Hod Carrier

I'll make sure I crack the whip and keep them hard at work. I did threaten that I would be aiming to have entries for the last two remaining categories, and here they are. I wasn't sure that I was going to find a suitable prototype for the Bobber Caboose category. Part of the reason for this is that in the UK all standard gauge brake vans (cabooses) are bobbers already, as we don't have any tradition of building the vast rolling gin palaces that appear elsewhere in the world. (Well, except perhaps for the Southern Railway's 25 ton "Queen Mary" brake vans, which were so named by their crews after the large luxurious liner of the same name, or the equally massive "Dance Hall" vans which picked up their name because, ...well you can work it out I'm sure.) So it took quite a lot of researching and looking at photos before I found anything suitable. Building a small caboose was no good to me if it was still as big as (or bigger than) a standard garden variety British brake van. In the end I found out about logging cabooses, which tended to be smaller than their mainline brethren due to the shorter nature of the trips that they were expected to take. However, even these tended to dwarf a British brake van. But then, while following a thread onto a railway modelling forum, I came across this. Apparently this model is from Japan but I have no idea if it is based on a real caboose or just someone's flight of fancy. Either way, this looks like being the bobberest of all bobber cabooses, so I thought I'd have a stab at recreating it. I have added some steps up to the porch and had to reduce the side windows from two to one, but apart from that I think it's pretty close to the original model. So that's the Bobber Caboose category taken care of, which just leaves the Internal Combustion category. Well, as I mentioned before, I was finding that not many of the potential prototypes were really talking to me. I didn't really want to tackle a mainline shunter/switcher but a lot of the industrial locos didn't have much in the way of charisma or charm. I looked at a LOT of locos, but I decided after all to settle on this particular ugly duckling. It's a converted Massey Ferguson 135 tractor used in various locations by Bord na Mona in Ireland. Converted to run on 3 foot gauge lines, these rail tractors carry out line maintenance and other tasks. These wee beasties were never likely to win any beauty contests, but they have a rustic charm. My design carries oxy-acetylene welding gear, a mobile generator and tools for carrying out maintenance. Thoughts and feedback is welcome as always.

I don't expect to be in contention for any prizes this year, so I'm going to have some fun. I'm glad the Honey Bucket made you laugh. It sure is. Thanks for the positive feedback. Thanks guys. I'm pleased that you like my choices. I always try to do something a little bit unusual and pick things that might not be very well known. I've got a team of designers locked away in a secret location turning out designs in sweatshop conditions. If they keep coming up with the goods I might consider letting them have half a day off this Christmas. I have to be completely honest and say that this year's contest is right up my alley. You may recall that it was building 4-wide scale models that got me back into LEGO, so building little things is fairly natural to me. That said, I did have a bit of a creative wobble earlier this year when I worried that I might have lost the gift. There's a few thing that I've got on my mind to build but I just couldn't seem to make a start on anything. Hopefully the blockage is starting to clear now. Now that I've got entries for four out of the six main categories I have set myself a target to come up with something for the other two (although I may have to accept that I won't be able to motorise anything so won't be in that category).

Agreed. It's been a fascinating process to follow how your design has evolved over the weeks.

Top marks to that man!! You've done Mr Peet proud. It's whimsical entry for sure, but it's still a fabulous build.

I've had a nice quiet day today which has allowed me to work up another late entry, this time for the Maintenance of Way (MOW) category. The contest this year is to celebrate the unsung heroes of the railways, and there really isn't a hero more unsung than this one. It's presence is frequently overlooked but it's role is vital. No other piece of MOW equipment is more important and no other carries out a task more heroic. I am referring, of course, to the Honey Bucket. Having already built an electric loco that looks like an out-house on wheels it seems only fitting that I should also build an actual out-house on wheels. There are a few rail companies in the world that seem to use these rail-mounted conveniences, but it appears that Union Pacific use more than most. In fact, they seem to operate quite a large fleet of them. My design is based around theirs. I've also been having a tinker with the Guinness Tipper Wagon. I've tried a different shape of lid, but I actually like this one less than the original version. Although it's curved across the entire width the profile is still not correct. So I've gone back to the original shape but made it a plate wider so that it overhangs the sides by a little more. This version also has amended end supports and grab rails which look a lot better than the former version. I'm thinking this might be the design that gets built.

I've not been entirely happy with the Hythe Pier Railway baggage trolley as my entry for the Industrial Wagon category. Although it's definitely a wagon I'm not entirely convinced that it's sufficiently industrial nor that it's competition standard. So I've gone back to the drawing board, back to my original inspiration and designed a this covered tipper used in large numbers on the Guinness Brewery railway system to carry malt and other dry ingredients for the brewing process. Malt Train outside No.2 Brewery - Guinness history (1939) by Andy Brill, on Flickr This is very much v1.0 as I'm not completely happy with the shape of the lid or the end supports. It's also hard to get any real idea about colour, as very few colour photos exist of these little wagons and those that do seem to disagree. Even the black and white images suggest that there was a wide variety of shades in use, so I think I'll just freelance it and just go for what I think looks best.

I’ve just started using the Bluetooth version today, so I’m still exploring. The motors seem to be quite powerful for their size and the hub too is a nice size which makes it a good option for small models. The ability to daisy-chain the motors is a nice feature too. The app is reasonably good but seems to come without any documentation so I’m going to have to play with it and work out what it can do and how to make it do it.

That's some serious leaves on the line. It's a good thing that the crew have got the equipment for the job. Just a brilliant build. It may be small but it's got everything it needs, and looks great too.

That's some great work being done there. Getting power and drive into that tiny FIAT van is just incredible!! How are you finding the twisted band drive solution? Is it as good as having gears or are you having any issues with slipping? Regarding the pantographs, I was wondering whether there was enough space to use the top dark bley bar as a mounting point for the collector head. Some clip plates (PN:15712) and Belville ice skates (PN:42013) should look just about right.

Thanks guys. Yes, the cab was definitely the trickiest part to get right. I was surprised at just how few parts are available in Green, which I thought would be a common colour. As a result, the studs orientation changes from studs-up to studs-down back to studs-up again which, because of how small the build is, meant that I had to employ one or two rather ugly "hacks". But I did want to include at least some of the cab details. Luckily it was a simple layout with few controls. Thank you. The cab is a squeeze even for a correctly proportioned and fully articulated human, so there's no chance of getting a minifig in there. Click for image. Along with the cab interior, the life preserver was a must-have, especially as the lack of green clips severely limited the options for any other greebling on the outside. That's very kind of you to say. Of the two locomotives I've built for this contest, I actually feel more fond of this tiny electric engine than I do of the Trevithick. My concern is actually over the baggage trolley which, although it looks fine as part of the pier train, really isn't competition standard. Ha ha!! (Hand of God not to scale )

Just brilliant!! Can't really say any more than that. I'm intrigued to see what techniques you've used to get Katy looking so close to the illustrations from the book.

Thank you, sir. That's very nice of you to say. I'm back again with news of my other entries, as construction of the Hythe Pier Railway electric locomotive has begun at last!! There is just enough room inside the cab to put a bit of detailing. The driver basically sits on a little seat on top of the electric motor. There is the brake wheel and the cover for the gearbox and chain drive down from motor to the axles. The cab is built up with brackets, plates and tiles in a studs-down orientation. Some LEGO was harmed in this area. Mating the studs-down cab to the studs-up chassis using probably a very well-known technique, but a new one to me. All together now. Although originally battery powered, the completed loco now has shoegear for electrical pick-up from the third rail. These little locos really do look like a tin out-house. Over the century or so that they have been in use, these locos have had a lot of modifications. They would originally have been symmetrical with a single windscreen on both sides like this. Now this is very much the rear of the loco with the front windscreen replaced with something larger. Whenever the pier railway is in operation it seems that the loco always carries a life preserver behind the cab in case of emergency. Whether this is for the benefit of the driver or for other visitors to the pier is not immediately clear. With the open side of the cab it is possible to glimpse the internal cab features. The Hythe Pier baggage trolley has been realised in brick. This tiny wagon really is as simple as it looks, weighing in with just 40 parts in total and not a huge amount of space for detailing. There really wasn't a lot of chance to report on this build as a work-in-progress because it was finished almost as soon as it was started. There has been one change in the design. I had originally planned to use Technic towballs and pin joiners for couplers, but I was unhappy with the size of the coupling gap. So I have reverted to using Technic liftarms instead which has meant a bit of a redesign was necessary. I am unsure whether or not to enter this for the contest, as I'm unsure if it meets the requirements. The category is "Industrial Wagons", and I don't feel convinced that a baggage trolley on a pier railway really is industrial enough. It's also not very interesting or complex. Thoughts...?

I suspect that, like many locomotives, there wasn't really any "front" or "back". But in this case, being the very first locomotive design, it's clear that the whole layout of the locomotive and how it might be operated hadn't received an awful lot of thought. For example, putting the firebox door directly below the motion would have ruled out firing it on the move (but then Trevithick probably never expected the loco to travel far enough to have considered it necessary). As ever, you are too kind with your praise. The construction is fairly conventional studs-up with a few Technic elements. Anyway, back to the build. My final parts delivery has arrived and I have been able to complete work on the Trevithick Coalbrookdale Locomotive. I had slightly altered the design of the tender, making it a stud longer so as to add a couple of extra details, which meant that I didn't quite have everything I needed. However, it is all now done. The simplicity of the appearance does somewhat hide the complexity of the construction. With intrusions into the structure for things like the axle pins and the coupling to the loco, and only 3 plates in height to work with to make sure that it would still fit underneath the piston motion, meant that designing it to still be stable was quite tricky. It holds together well enough though, so I'm happy with the outcome. Now united with the locomotive, it looks like it was meant to be. I did promise to show how the motion works, and I am as good as my word. The final composition with locomotive and tender together on a short section of plateway (@Paperinik77pk your wish is my command). I am very pleased with the way this build has turned out and how well the end result looks. As mentioned above, it's not a particularly complex build as it is mostly studs-up in the conventional manner, but it still manages to give a good finish. I have enjoyed this build very much and have enjoyed receiving a lot of positive feedback and suggestions during the build which has helped me to improve the design that I originally presented. And now with this build finished I really should turn my attention to my other projects.

Having gotten myself a little distracted designing plateways (I suspect I may have been the victim of some gamesmanship at the hands of other entrants) I've managed to get myself back on track with some locomotive building. Construction has started on the Trevithick Coalbrookdale Locomotive. Believe it or not, this little lump of bricks is the majority of the loco showing just how tiny it is. The only details added at this stage are the firebox door at the bottom right, but you can see the attachment points for the chimney, piston motion, axles and gears as well as the improvised coupling to the tender. There is a void inside the loco which at present is only being used to accommodate the anchor point for the centre gear. Depending on it's precise size and shape, this would be where a Studly Tiny Trains motor might sit. The reverse side, but now with piston motion, guide bars and chimney. It's starting to look a lot more like a steam engine. I think you could finally call this a locomotive. Wheels, gears, motion, flywheel and connecting rods all now attached. It looks like it might be the rear, but maybe it's the front. I'm never quite sure. It's not Trevithick himself, but this splendid fellow in his terrific top hat gives a little idea of the scale. I'm very pleased with the way that the loco has come together. It's been a fairly straightforward build so far with only a few small niggles to correct and a minimum of parts to be changed. Obviously the Technic axle connector with bar holders (PN:24122) has had to be slightly altered with a needle file so that it will slide on the bar, but other than that everything so far has been unaltered. And slide it does, because the motion works, which is something that I'll be hoping to show. That said, there is a source of friction that took a little bit of tracking down. Having checked all the gears and axles, it turns out that treads on the flangeless wheels are actually rubbing against each other. I have just one more Bricklink order to come in and then I should have everything I need to finish this build, and then I can finally turn my attention to my other entries.

You're really doing Katy justice here with your build. It's looking super-slick. I can't wait to see her finished.

Oh yes, I do agree. But I think it might also make things a lot harder from the design and building perspective. Narrower track is one thing, but it also means narrower wheelsets. I think it might be a bit ambitious to get a motor into this loco. It's part of the project that I've parked for the moment. A couple of nights ago I was busily laying plate in order to create a little display track. (As an historical aside - In the UK, people who worked on constructing or maintaining the track were often known colloquially as "platelayers" which dates back to this early stage in the railway's evolution.)

Yes, possibly. But for 4-wide display track would this be a bit more suitable...?

Thank you, sir. That's most kind. I never thought I'd ever be credited with having invented anything. Thank you. But I think @Tenderlok is correct. The crossover between LEGO and rail modeling is going to be small as each system's wheels and rails are designed to work with each other and not be interchangeable. There's also the small matter of why anyone who is rail modeling would want to put their models onto a fairly crudely built plastic track that cannot transmit any power. I'm very happy to have created something to have given you so much inspiration, though. I shall be interested to see which way you go with this and what you come up with.

Thank you, my friend. Yeah, it is a bit parts-heavy. It would be less if I didn't have to build it up over the rail, and I can already see one way in which the height could be reduced by 1 plate which might reduce the parts count a bit, but it does come ready ballasted and with a nice grass verge too. I think you're right about it fitting a 16mm gauge model. Might be a bit tricky getting power to the wheels, but it should sit there quite happily.

Great idea, and very useful additional functionality. It looks like a simple shape but it deceives with it's hidden complexity, but if anyone can crack it I'm sure that you can. Looking forward to seeing things as they progress.

I shot my mouth off earlier. I said some things that I now know were wrong. I'm embarrassed and I'm sorry. Please forgive me and say that you'll stay. R40 plateway curve. Only 158 parts (curve not included). *Ahem*

It's weird how having a competition deadline starts to play tricks on your mind. I'm finding that every time the postman comes to my door and doesn't bring me any of my orders I seem to turn into Gollum. "Where is the precious? We wants it! We needs it!" Gollum by Pat Scullion, on Flickr As you might have guessed, I'm at that awful waiting-for-the-bricks stage of any build when all I do is watch my post and the Bricklink order page. I don't yet have enough to make any sort of start, as I'm still waiting for a large order containing key components without which I can do very little indeed. According to Bricklink page it was despatched before the weekend so it really should be here by now. ("Gollum!! Gollum!!") So although they aren't exactly part of my entries, I have been designing some additional bits and pieces connected with my competition builds. Following on from the discussion about what I'll be running the Trevithick locomotive. Given it's tiny size the idea that it will run at all is very ambitious, but it did raise an interesting question. Very early locomotives wouldn't have run on rails as we would recognise them now, but on waggonways or plateways. These would generally have been of wood or iron and would have had a raised lip on the inside to guide the wheels, so I thought I'd have a go at building something to represent these plateways at a gauge that matches the Trevithick locomotive. Whether or not it would prove to be suitable for a running model is to be proved, but I'm not sure if this is the best solution given that it won't be suitable for curves. In addition to this, I have also had a go at designing the rolling stock for the Hythe Pier Train. This runs as a three car train with a control car at the seaward end for push-pull operation. One of the cars has been designed to include a pair of Circuit Cubes motors and hub in order that the train will be self-propelled (I hope). With the train formed up, it's clear to see how the train dwarfs it's tiny locomotive.

Thank you, gentlemen. That’s most kind Although there are certainly no photos, I’m comparing my design to the schematic drawing I linked to previously and taking the scale from that. Ideally the centre gear should extend above the top of the boiler, but raising up the motion by one plate has brought the boiler level with it. I’d have preferred not to have done it, but it was a necessary choice in order to include the tender.

Boring…? I’ve not seen anything boring here. Anyone else? I think that this is a brilliant build to a very high standard. It may only be a Kof but it’s shaping up to be one helluva Kof.

Man, you're channeling Mr Peet. That's not just close to the illustrations but pretty darn near identical. What did you say your day job was...? Illustrator for Disney...?