What if the steam electric locomotive had proved to be a reliable tech

[Locomotive Annie]

"What do you think you're doing woman?!" said Harry the guard throwing his hands up in horror (Harry lost his leg in a nasty shunting accident some years ago).

However young Wally thought the new loco looked really cool and he wondered how fast it would go.

Somehow through an ordering mistake a few months ago I ended up with a High Speed Train locomotive that I didn't really want. I assembled it in an idle moment and it's been hanging around ever since. Being a steam type of girl I didn't see myself laying out poles beside my tracks for overhead wiring and I don't like diesels, but I did like the idea of having a 'modern' passenger train to run services on the main line as a contrast to my older preserved steam locos..

This particular historic steam electric locomotive has always been a favourite of mine and one day I might go so far as to build a model of it in Lego. Following this line of thinking though I found myself wondering, 'What if...." What if The steam electric locomotive had worked out and they had continued to be built into the modern era?

Anyway to cut a long story short I dismantled the loco and rebuilt it on a white RC underframe I happened to have. Fortunately I had a brand new RC motor block as well so that was wired in at the rear of the loco. At the front I assembled a 6 wheel bogie, but if this loco works out I might just hunt down a second RC motor block and make it dual powered.

White bricks are something I don't have a great deal of as I rarely use them. Most of the ones I have arrived in job lots purchased at various times, so I wasn't holding out a great deal of hope that I would have enough bits to complete the loco. But the brick pixies must've been in a good mood with me because I was able to find everything I needed. I deliberately used bricks that were yellowed and grubby on the back of the loco, but even so it's still a bit too pristine. I suppose Bricklink traders will think me nuts if I start asking for well yellowed and gubby white bricks and bits, but it would be awfully nice if I could lose some of the gleam on that boiler.

I still have another RC underframe, - a black one, - so I wonder if I could build a freight loco next?

[Hey Joe]

So what are you smoking down there in Kiwiland...and can I get some of it?

Seriously though, it looks great. I love the engine in the B & W graphic, would look cool in Lego but might be tough to pull off.

Cheers, Joe

[SeaKing61]

http://ptatransitauthority.blogspot.co.uk/2009/02/c-o-baldwin-m-1.html

The Baldwin M-1 has to be my favourite steam-turbine locomotive. Looks so utterly futuristic yet quite unreliable in the event. Three were built and all scrapped in 1950.

Laurie

[Werlu Ulcur]

That looks very good! Maybe steam won't work very well for a high speed train but for a "regular"one, why not?

Though your loco looks turbo-charged .

[Duq]

Cool! A counterpart for the electric steam engine that was mentioned a while ago:

[Andy D]

Verycool loco! What would a steam-electric use for fuel?

How about a solor-electric loco?

Andy D

[Electricsteam]

Yay something built from the bag of ideas! Great job at recreating the locomotive. (looks at own name)

[Locomotive Annie]

Thanks ES, yes I hadn't forgotten the 'bag of ideas' project and I had always intended to try building a steam electric loco. It's just that I didn't think I would be be building such a modern outline looking one. There's still a few little tidy up jobs I want to do with this loco which will happen as the necessary bricks become available, but by and large it's complete now and ready for service.

Verycool loco! What would a steam-electric use for fuel?

How about a solor-electric loco?

Andy D

Andy, New Zealand has huge lignite coal reserves so I figured that somebody clever in the way of an engineer must've developed an efficient boiler to use lignite. My daughter who has been to university and has studied such things has informed me that solar cell technology is nowhere near good enough yet to power a locomotive unfortunately.

[Locomotive Annie]

Steam electric loco on test in the Kotanga station yard this evening.

Just a small update. This 'what if' loco of mine lives and has the makings of being a really useful engine. I may fit a second motor yet as three to four passenger coaches on a regular timetabled run might be a bit challenging over the whole distance of the layout. I discovered too that the red LED 'on' light has the makings of a nice faux firebox glow if I play my cards right

[Locomotive Annie]

I'm not sure if this designer is being serious or not, but here is the link to a modern design for a steam electric. http://turbinediv.webs.com/currentproductions.htm

[Electricsteam]

I'm not sure if this designer is being serious or not, but here is the link to a modern design for a steam electric. http://turbinediv.we...productions.htm

I have never been so frightend of a locomotive design! I'd think it would be better to have a locomotive run off an HHO Flame!

[Locomotive Annie]

I know, - a Fusion reactor used to generate steam, - terrifying is not too strong a word at all.

But on the other hand the general outline of the loco wouldn't be too difficult to build in Lego which is possibly a mitigating factor.

When it comes to steam electrics we mustn't forget the Armstrong-Whitworth failed attempt which would be another one that would be not too difficult to build. http://www.aqpl43.dsl.pipex.com/MUSEUM/LOCOLOCO/armstrongturbine/armstrng.htm

[peterab]

I'm not sure if this designer is being serious or not, but here is the link to a modern design for a steam electric. http://turbinediv.we...productions.htm

Since the two designs there depend on 1) a fusion reactor and 2) a Hafnium 178 fuel cell, I'd say you can safely bet they are wildly speculative at the very least.

A controlled fusion reaction is the holy grail of energy production, since it would essentially mean limitless clean safe energy. A working fusion reactor doesn't exist yet.

Hafnium is a very rare element, mostly produced as a by product of Zirconium purification for nuclear reactor use, there is only about a ten year supply in current known reserves, so it's hardly a practical fuel. Not only that the mechanism to get an energy release is surrounded by controversy.

[Electricsteam]

Since the two designs there depend on 1) a fusion reactor and 2) a Hafnium 178 fuel cell, I'd say you can safely bet they are wildly speculative at the very least.

A controlled fusion reaction is the holy grail of energy production, since it would essentially mean limitless clean safe energy. A working fusion reactor doesn't exist yet.

Hafnium is a very rare element, mostly produced as a by product of Zirconium purification for nuclear reactor use, there is only about a ten year supply in current known reserves, so it's hardly a practical fuel. Not only that the mechanism to get an energy release is surrounded by controversy.

Hmmm why not use a giant hydrogen cell to produce electricity for the motors instead of a fusion reactor.

[Locomotive Annie]

This webpage has more steam turbine locos at the bottom of the page. http://www.northeast.railfan.net/turbines.html

Yes I know the Fusion Reactor loco and the Hafnium loco are not practical, but the basic shape of them is certainly doable in Lego. In Legoland such locos would run on 'Brickium' which only minifig scientists know how to create and they're not telling.

[peterab]

Hmmm why not use a giant hydrogen cell to produce electricity for the motors instead of a fusion reactor.

Because the industrial production of hydrogen is expensive, and if you need to produce it at a huge plant anyway, why not just use whatever energy source you'd use to produce hydrogen to drive a steam turbine and produce electricity. Then you gain the extra efficiency of not having to drag your fuel and electricity production around on every train, and you can most likely produce electricity more efficiently at large scale, which offsets the transmission losses.

The only reason not to use pure electrics is if your use of the line doesn't justify the capital expense and maintenance cost of the overhead wires.

[Konrad]

well... its original atleast...

[spzero]

Bricklink sellers would be quite happy to sell bricks that were yellowed and grubby I know I have loads that go to waste, well there in a big box I cant bring my self to throw them outbeing LEGO but I dont think I can sell the really bad one's to be honest.

The train looks great that boiler looks so odd its cool almost steam punkish, but a realistic steam punk,

[Konrad]

you need to bring that loco a tad into the 80s to make it more realistic annie!

[Locomotive Annie]

you need to bring that loco a tad into the 80s to make it more realistic annie!

It's quite likely that I will continue to mess about with it and refine its appearance as I go along Konrad. I don't use a lot of white bricks as a rule and what few bricks I had at the time pretty much determined how my loco turned out. In terms of my imaginary alternative railway history this is an older 'modern' era steam electric that will more than likely undergo a major change in appearance next time it goes in for its next major overhaul.

I intend to build another modern era steam electric soon, but this one will be more post-1980s in its appearance.