

[Paperinik77pk]

12 hours ago, HoMa said:

@Paperinik77pk you gave me a great afternoon/evening converting your explosive image of the V 3210 into real bricks. Great fun and here the beast comes in real bricks. I've used three 12 V lights in total, on in the middle section giving a nice touch while illuminated. I have not 7760 stickers so I used some repro 7755 sticker I found in my sticker collection. Hmm, but no red head with solid stud in my collection. But Bricklink will deliver some the next days (less then 1 Euro per head is not to bad, if you compare this price with the price for black small windows.

Most parts are original parts which existed back in the 1980s. For the structure next to the doors I've used the new type of jumper brics (and ran out of them on the other side of the loco). Maybe I try to rebuild the light grey radiators at the front and back of the loco this way (in light bluish grey) … what do you think?

The most challenging part in reverse engineering this model were the cylinders on the front bogie. 1x1 round bricks are attached to a 1x1 plate with a ring, the lower ones are build in upside down to get the cylinders as close together as possible. So I ended up in a half stud gap on the red tiled surface. But I promise, I've just used 1x1 and 1x2 tiles and 1x2 jumpers, no other modern half-width or SNOT elements. I am really looking forward to the original solution @Paperinik77pk did use in his original design?!

Again … a weird prototype which I never heard before.

The weekend is not fare away, then I will set up a loop and give it a ride on 12 V rails.

But now the night approaches at the quay …

And this is a real present!!!   I'm sincerely honored to see it built by you .

It's really massive - from renders it is not showing up so much - and gives the right feeling of "beast"!

For the cylinders - since I thought it could be a "weekend task" , I did not prepare the render of the front bogie yesterday - I fell literally asleep!  Here it is:

Simple and straight - in reality the small space between cylinders was made to include black heads instead of round bricks for the lower cylinders. It was however quite tricky to use heads, since they were hitting the bogie ,and including the ladder could have been to tricky. So I kept the small cylinders and the gap - your solution is indeed nicer and better good looking!

The radiator is tricky, but the proposal to use jumpers can give it a more "grilled" style. Maybe they could be a little too large - it's something to be tried. My mind immediately thought about 1x1 plates - but it can surely be done in an alternate way (possibly cheaper!!! ) . There's a little horn near the small window!!! I did not spot it - it could be the opportunity to use the "megaphone" part from the 80s!!!

Thanks Holger for building this monster, and also thanks for support also to all the memebers I did not answer to before!

 @Hod Carrier , @ColletArrow

@zephyr1934, @Toastie

@XG BC  

CIAO!

Davide

Edited November 5, 2021 by Paperinik77pk

[Feuer Zug]

Superb work Holger for making Paperinik77pk's design reality.

[zephyr1934]

Seeing it in real bricks is amazing! How strange that everything from the 1980's is cool again (excuse me while I pull up my fuchsia leg[o] warmers)

[Toastie]

4 hours ago, zephyr1934 said:

How strange that everything from the 1980's is cool again

Well, the olden TLG train days were better - simple as that

But there is something else to this unbelievable creation of @Paperinik77pk and wonderful realization of @HoMa: It feels as if it were 12V++. There is more - finesse present. In my opinion only, of course. All the original 12V locos from TLG do bow to this one. I mean, the original V3201 is bulky and boxy when compared to e.g. BR line steam locomotives. However, the brick-built model seems to ingeniously use all (legal) tricks on earth to let it appear - well - as a 12V++ model. No idea, why that is, but it is to me.

As others said: Simply breathtaking. Congratulations to both of you!!!

All the best,
Thorsten

And no: No tinfoil hat on my head - all these vibes are coming out strong and clear!