SavaTheAggie

MOC: Texas State Railroad #300

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Gallery, including work in progress shots.

Texas State Railroad Consolidation (2-8-0) Engine #300.

From the TSRR Website:

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Engine 300 is one of two surviving United States Army “Pershing” engines. This type of engine was named after General “Blackjack” Pershing and built for service in Europe during World War One. Fortunately, this locomotive remained in the United States, primarily serving the Camp Polk Army Base in Leesville Louisiana.

This engine is a 2-8-0 type, meaning that it has two wheels in the front, eight drivers in the middle and no wheels at the rear of the engine. This wheel arrangement is commonly referred to as a “Consolidation”.

At the end of WWII the locomotive was acquired by the Tremont and Gulf Railroad, a Louisiana Short line. The T. & G. completely rebuilt the engine and renumbered it 28. The T. & G. sold number 28 to the Southern Pine Lumber Company, and East Texas short line operated by the Temple Lumber Company. After years of dedicated service, the company owner, Mr. Arthur Temple, donated the engine to the Texas State Railroad in 1973.

The engine was brought to the railroad in 1976. Boiler problems and budget restrains delayed restoration efforts until the late eighties when work began on obtaining a new boiler for the old war-horse. All running gear and appliances were completely reworked or replaced. After years of effort, engine 300 was put into active service on April 13, 1996 to commemorate the Texas State Railroad’s Centennial celebration. From her humble origins of hauling freight, lumber an munitions to her present occupation of transporting tourist and rail fans of all ages, Engine 300 has done it all with style and grace.

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This is the second version of this locomotive I have built. The upgrade was nearly a 100% rebuild, almost nothing of the original MOC remains. She's been upgraded from a 6 wide design to 8-wide, and is now nearly studless.

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The original MOC of the #300.

--Tony

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Wow! From what I can recall of your previous version, this is indeed a total rebuild! I'm off to check out all the details!!!

P.S.: I've gotta say I love how much this model has obviously progressed... Kudos to you Tony!

Edited by TheOtters

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One word: Fantastic! :wub:

Thanks!

Wow! From what I can recall of your previous version, this is indeed a total rebuild! I'm off to check out all the details!!!

P.S.: I've gotta say I love how much this model has obviously progressed... Kudos to you Tony!

Thanks much! After seeing the real thing I felt I hadn't done it near the justice it deserved, so I certainly did try to add in as many details as I could.

two words : absolutely Fantastic

cant say i'm a big fan of american locos (as i am English)but this is great 5*.

:pir-wink: cb :pir-laugh:

Thanks much! To me, European and English locos look pretty strange, but like you I can appreciate them nonetheless. Every time I see one I think "What happened to the cow catcher?" :)

--Tony

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To me, European and English locos look pretty strange, but like you I can appreciate them nonetheless. Every time I see one I think "What happened to the cow catcher?" :)

Me being a Yurpian means I've a slightly different view. To me a steam engine is black and red, and when I see an American loco I wonder "What's that thing sticking out the front?" ;-)

I like this engine Tony, it's a serious facelift. I really like your boiler (I might borrow the design for my next project) and although the piston rod doesn't go into the cylinder I think the solution with the guiding rods is very clever. I also think this is my favourite of your engines for the colour scheme.

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As always fantastic work Sava :classic:

I`m not big fan of trains but always looks with the pleasure of your beautiful trains :thumbup:

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Very nice. I enjoyed your pictures where you compare the LEGO version to the real thing with the studs numbered.

Very accurate. These giant trains with the huge boilers are what I think of when i think of a steam engine.

Great MOC!

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Nice train :thumbup:

The boiler looks great, it is that these type of trains are not my style, otherwise it would definitely give some inspiration.

Btw, on your flickr I see that you are trying to motorise it using PF, did you manage that allready ?

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Me being a Yurpian means I've a slightly different view. To me a steam engine is black and red, and when I see an American loco I wonder "What's that thing sticking out the front?" ;-)

I like this engine Tony, it's a serious facelift. I really like your boiler (I might borrow the design for my next project) and although the piston rod doesn't go into the cylinder I think the solution with the guiding rods is very clever. I also think this is my favourite of your engines for the colour scheme.

Well, you already said you think of steam engines as being black and red, so no wonder you prefer this color scheme. :wink:

This isn't the first time I've used the 5-wide cheese slope boiler, it's a good design that works well. It can get a little dicey during construction, though - the design is very brittle and hard to hold together up until enough pieces are locked together, and then it just becomes rock steady. After that, you can toss the boiler around the room (which I've done - don't ask :grin: ) and nothing falls off. This also isn't the first time I've used a cylinder design without a functioning piston, and it really doesn't bother me too much. American locomotives don't have pistons that stick out of the front of the cylinder, so having a closed front end is a big selling point for me.

As always fantastic work Sava :classic:

I`m not big fan of trains but always looks with the pleasure of your beautiful trains :thumbup:

Thanks much!

Very nice. I enjoyed your pictures where you compare the LEGO version to the real thing with the studs numbered.

Very accurate. These giant trains with the huge boilers are what I think of when i think of a steam engine.

Great MOC!

Thanks much! When I visited the original steam engine for the first time I realized just how horribly off I had built her, which is what sparked the rebuild. I'd like to say my MOC is accurate now, but I can probably only say "more accurate than it was."

Nice train :thumbup:

The boiler looks great, it is that these type of trains are not my style, otherwise it would definitely give some inspiration.

Btw, on your flickr I see that you are trying to motorise it using PF, did you manage that allready ?

Thanks much! Not everyone is into American steam engines, but that's ok, not everyone is perfect. :wink:

I am waiting on the funds with which to purchase the PF rechargeable battery box before I make any attempt to power this locomotive with Power Functions, but I have come up with a design that seems to work very well in powering the tender's smaller bogies. I wrote a RAILBRICKS blog article about it:

http://www.railbricks.com/railblog-categor...tions-minitruck

I have built and tested the design with real bricks and it works well. Now I just have to come up with some details to attach to the outside of the bogies.

--Tony

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I been wanted to comment this for a long while, and there is no doubt about it on this very impressive steam locomotive. I really love the color combination that you have used which are bold and distinct. Of course, it also relates to the actual locomotive in real life. I am not exactly a train expert, but seeing this creation is truly an enjoyable experience for me.

This has been blogged in Classic-Town.net.

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Tony: you know that this is a really nice MOC when WF comments in our train forum as well as blogs in Classic-Town.

What I really like about your locomotive is the colors and boiler design. In comparing your rebuilt version to the latest, I can see the subtle difference like the additional stripes of black, and the steam line/railing (for lack of a better name). Very nice! You really have mastered these locomotives. I wish I had just an ounce of your talent for building these big steamers. Great job! :thumbup:

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I been wanted to comment this for a long while, and there is no doubt about it on this very impressive steam locomotive. I really love the color combination that you have used which are bold and distinct. Of course, it also relates to the actual locomotive in real life. I am not exactly a train expert, but seeing this creation is truly an enjoyable experience for me.

This has been blogged in Classic-Town.net.

Thanks much! And thank you for the kind words on the blog. I'm glad I've been able to do the #300 justice, as the original MOC was built as more of a throw-away sidekick to the #500, rather than a MOC in her own right.

Tony: you know that this is a really nice MOC when WF comments in our train forum as well as blogs in Classic-Town.

What I really like about your locomotive is the colors and boiler design. In comparing your rebuilt version to the latest, I can see the subtle difference like the additional stripes of black, and the steam line/railing (for lack of a better name). Very nice! You really have mastered these locomotives. I wish I had just an ounce of your talent for building these big steamers. Great job! :thumbup:

High praise, then, I hope I am deserved.

Thanks much! I really don't see myself has having a great amount of talent, just a lot of experience. I spend a lot of time putting bricks together and seeing what works. I was originally going to keep the footrails as just yellow tiles (as per the original MOC), but because the prototype steam engine had black footrails with a yellow pinstripe on the edge, and because I was going to mimic the black topped, colored pinstripe footrail on the #500 (which is also on many other locomotives of mine), I decided to be consistent.

wow this is quite an improvement over your previous version

it has a cheese slope boiler which equals an instant win

Thanks much! I plan to build the other three steam engines owned by the TSRR as well, two of which I plan to give cheese slope boilers. I just hope they aren't looked upon as one-hit-wonders, since I've pretty much mastered the construction of 5-wide cheese slope boiler. I suppose if I find a suitable new technique between now and then I'll give it a go.

--Tony

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Thanks much! And thank you for the kind words on the blog. I'm glad I've been able to do the #300 justice, as the original MOC was built as more of a throw-away sidekick to the #500, rather than a MOC in her own right.

It's your own effort and I appericate your train works and that's something I will never accomplish building it, but to marvel at your work. :thumbup:

Watch out for another feature over the weekend. :wink:

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Thanks much! I really don't see myself has having a great amount of talent, just a lot of experience. I spend a lot of time putting bricks together and seeing what works.

There are those that believe talent is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration, in which case either way you have it :classic: It also bodes well for TheBrickster and myself, as we can at least hope to improve through practice. I've just started playing with my first steam engine, and am very thankfull for those who have posted their Mocs before me, as I can also learn by observation and imitation.

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