LDD MOC: BN EMD E-9A Engine

[Tearloch]

Hello all. So basically I have only dabbled in this over the last year. I started with a BNSF train, that I have slowly converted to a PF unit (another topic with updated pictures coming soon....I finally finished the decals ). By affinity for BNSF is from my Illinois roots, and working for BNSF right after the merger. Always loved BN trains going by my house growing up.

Anyway, my next project was to MOC the classic Green and White "Hockey Stick" passenger trains that BN used into the 70's. I had planned on using decals for the stripe, since I hate the gap you get trying to use opposing slopes. Then I finally decided to look into this "SNOT" construction all the pros rave about. Did that today, and couldn't wait to try it on my EMD E-9A MOC that has been sitting idle for months. Here is a quick look at how it turned out.

(Please note the trucks were just some generic 3 axle trucks just for the looks...I am still looking for a motorizable design that I like...suggestions are always welcome there).

Basically I used the front end from the Super Chief, although I saw a really neat 6-wide version on flickr (swoofty? I think) that I may attempt later.

I did the door into cab and at the center with a 1/2 brick inset, to make it stand out. The stripe looks OK like this. Added bonus was I was able to reduce the number of the 1x1 modified plates with vertical clip in green that I need. BrickLink has sold 21 of them in the last 14 months, and I got 13 of them. If I am gonna do this with a line of passenger cars, I need a few more, and they seem ultra rare.

Any suggestions are appreciated. Go easy on me...this is my first ground up (mostly MOC) and my first attempt at using SNOT (other than the ways LEGO has done in their sets).

[kyphur]

Nice...

It's good to see some classic American Diesels getting love.

Could you share the link to the alternate 6 wide snub nose design you found?

[Tearloch]

Nice...

It's good to see some classic American Diesels getting love.

Could you share the link to the alternate 6 wide snub nose design you found?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/swoofty/sets/72157621354964727/with/6296284216/

This is the flickr set for the one I noted, but he has an amazing collection of MOCs on flickr, I think all in 6 wide.

[Tearloch]

OK, so I have been working on the passenger cars to go along with this engine. I have found two paint schemes that I am contemplating from BN's past (one patches the engine, one compliments it). I took the Santa Fe passenger car design and gently tweaked it to get a look at the paint scheme possibilities. Here they are. Tell me what you think....

This paint scheme matches the engine, and I carried the striping from the engine design using SNOT techniques. I could also do the striping with decals, which would make the build easier, but I am still not sure if I am a purist or not (identity crisis?)

Here is the other option. This uses the stainless steel look for most of the body, but has the complimentary green and white striping. (The green tile would be a BN logo tile) This is an easier build, but I am not sure on how well it would look with the green/white E-9A engine pulling it around.

[Tearloch]

Apologies up front if this doesn't fit the rules for bumping an old post.

Anyway, I finally got working on this again, and ordered all the parts for this MOC. Between what I already had and PAB, I only had to hunt for about 15% of the parts on BrickLink, and was able to get those in only 5 orders (and only 1 international order). I had to make one minor change from the original MOC picture due to a part not being available. I hope the black louvers on the hood don't look too bad. Also, the windshield in LDD is not the one I plan to use. I ordered the black version of the windshield that came with the Super Chief (couldn't find it in LDD).

I will post pictures once I get it built, then I have to work on motorizing it (never have tried gearing a motor to the trucks...should be a fun time). Then I have to decide on the passenger cars....

[Tearloch]

OK, so I finally got around to building this MOC. Here are a couple of pictures. I still need to make some decals. After that, I plan to motorize this 42 stud long beast with PF, but I have not ever done a geared train before, so it will take so trial and error.

[PsyKater]

Looks good! It's always great to see a LDD MOC coming alive.

[LEGO Guy Bri]

Very cool diesel Tearloch! I didn't realize how big this would be until I saw the brick built. I do love the color. Will there be an interior?

[wondermonkey]

Wow! What a beast! It looks great. With regard to the passenger cars, I love the look of the 2nd one (Santa Fe) with the green. The the grey trucks against the black of the locos trucks might look odd though.

[zephyr1934]

Looks good (though it would be nice to replace that black on the nose with green, maybe a green cheese and 1x2 tile?)

Here's my C&O E8

You might find a few ideas to borrow- in particular, I used empty wheel holders for the third axle to facilitate running on lego track. I think you could easily fit the PF receiver and battery inside your loco, then just use the PF train motor for power. If you need more power, use two motors, you can do that on one locomotive (just remember that you either need a polarity switch or the wires have to leave the motors from the same end- so you'll likely need a hole above the rear coupler for the wire to come in).

Looking at my C&O folder you can also see one of the problems with such a long loco, it makes the super chief repaint cars look stubby. I may some day rebuild the C&O cars to be 40 studs long.

If you are aiming for a proper BN passenger train, you could do a combination of predecessor roads (there were few all cascade green BN passenger trains before Amtrak, and you'd see GN, NP, and the Q schemes on Amtrak until the late 70's). I did a studs up BN hockey stick on a super chief repaint with this objective in mind for my big sky blue GN train set, though your snotted version is a lot better.

Or you could do the Metra bilevels (sigh, the last class one E's).

[Keper65]

if you let the back wheel pivot on the same boogie, you can put wheels on the third part of the wheels.

[Diamondback]

Really, for 6-wide you want about 50 or 51-stud car-length (60% "down-scale" from a floor area of 10' over wall exteriors x 85' over coupler pulling faces). Nice design on the E, though you might also consider moving one horn forward and turning it around--most E-series diesels built with "blat" type horns like that usually had one pointed each forward and back, typicallly the one on the left being reversed.

Beautiful work, both of you... and reminds me I need to get back to work on my own New York Central version sometime. (Classic two-tone-gray Lightning Stripes, not that ugly Sixties cigarband from when that utter piece of excrement Perlman was destroying the company.)

[Paddyb98]

That was really nice. Throw some decals on that and you've got a nice diesel loco.

[Tearloch]

Really, for 6-wide you want about 50 or 51-stud car-length (60% "down-scale" from a floor area of 10' over wall exteriors x 85' over coupler pulling faces). Nice design on the E, though you might also consider moving one horn forward and turning it around--most E-series diesels built with "blat" type horns like that usually had one pointed each forward and back, typicallly the one on the left being reversed.

Beautiful work, both of you... and reminds me I need to get back to work on my own New York Central version sometime. (Classic two-tone-gray Lightning Stripes, not that ugly Sixties cigarband from when that utter piece of excrement Perlman was destroying the company.)

Thanks for the feed back. Now that you mention it, I think my original intentions were to actually **GASP** shorten the chrome horns to do that, but since I designed it last January and just built it last month, I totally forgot.

Agree on the length of the passenger cars to fit the scale, but I have no idea how well (or bad) they would move around curves with that length. I may end up shortening the cab just so I can shorten the cars. Hopefully it won't be another year before I get to the passenger cars.....

[Diamondback]

Problem is, shorten too much and you're basically right back at an F--I'd suggest an OAL around 42 studs over coupler faces (60% of 71' OAL), assuming the Super Chief is enough shorter to have a visible difference.

[peterab]

Agree on the length of the passenger cars to fit the scale, but I have no idea how well (or bad) they would move around curves with that length.

In 7-wide 50 stud cars are about the limit for the LEGO track geometry, they have no problem negotiating curves etc, but their middle section hangs wide when passing around the curved section of points and can foul the point lever. Other than that they are fine, and since my club tends not to leave the levers on (since kids switch the points at shows) there's no problem.

[WesternOutlaw]

Well done Tearloch. I always enjoy seeing an LDD MOC become a real brick-built creation. Nice job on the front end and the white step design toward the front sides- nice features that add to the MOC.

[legoboy3998]

Thanks for the feed back. Now that you mention it, I think my original intentions were to actually **GASP** shorten the chrome horns to do that, but since I designed it last January and just built it last month, I totally forgot.

Agree on the length of the passenger cars to fit the scale, but I have no idea how well (or bad) they would move around curves with that length. I may end up shortening the cab just so I can shorten the cars. Hopefully it won't be another year before I get to the passenger cars.....

I have an E9 A-B-A set modeled after the WSOR's, they are 6 wide, and ended up at about 42 studs of couplers (Kadee Knuckel couplers). I started designing with the roof details and it happened out to 42 studs. I found a copy of Model Railroaders Diesel Locomotive Encyclopedia, it shows an overall length of 70' 3". I double checked the scale (6 studs to 10 feet) and that factors to 42 studs. The passenger cars i run are 32 studs over couplers and look short. but to scale them correcly, they would have to be in the area of 55 studs long. That would just require way too much LEGO, and as you suggest, I would thing too long for LEGO curves.

You can see my E9's and passenger cars on my brickshelf.

Sal

WFB, WI

[Tearloch]

I have an E9 A-B-A set modeled after the WSOR's, they are 6 wide, and ended up at about 42 studs of couplers (Kadee Knuckel couplers). I started designing with the roof details and it happened out to 42 studs. I found a copy of Model Railroaders Diesel Locomotive Encyclopedia, it shows an overall length of 70' 3". I double checked the scale (6 studs to 10 feet) and that factors to 42 studs. The passenger cars i run are 32 studs over couplers and look short. but to scale them correcly, they would have to be in the area of 55 studs long. That would just require way too much LEGO, and as you suggest, I would thing too long for LEGO curves.

You can see my E9's and passenger cars on my brickshelf.

Sal

WFB, WI

Nice model. Are you the same guy that has a WSOR EMD GP-38 (or similar) with PF installed in a 6 wide? If so, I used it for inspiration for my redo of the BNSF GP-38 using PF. Here is my MOC page for that one...

[legoboy3998]

Nice model. Are you the same guy that has a WSOR EMD GP-38 (or similar) with PF installed in a 6 wide? If so, I used it for inspiration for my redo of the BNSF GP-38 using PF. Here is my MOC page for that one...

Yes, it is a GP-38, It is based off LEGO's BNSF version. I am honored you thought it nice enough to use. I also have a MP-15 PFed both on my brickshelf, the E9's are in the Northern Pride folder, and the GP-38 and MP-15 are in the WSOR folder. The secret to both is stickers covering the battery boxes, as mentioned in another thread. I also have a GP-38 with the long hood removed and an EMD 567 on it, it is in my Trainfest2012 folder once approved.

Sal

WFB, WI

Edited November 16, 2012 by legoboy3998