GoldVillage Posted July 19, 2014 late answer but what the heck, i must comment! simply amazing made locomotive, and i really like the big boy ;) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LEGO Train 12 Volts Posted July 20, 2014 Maybe late ...but compliments are always welcome! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
snakebyte Posted February 13, 2015 Wow what a great train :) Would you be interested in sharing the ldraw file for this train? I am a train builder/collector and I would love this train in my collection :) I also create intructions of various MOCs i publish on my homepage for free, so (only) if you are interested in sharing it with the world I could create the instructions for you? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
monai Posted February 13, 2015 Hallo, many compliments for such a huge work, along with the Sava's Allegheny it is the largest steam loko in Lego world, I guess (except for the legoland trains of course). Sergio and Eros Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Godzilla91210 Posted February 13, 2015 You are a master MOC Train! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kodan Black Posted February 13, 2015 Always one of my favorite engines and you really have brought it to life! You really get a sense of its size when it is next to other engines. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Adolfo Posted February 14, 2015 Excellent work! The details are awesome and the all MOC is really a piece of art for those who love LEGO and train, Congrats! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Carefree_Dude Posted October 7, 2019 I apologize for bumping a rather ancient thread, but I have some questions. I have a similar big boy, though it is currently powered only via two PF motors in the tender. I get a lot of slippage of wheels especially while going around corner. I'm really interested in making this thing move via the drive wheels. What I want to know is: What would be the best motor to use? I believe I could fit multiple L motors inside the very hollow boiler of my big boy. What would be the best way to get power to the wheels? Currently the only thing attaching all 16 large drivers to the boiler is a single 4x4 turntable bri Even if I did manage to get motors and such inside of the body of the train engine, would I get any significant improvement? How much would adding a buwizz or Sbrick increase my overall performance? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henry 991 Posted October 8, 2019 21 hours ago, Goldenmasamune said: I apologize for bumping a rather ancient thread, but I have some questions. I have a similar big boy, though it is currently powered only via two PF motors in the tender. I get a lot of slippage of wheels especially while going around corner. I'm really interested in making this thing move via the drive wheels. What I want to know is: What would be the best motor to use? I believe I could fit multiple L motors inside the very hollow boiler of my big boy. What would be the best way to get power to the wheels? Currently the only thing attaching all 16 large drivers to the boiler is a single 4x4 turntable bri Even if I did manage to get motors and such inside of the body of the train engine, would I get any significant improvement? How much would adding a buwizz or Sbrick increase my overall performance? The gains from moving motors from the tender to the engine can be significant. Not only would you have more weight on the driving wheels, creating higher maximum friction, but the direct drive from motors makes it easier to overcome the parasitic friction of the driving wheels&pushrods vs. tender-pushing configurations. Also, it allows you to add ball bearings into the tender, and increase the available pulling power of the entire engine set. Don’t forget to install friction rings into the drivers. What comes to the motors, XL motor is about double the power of the L motor, assuming suitable gearing. XL motor has the highest power density and is shorter than L, making packaging easier. So, try fit 3-4 XL motors in the first place. If that doesn’t work, settle with 2 XLs or 4 L motors. All of these configurations fit into 8-wide Big Boy. If you got with 3-4 motors, the motors probably need to be stressed members of the chassis. What comes to the control box, FX Brick or such allows you to have smoother power curve than LEGO. I.e. their speed increment is very small, allowing you to apply power gently. That is more friendly for the gears, and makes gear skipping less prone. Even better, FX Brick allows you to run motors with 11-12 Volts, e.g. with a three-cell LiPo battery. Although the torque of the motors remains the same, you can run the motors on higher top RPM. The benefit of that is the possibility to have lower gearing and keep the same top speed. With 3-cell LiPo, you can drive XL motors with direct drive and don’t have to gear up, e.g. with 20:14 as some in this forum do. Where this all takes us, I believe that the strongest possible single LEGO engine one can make in 1:48 scale is probably a Big Boy with: 4 XL motors 1:1 gearing and friction rings Ballasting 3-cell lipo with a FX Brick controller Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Carefree_Dude Posted October 9, 2019 I think I can see a way to fit 4 xl motors into my boiler. Now I just need to figure out where to make them connect to the wheels. Looking at other pics it appears I can run a Technic axel through the big turntables, I just need new points to attach the wheels to the boiler Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henry 991 Posted October 9, 2019 2 hours ago, Goldenmasamune said: I think I can see a way to fit 4 xl motors into my boiler. Now I just need to figure out where to make them connect to the wheels. Looking at other pics it appears I can run a Technic axel through the big turntables, I just need new points to attach the wheels to the boiler Hi, it’s probably a best practice to run the Technic axle through a 4x4 turntable. It makes the setup very solid. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henry 991 Posted October 9, 2019 (edited) 4 hours ago, Goldenmasamune said: I think I can see a way to fit 4 xl motors into my boiler. Now I just need to figure out where to make them connect to the wheels. Looking at other pics it appears I can run a Technic axel through the big turntables, I just need new points to attach the wheels to the boiler Please notice that the motors don’t necessarily have to be placed where the power output from the engine is. It is possible to have the motors placed in more convenient locations of your choice and output the power elsewhere. See picture below. However, this limits the number of motors you can pack into the boiler and works better with L motors which are 4 studs wide (XL is 5). Edited October 9, 2019 by Henry 991 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Carefree_Dude Posted October 15, 2019 I have another question; Say I'm only able to fit two motors in this thing; would it be better to have both motors on the same set of drive wheels, or would it be better to give each set of drive wheels their own motor? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henry 991 Posted October 16, 2019 (edited) 10 hours ago, Carefree_Dude said: I have another question; Say I'm only able to fit two motors in this thing; would it be better to have both motors on the same set of drive wheels, or would it be better to give each set of drive wheels their own motor? You will be traction-limited with your Big Boy; the engine is somewhat prone to gear slippage under heavy load. Therefore, even distribution of power to two sets of drivers is better. Edited October 16, 2019 by Henry 991 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hamster Posted October 16, 2019 (edited) Wromg thread. Edited October 17, 2019 by Hamster wrong thread Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Carefree_Dude Posted October 16, 2019 Just an update; I modified my big boy quite a bit, and it can now fit 4 XL motors! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henry 991 Posted October 16, 2019 43 minutes ago, Carefree_Dude said: Just an update; I modified my big boy quite a bit, and it can now fit 4 XL motors! Sounds great! Your next challenge will be to transfer all that torque to the driving wheels without breaking the gears or dislocating any driveline component. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
