[MOC] 0-10-0T Coal shunting steam engine "La Gorda"

[Ferro-Friki]

After some time in the making I can finally share a little something I’ve been working on.

This right here is one of the engines built by the Société de Saint-Léonard, and employed by the SMMP (Sociedad Minera y Metalúrgica de Peñarroya) in the mining complex of Puertollano, Spain. It hauled coal and other goods between the different facilities until the mid-70s. By the time the mineshafts closed, they had no use for these engines and most of them were scrapped. Luckily a couple of them survived, one of them being this very same engine.

Although officially named “Pozo Norte” after one of the main mineshafts in Puertollano, to this day everyone referres to her as “La Gorda” (The Fat One) no doubt in part because of her imposing girth.

Nowadays you can find her sitting (in a rather disheveled state…) on a few meters of track in the gardens of the Mining Museum of the same town it used to work at. I’ve been to this museum many times, and seeing this locomotive was always the highlight of my visit. It was only a matter of time until I finally built it out of Lego.

Building this engine was a refreshing change of pace from the high-speed modern trains I’m more used to. Trying to replicate as many shapes and details as possible was a fun challenge. Also, shoutout to @Redrado for suggesting the use of the 4625 hinge 1x4 tile to represent the riveting on the side of the water tanks, it looks great and the engine wouldn’t feel complete without it. The models for the wheels (ML), connecting rods and side rods are from Breckland Bricks.

The model is designed to be motorized with a Powered Up L motor, the power is transmitted to the middle axel and through the connecting rods to the rest of the wheels. I’ve used this type of transmission before and I trust it will be strong and durable, however, I’m not so sure about the placement of the battery box, I’m concerned it’s hanging off too much and will cause balancing issues. Hopefully the weight at the front will shift the center of gravity forwards, but that’s something I won’t know for sure until I start messing with real bricks.

Here’s a bonus picture of what these engines used to look like in their heyday.

[idlemarvel]

A beautiful model with an astonishing amount of detail. Conside that a job well done! :-)

[JopieK]

Great work @Ferro-Friki. Nice parts usage :) also the way you managed to squeeze in the power up parts.

[Feuer Zug]

Nailed this one. It looks like the real thing. Best of luck with the battery box placement for weight balance when you build it.

[Ferro-Friki]

Thank you all! :)

6 hours ago, idlemarvel said:

A beautiful model with an astonishing amount of detail. Conside that a job well done! :-)

I tried to fit in as many as I could! Unfortunately, some of it had to be left out, like brake shoes for every wheel.

5 hours ago, JopieK said:

Great work @Ferro-Friki. Nice parts usage :) also the way you managed to squeeze in the power up parts.

It was quite a challenge… Building the boiler over the motor and ensuring the cables reached the hub took way longer than expected.

5 hours ago, Feuer Zug said:

Nailed this one. It looks like the real thing. Best of luck with the battery box placement for weight balance when you build it.

I had to do her justice or I wouldn't rest easy! Soon I'll be able to build a prototype to make sure that everything stays strongly toghether.

[zephyr1934]

Nice looking steamer

[ivanlan9]

Very nice indeed.  It captures the original about as close as is possible with Lego.

[_TLG_]

Nice, accurate model!

[GrandPixelMan]

Wow, what a pretty locomotive and a very nice build!

[Sven J]

Great to see someone else also designing tank engines from coal industry railways!

Is the prototype running on Spanish broad gauge (1672 mm)?

[Ferro-Friki]

38 minutes ago, Sven J said:

Great to see someone else also designing tank engines from coal industry railways!

Is the prototype running on Spanish broad gauge (1672 mm)?

I’m really fond of this engine, so I had to eventually. Unfortunately, it will probably be a while until I design another steam locomotive. It’s time to dust off my Avlo s-112!

That’s right, it run on Iberian gauge, 1668mm to be precise. If we take Lego’s train track as the international standard gauge, then Iberian gauge would be almost exactly one stud wider, so I guess that makes my model not accurate.

[Sven J]

3 minutes ago, Ferro-Friki said:

That’s right, it run on Iberian gauge, 1668mm to be precise. If we take Lego’s train track as the international standard gauge, then Iberian gauge would be almost exactly one stud wider, so I guess that makes my model not accurate.

Ah, ok. I thought it might have been built before standardization of the different Spanish (1672 mm) and Portuguese (1646 mm) gauges by creating the "Iberian" 1668 mm gauge.
But anyway, as Lego track actually is significantly too wide for 8w standard gauge models, I find it perfectly appropriate to choose a broad gauge prototype instead!

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

What a beautiful model!

[Ferro-Friki]

8 hours ago, LEGO Train 12 Volts said:

What a beautiful model!

Thanks! :)

16 hours ago, Sven J said:

Ah, ok. I thought it might have been built before standardization of the different Spanish (1672 mm) and Portuguese (1646 mm) gauges by creating the "Iberian" 1668 mm gauge.

I always thought the current 1668 mm gauge was the same since the beginning of our railways, but after looking it up you were totally right! There were slightly different gauges in the Iberian Peninsula before being standardized. After a bit of research, it appears that the engines used by the SMMP were built to run on 1674 mm gauge, and since their tracks were connected to the MZA railway, my guess is they shared the same gauge.

16 hours ago, Sven J said:

But anyway, as Lego track actually is significantly too wide for 8w standard gauge models, I find it perfectly appropriate to choose a broad gauge prototype instead!

Well it turns out my model was accurate all along! :)

[Redrado]

All I can say is amazing work, as usual!!! Totally resembles the original and is full of very well executed details. 

[Ferro-Friki]

On 8/14/2023 at 1:56 PM, Redrado said:

All I can say is amazing work, as usual!!! Totally resembles the original and is full of very well executed details.

Thank you!! And again, thanks for the tip!

 

I have good news everyone! I’ve finally been able to build this engine out of bricks, and as my first digital to brick built MOC I couldn’t be happier about it.

Although in order to run properly I had to swap one of the flanged axles to the rearmost position, other than that I was pleasantly surprised by how well it runs. The engine can navigate R40 curves and switches without any issue, which in addition to its great traction power would be a great thing when it comes to pulling or pushing a consist if it wasn’t for the fact that this locomotive does not have working couplers! I prioritized building an accurate hook instead of using a working magnet, and given the fact that I don’t have any rolling stock that matches, I’m not too bothered. Besides, I’m sure fitting an old 9V train magnet underneath the chassis wouldn’t be too hard. However, in order to do that, I would need to get one first…

It’s not 100% accurate, but as it is right now, I think it captures the real thing rather well. There are two things that stick out the most. First, the nameplates. They should say “Pozo Norte” but I haven’t printed stickers yet. Unfortunately printing them will have to wait until I need more stickers in order to make the most out of it. The other noticeable difference is the color of the side rods, just like the wheels, I got them from Breckland Bricks, and they don’t produce rods in black. Originally, I intended to paint them, although the more I look at them the more they grow on me. When in motion, the side rods in grey are much more noticeable and give a greater impression of movement, one of the most characteristic traits of steam engines in my opinion.

[zephyr1934]

That's a top notch build, great work!

[Feuer Zug]

WOW! Your coal shunter not only look great, but it can run on R40. You could always try coupling it like the real one? Maybe use the chains and a crowbar or something?

[508001]

Certainly has the looks of a powerful tank locomotive, well done.