ecmo47

I use these from Lowes. #35 O-rings. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Danco-10-Pack-11-16-in-x-1-16-in-Rubber-Faucet-O-Ring/3369372

Is that dark red that you are using? If so, you might want to consider using part #60032 for the windows to add more detail and interest. https://www.bricklink.com/catalogPG.asp?P=60032&colorID=59 If its regular red, you have lots of different window options. Judging from the prototype picture, the cupola's were not very useful as you could not see over the box car! I wonder if they eventually went to bay windows for better visibility.

Looks like the 1/8th inch comes in 5 colors: red, yellow, blue, green and black. Grey appears to be offered but only in 3mm. Thanks for that link!!

Here is Tony Sava's Bricklink store where you can buy plans for many great loco's to include the Southern Pacific 4-8-4 Daylight and the F-7A/B that everybody has been building in their favorite road names. https://store.bricklink.com/AggieSava?p=AggieSava#/shop

Darthlumpy: You can slog through this thread on how some of us tied the engine block to the spine.

Bricklink is my favorite website to buy Lego parts. If you want to expand, the first thing you will want is more straight piece, part #53401. On BL, they cost an average of $2.00 each. Most of the dealers that have them in some sort of volume are in Europe. Look for one that doesn't change you an extra 4% for Paypal and ask for a shipping quote so that isn't a shock. https://www.bricklink.com/catalogPG.asp?P=53401&colorID=85 Here is an ebay lot that is pretty reasonable: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-Of-30-Lego-Gray-Train-Tracks-Curve-Strait/163796727318?hash=item26230bb616:g:MuIAAOSw3rFdL56s:sc:USPSPriority!28562!US!-1

Yeah, I didn't catch that either when I built my four "F" units so I must have had a small stash of them too. I was pretty surprised when I discovered that while collecting parts for a Santa Fe A/B unit. Fortunately I was able to nab twelve of them from a norwegian dealer for a mere $3.60 each. I guess you know how to fund your next project now!

For anybody that is considering building Sava's F-7a/b there are a few parts issues that you should be aware of before you take the plunge. The main problem is the scarcity and, thereby, expensive part #6191 (Brick, Modified 1 x 4 x 1 1/3 No Studs, Curved Top) in Dark Blue Gray. The location is circled in red on my Rio Grande version. My fuel tank is the same color as Tony's plans of the Santa Fe version. You will need 4 of these per unit. There are only 16 dealers that currently have them and they run $8.00 to $18.00 each. https://www.bricklink.com/catalogPG.asp?P=6191&colorID=85 The part is not available in Dark grey so no easy substitution there. The only simple solution that I can think is to use eight 1x2x2/3 cheese slopes and a couple 1x8 plates. It would not give you that nice prototypical rounded look but would be passable. The other part that can be a little challenging to find is the part #3849 (Minifig lance) in LBG (circled in green). Your need one for each truck side-frame (four per unit). They are not expensive but a little hard to find in quantity. Fortunately you can get them in light grey or pearl light gray which are very close.

The picture was taken Saturday right after the show ended for the day. I'm standing on a chair in the back row with the white button-up shirt next to the twin-city guy.

I was pretty stoked to be included in that picture!

Perhaps but Brick Model Railroader hit the 1000 "kits" sold last month and that was just in two-years. (I'm only responsible for .1% of those sales.) While they probably have the lions share of the market, there are several others (Bricktraindepot, Iron Horse Brick, SRW Locomotive works) to add to the over-all sales numbers. So while we are a niche-hobby, our numbers may be bigger then anyone can guess and they are growing!

A fellow LUG member actually got some ME metal rail and brought it too a recent convention that I was at. It was really rough stuff and did not join together very well. He has a very hard time keeping a complete circuit going. You did not miss anything. Somewhere is your thread, you lamented at the demise of the 9v era. I'm not sure that this is so. I was at Brick World Chicago and saw/heard several great ideas for powered track. As excited as everybody is about the new track geometry's that are coming out, it would all be dropped in a heartbeat if a viable DCC system came out for Lego trains.

Need you ask? The MOC is clearly superior in every way. Do you want to go the easy route to have what any person can have for bucks or put in the effort to have something special? Here's some moto for you:

Here is another train that was made up of various signature LUG/LTC cars. The CinnciLUG layout was nothing but track and trains. Andy and Jeffery ran some huge container trains.

There were long trains in abundance at Brick World, Chicago. Here is Tony Sava's Texas Eagle.