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Nexus Force / LEGO Universe - 2-8-4 + Diesel streamlined space trains MOCs
Murdoch17 posted a topic in LEGO Train Tech
These two trains comprise my space-train fleet for the Nexus Force, one streamlined passenger train, and one generic freight train. You can see more the Nexus Force stuff in this thread here in the Space sub-forum. It features a modular base, trucks, crawlers, and several spaceships, along with the mini-figures. (human or otherwise!) The Moonlighter train is owned by the Nexus Force, and is a retro-futuristic stream-liner mix of old-school steam technology, but with hyper-modern safety features designed specifically for use by Nexus Force personnel as a very high-speed, high-security ground transport between the northern-most city of St. Nicklaus and north-pole-hugging outpost of Ice Station Odyssey, around 500 miles away. (this all takes places on the ice-bound planet of Beta Polaris, which orbits what we here call the North Star, far away from Earth.) Thus this makes it a space train! Unlike the slower Earth trains, the Moonlighter type of space-train is super-streamlined, and can go up to speeds of up to 110 MPH (135 is the loco's top possible speed) on it's special track, with super-elevated curves and long straight-away's over hundreds of miles, all while using Positive Train Control (PTC) on the the mostly double-track mainline, where all vehicle crossings are flyovers and switches virtually non-existent once out of St. Nicklaus city limits. This train runs along with nine other identical versions of this train (10 total trains in all) on the route with up to seven in running order on the route and at least two in the maintenance shed / in emergency backup storage at any one time. They are numbered 200 through 210. The Nexus Force logo on the nose of the Moonlighter streamlined casing, (near the smokestack) and the rear of the observation car, while the engine's number (207) goes under the cab windows. The two forward tanks are for oil, and the rear tank is for water. The engine is equipped with a water scoop (like on the old New York Central steam locomotives) for refilling the water tank on the fly. There is a ladder from the tender-top deck to the coupler level behind the engine for access to the trailing passenger cars, and two ladders on either side of the steam loco for entry into the enclosed control cab. Three of these passenger cars go on the Moonlighter, with two before the dome car and one immediately after it. The recessed panels are the platform doors. One of these vista-dome cars goes in the middle of the train. (You may have noticed there are no exterior platform doors on this car. I decided not to add them because they didn't look good with the dome.) The rear observation car is currently missing it's rear curved windows, but it will have them when built IRL. The Nexus Force logo goes on the rear of this car, as previously mentioned above. After 45-ton locomotive 2011 has arranged a freight train in the Nexus force spaceport's yard, a electric main-line loco has arrived on scene to pull it's train to the some 500+ miles distant city of St. Nicklaus. This larger locomotive is numbered 99, and is running with a mobile armored cannon unit for the journey ahead, as it runs through some areas that could be ripe for an ambush by enemy forces, as you never know where the Maelstrom might have agents in deep cover or have planted ambushes alongside the line. A train was derailed and attacked last month in Avalanche Canyon by pirates, which is why the railroad is taking no more chances while it's position is being currently fortified all along the route. The other cars being pulled are: a flatcar carrying Commander Bob's 1960's sports car (going for it's yearly tune-up in town), a fully-loaded gasoline tanker, bathtub gondola with ice boulder load, and a bay-window caboose for the train's rear-end crew and a few more soldiers... just in case! This orange and white electric locomotive was inspired by the preliminary version of set 60198. (2018 Freight train) The inside is accessible via the removable roof sections. This model was inspired by this armored train MOC, that was itself inspired by the movie "Castle in the Sky" and it's armored train therein. The road vehicle model is partially inspired by Lola the car from the TV show Agents of Shield. (although this one doesn't fly) The sports car doesn't have great off-road capabilities, so it has to be trucked in on a flatcar to the remote space base. This fuel tanker is filled with gasoline or diesel fuel for use in the space base's land vehicles. Usually two or three tanker cars are sent into the base every couple weeks for refueled the on-base supply. This bathtub gondola is filled with ice boulders that have frozen ancient lifeforms trapped inside. The Nexus Force is sending them to a specialist laboratory off-world to have the DNA decoded and the beings themselves studied. Due to height clearance issues in St. Nicklaus city, regular-height cupola caboose types are forbidden. So, the bay window type is used instead. This moon base-like space base model is where the Moonlighter travels to, and was inspired by set 60036 (Arctic Base Camp), with a rooftop shield generator partially lifted from set 75098 (Assault on Hoth) and a sensor array inspired by set 76157 (Wonder Woman VS. Cheetah) The base consists of eight separate, interchangeable, modular sections, all of which have opening roof / wall sections for ease of access. These sections include (but are not limited too): a common bunk room, a spaceship control tower, a fusion generator, communications room, break room, and several more. As you can see, I joined the base to the rail-line with a short siding for freight deliveries, and for the servicing of steam locomotives on services such as the Moonlighter. -
Welcome aboard the Astro-train! This futuristic stream-liner was a mix of the 1950's Earth train called the "Aerotrain" but redesigned specifically for use by Nexus Force personnel as a high-speed, high-security ground transport between the northern-most city of St. Nicklaus and north-pole-hugging outpost of Ice Station Odyssey, around 590 miles away. (this all takes places on the ice-bound planet of Beta Polaris, which orbits what we here call the North Star, far away from Earth.) Thus this makes it a space train! Unlike the original Earth version, the Astro-train is super-streamlined, and can go up to speeds of up to 230 MPH on special track, with super-elevated curves and long straight-away's of hundreds of miles, all while using Positive Train Control (PTC) on the the mostly double-track mainline, where all vehicle crossings are flyovers and switches virtually non-existent once out of St. Nicklaus city limits. This train runs along with Seven identical versions of itself on the route with up to five in running order on the route and at least one in the maintenance shed at any one time. Also, please NOTE: The train is authorized to make 15 minute stops in the icy wastelands at native villages as requested before continuing on to it's destination. Signal boxes are provided at certain spots to stop the train at the correct spot to en-train, with only village elders having the keys. To de-train, you must pull the cord at least full 10 minutes before you wish to disembark to allow the train to slow down. Only five stops are marked on the route, but several unmarked villages are springing up, so the schedule has gone out the airlock recently. (In actuality, this is a heavily modified version of 2018 Star Wars set 75217 (Imperial Conveyex Transport) mashed up into an 8-wide version of my 1950's Aerotrain model. The model also features inside details and Jacobs bogies besides the lift away side panels of 75217 and removable cab roof.) This loco is missing five printed pieces: (1) slope of this type for the front of the nose, right below the third headlight. It is the Nexus Force's logo. (4) of this round tile for the roof engine exhaust vents. Fold up the walls so you can look underneath at the powerful diesel engine. The roof of the engineer's cab comes off to place a figure at the controls. Each of the four cars can hold four seats each behind the two fold-up side walls. These are the four passenger cars, which are linked together in pairs of two by Jacobs bogies. They can have more two-car sets dropped in or out, but the rear-most car set is the minimum. (as the last car carriers the four tail markers) I thought about adding another two cars, but the price was too prohibitive right now. Anyway, I think this might become a real brick built model sometime around Christmas to go with my Nexus Force space base... as seen in this horribly out-of-date picture from January 5th, 2019 and this topic here. We will just have to see what the future holds!
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After 5 months of planning, 7 weeks of building and 3 weeks of testing, my latest creation is finally done. Well, all the major work is complete and much of the minor tweaks that need to be made as a result of continued tests will have to occur, but for the most part, this is the final model. Detailed, high resolution pictures can be found here:
