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This thread goes along with my earlier one about Brick Railway Systems locos & Rolling Stock (see it here: http://www.eurobrick...showtopic=93584 ) Locomotive sheds & facilities: Open sided 6-long shed: This railway shed was inspired by Lightningtiger here on Eurobricks. He designed the basic frame on this shed, and I ran with it. This photo shows how tall the shed is. That's the Southern Pacific Daylight #4460 there, it's my tallest locomotive and it clears with plenty of room to spare. (The Daylight is NOT included in the LDD file, by the way) Side view. Builders Notes: I chose the dark red parts because the Museum of Transportation in St. Louis Missouri owns one of these types of sheds in this color. They also own the 4460, so the choice was obvious... plus it was the cheapest 8x16 tile color available in the needed quantity in the entire United States. LDD fie for the Open sided 6-long shed: http://www.mocpages....1395947515m.lxf Closed sided 6-Long shed (World City style) This modular railway shed was based off set #10027, Train Shed from the 2003 theme of World City. This model features three 32x32 stud sections and 12 removable roof segments. Here we see my MOD of Anthony Sava's 2-8-4 Berkshire (top) side-by-side with my MOD of JD Davis' 4-8-4 Daylight. (bottom) They both fit, but just barely. Builder's Notes: This shed was built to resemble the 2003 set, Train Engine Shed (#10027). I made it longer by 4 tracks, and widened both stalls by 1 stud on each side. (This makes it so 8 wide trains can fit) I added a middle section, threw out the old hinge-open plan, and replaced it with 3 part modular sections. (left side, middle, and right side)The shed is capable of holding Anthony Sava's 2-8-4 Berkshire steam engine, and JD Davis' 4-8-4 Daylight side-by-side and could probably fit other engines longer than that, especially since you can build multiple middle sections. LDD file for the Closed sided 6-Long shed (World City style) : http://www.mocpages....1396033333m.lxf Locomotive Coaling Tower This is a typical steam locomotive coaling tower. It features brace-work on the legs, and a hinged flap where imaginary lumps of coal can dump to an engine waiting below. Builder's Notes: I got the idea for this model from the LEGO trains website called LGauge. No, it was not from any instructions, and I had to improvise on some parts of the model. (IE the legs' bracework!) The coaling tower with the my MOD of Sava's 2-8-4 Berkshire engine below. (for scale) The engine is NOT in the LDD file found in the first pic! The first of the seven pictures I used to build this model from LGauge.(Link to LGauge website: http://www.lgauge.com/ ) LDD file for the coaling tower: http://www.mocpages....1396009461m.lxf Coaling Tower V2 & Water Tower Builders Notes: With regards to the coal tower, I was inspired by the website "LGauge". However, unlike my previous version of said tower (seen on another creation), I have removed the fancy bracework and replaced it with simple 1x10 beams. For the water tower, however, I was inspired by my Fathers work with a smaller version of the same idea. I enlarged the basic dimensions and replaced the flat roof with a more suitable sloped one of the same type as the coal tower. LDD link: http://www.mocpages....1396273780m.lxf Railroad Structures: Switch Tower (World City Style) This is a Switch Tower designed to be compatible with the 2003 set #10027, (Train Shed) or my MOC of that style. (see above for the Closed sided 6-Long shed (World City style) I am talking about) Here is the top floor, accessible by the staircase from the outside as seen in the main picture. This floor features a main computer, used for switching and train location. This is the bottom floor, where tools are stored. It can be reached by a door under the stairs / landing. Builder's Notes: This building is 100% build-able, and features no really expensive parts. (as far a I know) The model is made to compliment my XL World City train shed, which I actually own as of April 2013. LDD file for the Switch Tower (World City Style): http://www.mocpages....1396032491m.lxf BRS Signal Bridges (double and single tracks) Here we have two signal bridges, one double track, and one single track. Single Track Double track Builder's Notes: I got the instructions for these models from a website known as LGauge, which is an older LEGO train MOC site, and modified them to suit my tastes and cheaper Bricklink pricing. LDD file for the BRS Signal Bridges (double and single tracks): http://www.mocpages....1395966918m.lxf Modular Tunnels (double and single tracks) My father's tunnels' with a update. Back in 1999 - 2005, my father kinda went on a LEGO building spree. He built the original single track tunnel, a red / white shed (later expanded to double track), a bridge using 6552's river base-plate, a Factory, and an unfinished grain elevator. i am remaking them all to show to the world via Flickr & MOC Pages. The real models have been in my fathers basement since they were built. Anyway, I recreated his tunnel, took off the 32x32 green base-plate, made them modular, and made a double track version to boot. The double track version. Single tracked version. One possible combination of the two types of tunnel. If the tunnels is placed near a curve, two tracks should be placed in front of the tunnels just to make sure trains have overhang / turning room. In theory, this should hive enough time for a larger locomotive (like my Berkshire) to straighten out. LDD file for the modular tunnels: http://www.mocpages....1343930750m.lxf Railway Girder Bridge Built from my own imagination and an old file, but inspired by my Father's bridge from 1999. Double tracking is easy with this bridge! LDD file for the Railway Girder Bridge: http://www.mocpages....1396111989m.lxf Grain Elevator This Grain Elevator features a conveyor belt to transfer "corn" (round yellow studs) to the waiting rail cars. Based on my Father's design from 2001, but with a conveyor belt, more silos (is that the right word?), and less fancy arches. I also constructed this out of white and red instead of old grey and red. Top view, showcasing my brother's conveyor belt idea. LDD file for the Grain elevator: http://www.mocpages....1396114565m.lxf Factory Originally built in Sand Red by my father in 2004-ish, this building is one of my dad's biggest creations. I modified it and brought it up to my specifications... okay, I whinged it from looking at the model. I took some liberties, (& made some mistakes) with the original model. For example: the first version had a smaller smokestack, (diameter wise) and had a different Railroad loading dock. (His dock was made from the 1990's 16 x 16 old dark grey sections, with two slopes and 4 middle sections.) Anyway, I hoped it would be of some use for some people, as it always has been gathering dust in the basement since it was built. This end of the factory has a ladder to the top of the smokestack. Inside view with the removable roof to the side. Dad never finished this part, and probably never will. As to what it is supposed to produce... that's up to your imagination! LDD file for the Factory: http://www.mocpages....1396116396m.lxf Barrett's Station This station was built between the East & West Barrett's Tunnels in 1893 by the Missouri Pacific Railroad. It was used until 1944, when the war-time traffic became too much,and the two single track tunnels were bypassed by a double track cut-through built right next door. The Station and the West tunnel were preserved, while the East tunnel was covered up and buried under a road, which was eventually named Barrett's Station Road. The site of the station was turned into a museum known as the Museum of Transportation. Builder's notes: This station was originally the Toy Shop from the Winter Village series of LEGO sets. In real life, the story I just told you is 100% true. However, the Barret's station was not made in 1893, and looks nothing like the one seen here. The inspiration for the station came from the real-life Kirkwood Station (seen here: http://en.wikipedia....Amtrak_station) ) which was built in 1893, is still used by Amtrak and is located a short distance up the track from the Museum of Transportation. The rear of the station features inside seating, a old-fashioned cash register (This piece: http://www.bricklink....asp?P=3039pb26 ) and a modern train signal computer (with this part: http://www.bricklink....asp?P=3297px22 ) where the telegraph used to be. LDD file for Barrett's station: http://www.mocpages....1396901621m.lxf Grain Elevator (fancy) Built originally by my father in 1999, this elevator was never completed. As my Dad did not discover Bricklink until 2006, it lacked several crucial parts, and remains uncompleted to this day... just another thing on the to-do list! I also did some major goofs, such as making the building one stud too thin, (it should be 16 studs wide at the base), but I hope I compensated enough by making the funnel tall enough to let the tallest official train car I could think of go through without problems. (That car is http://www.bricklink...m.asp?S=10014-1 ) I have faithfully recreated the elevator and added some parts that did not exist in '99, such as the red windscreens used a funnel, and a conveyor belt with handle. LDD file for the Fancy Grain Elevator: http://www.mocpages....1398708090m.lxf Glencoe Switch Tower I was inspired to build this Glencoe Switch Tower by set number 60009 (Helicopter Arrest) and a number of old signal towers in my hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. In the real world the town of Glencoe is the location of the Wabash Frisco & Pacific Railroad. ( Link to their homepage: http://www.wfprr.com/ ) This 12 inch gauge railway runs for a mile on an old Missouri Pacific roadbed that was once (not anymore) connected to Barrett's Station, along with several other stations. They have several steam locos, and some blue white and tan train cars which I am replicating in LEGO. However, this building is not based on any one prototype at Glencoe or elsewhere, but numerous switch towers all over the St. Louis area. The first floor features an old telegraph desk, which was used to contact stations further down the line until the telephone and eventually the computer replaced it. The top of the tower has two signal computers and a cozy fireplace. LDD file for Glencoe switch Tower: http://www.mocpages....1399834102m.lxf American level crossing (double track) Inspired by fellow Eurobricks builder Lightningtiger's level crossing, especially his design for the cross-buck. (the X thing that usually says RAILROAD CROSSING) I personally really like the use of frying pans for the lights. Here is his pic of the crossing that inspired me: LDD file for my version of the crossing: http://www.mocpages.com/user_images/80135/1400524694m.lxf Glencoe Depot Built in 1912 for Brick Railway Systems in the small town of Glencoe, Missouri, this Depot features a wood burning fireplace and a ground level platform with four benches. Inside view showcasing the four seats (3 benches, 1 chair) fireplace, and cash register. Their is also a trashcan next to the street side door, but it is hidden from view in this shot. This station model was originally built from Brick City Depot instructions, and modified by me. The LDD file will NOT be given out. Comments, Questions & complaints welcome!

CSX Transportation delivered a NASA SW1500 to the Gold Coast Railroad Museum in Miami, FL last week. So I decided to create a replica of this aging beauty myself. This engine contributed dearly to the 30 years of spaceflight that the world has witnessed.

Background info:Brick Railway Systems (BRS) was constructed in the early 1870's from pieces of other roads. It began small, with only 120 miles of track laid as of 1873. (Note: Only 57 of those miles were actually constructed by BRS, not by the former component roads) By 1910, BRS had rose through the ranks of the other roads to become the top freight hauler in the country. However, In World War One, the railway was was run into the ground by government control via the Imperial Railroad Administration (IRA), which took over control of all railroads in 1914 and kept them until 1920. Upon return of the company to it's civilian owners, the railroad itself was in shambles The company responded by trimming the unnecessary trains that had been kept running during the war years even though they were practically useless. By 1928, the company had remade itself so much so that it had electrified most of it's main line between Glencoe, Ironwood, & Fort Legoredo. This cut back majorly on some of the costs of steam engine fuel and maintenance for the railroad. The benefit of this was not evident immediately, but later payed for itself when the Great Depression hit. By the the Second World War, BRS was even better off than had been projected in the depths of the depression The war traffic barely affected the system, as the 1920's upgrades had unexpectedly prepared the system for the surge in goods and soldiers. In the late 40's, while several other roads had started getting rid of their steam engines for diesels, BRS was resisting the flow by building more steam, and experimenting with more advanced designs such as duplexes, triplexes, & Garrett’s These efforts never payed off, but the they did give the BRS engineers valuable advice on what to do and what not to do with steam. Meanwhile, diesels were on the railroad from starting around 1936, but not in great numbers until the late '60's. 'The System' (as she is sometimes called) was doing fine at this time, while other roads were struggling. By the '70's, diesel fuel prices had put a stop to the diesel takeover, and optimism was high. This feeling continued right up until 1987. The main competitor, Federal Railways, had gone up for sale and Brick Railway Systems was getting a ring-side seat on what could happen if a road got out of hand. Before their eyes, the road was torn apart by lack of leadership, (not helped by the fact the Federal Railway / Brick Railway Systems merger was denied) lack of funds and working motive power. Then, in late 1992, the railway was finally gone, eaten up by hungry debtors and rival railroads alike. (some of it was eventually bought by BRS) The other half of the '90's & the early 2000's had Brick Railway Systems wondering if the same financial breakdown would happen to it. By 2010 the shock had worn off, and the optimism had returned, albeit with a little more caution.Present Locomotives:2-6-0 "Mogul" Steam locomotive Built in 1917 by Zephyr Locomotive Works for Brick Railway Systems (BRS for short), engine #4613 was one of a class of 44 locomotives numbered 4610 to 4654. They were the last class of BRS engines painted in dark green & black with gold highlights. They were also the first class to feature modern tenders with increased water & fuel storage capacity. These two traits created a oddity in the BRS loco department, as it was both old and new. They have all since been repainted except for 4613, which proudly still wears in “Green and Gold” as a testament to the first 50 years of the railroads existence. 2-6-2 "Prairie" steam locomotive Built in 1919 by Baldwin Locomotive Works for Brick Railway Systems (BRS for short), engine 4754 was one of a class of 110 engines ranging from number 4749 4859. They were built at the time when the Imperial Railroad Administration was running BRS due to World War I. These engines proved themselves good freight haulers, but the a severe side-to-side swaying motion kept them from passenger service. They are all painted black with the usual red box on the tender 0-4-0 "Yard Switcher" steam locomotive Built in 1923 by Baldwin Locomotive Works for Brick Railway Systems (BRS), engine #4990 was part of a 250 strong class of switchers made for the tight industrial & dockyard trackage of Brick Railway Systems. The class spread from number 4860 to 5110. They were painted in classic BRS black with a red stripe with a little red ring surrounding the funnel. 2-8-0 "Consolidation" steam locomotive Built in 1926 by Lima Locomotive Works for Brick Railway Systems, engine #5775 was the second to last engine in an order of 30 engines. The engines were numbered 5746 – 5776 and were painted in the traditional black and red paint scheme. This consists of a red box on the tender surrounding the letters BRS, which stand for Brick Railway Systems. 0-6-0 "Mixed Traffic" steam locomotive Built in 1929 by Baldwin Locomotive Works for Brick Railway Systems (BRS), engine #5972 was supposed to be part of a 75-strong engine order, but the Great Depression startted, causing BRS to cancel the last eight engines, leaving 5972 the last of it's class. The type has been painted in standard black with a red stripe with a small ring of red around the funnel. 2-8-4 "Berkshire" steam locomotive Engines 7221 – 7235 were built in 1933 by Lima Locomotive Works for Brick Railway Systems. These fourteen 2-8-4 (2 leading, 8 drivers, and 4 trailing wheels) locomotives were intended for heavy freight service on the mountainous 'Southern Division' of Brick Railway Systems. (BRS) However, it was discovered that these engines could pull long passenger trains better than the usual locomotives assigned to that route. The engines were given control over crack express trains such as the '909 Limited'. (known for going 900 miles in 9 hours, at about 100 miles per hour) These engines performed wonderfully for over 25 years. However, the cost of running these fleet-footed engine became so great in the early 1970's that BRS seriously considered getting diesels to do the steam engines work. Thankfully, the oil embargo of 1974 put a stop to that by restricting diesel fuel consumption by just enough to put the steam engines in a more favorable position. Safe from the threat of a diesel takeover, the locomotives run like clockwork to this very day. 2-10-4 "Texas" steam locomotive These twenty four 2-10-4 (2 leading, 10 drivers, and 4 trailing wheels) locomotives numbered 6394 – 6418 were built in 1939 – 1940 by Lima locomotive Works. They were based off the very successful 2-8-4 Berkshire type Lima had sold to Brick Railway Systems (BRS) in 1933. One of these engines was 6398, which was painted in the BRS standard black with a red box on the tender and red stripe on the funnel. Number 6398 served well on the heavy freight duties it was designed for, though, as with the Berkshires, the engines proved equally adapt at handling the passenger trains as well as the heavy freights. GG-1 electric locomotive This GG-1 electric locomotive was built in 1943 by Altoona Works as unit 4939 for the Pennsylvania Railroad. When that railroad merged with New York Central in 1968, the ensuring legal nightmare concerned with the merger (& the subsequent bankruptcy of Penn Central) caused the engine to be "lost" in the paperwork. After being stored for 20 years in a shed on a branch line in New York, the engine was located by a local railroad club, and restored to working order. As the engine was owned by a defunct railroad, it was sold at auction by the club to Brick Railway Systems, who had bought 12 other GG-1's from Altoona in 1943. The engine was taken apart into 3 sections and shipped to Brick Railway. It started work in 1989, was repainted into the classic Brick Railway black / red color scheme, and was renumbered 8620, to better fit with the other GG-1 locomotives. FA (A Unit) & FB (B unit) diesel locomotives In 1947, Brick Railway Systems (BRS) bought seven PB-1 & seven PA-1 series locomotives from the American Locomotive Company (ALCO). They were numbered 8666 - 8673. Both units carried the same numbers and were semi-permanently coupled. The fourteen engines were delivered to Brick Railway but were slightly modified when they arrived. They were then painted in a variant of the famous BRS black-with-red-stripe paint scheme and had the front coupler removed. The engines were used on the non - electrified sections of main line to pull many named trains that couldn't be pulled by steam. This started in 1948 and continued until 1963, when the whole main-line system of Brick Railway Systems was electrified. Regulated to freight traffic & branch line work, the engines worked until 1982 when the engines were finally pushed back to "reserve" status. As such, they are not run often, but are kept in operating condition to this very day MRS-1 (Military Road Switcher -1) diesel locomotive In the early 1950's the United States Army Transportation Corps (USATC) was considering what would happen to an enemy railroad if another European war broke out. If the native locomotives in said enemy country were destroyed or rendered inoperable (as they likely would have been) what would pull the US military trains on their soil? The answer was not easy, as many countries have different gauges, loading clearances and couplers. The USATC decided on specific set of guidelines for it's Military Road Switcher (MRS) and waited to see which companies would offer the best design. American Locomotive Company (ALCO) beat out Electro-Motive Division (EMD), and won the contact. Engine #8945 was built by ALCO in 1954 and stored until 1970, awaiting a European war that never came. It was sold, unused, to Brick Railway Systems in 1971. It was immediately put to work along with another MRS-1 unit (#8946) on slow freight trains, though #8945 did pull a passenger train in an emergency in 1988. The engine remains in operable condition to this day and has been painted in the Black & red paint scheme. SW-1500 switcher Built in 1966 by Electro-Motive Division for Brick Railway Systems, engine #6715 was the first engine in an order of 15 engines. The engines were numbered 6715 – 6730 and were painted in the traditional black and red paint scheme. This consists of a stripe near the bottom of the loco and letters on the cab sides which say BRS. RS-2 Road switcher This RS-2 road switcher was ordered from the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in January 1949 for Brick Railway Systems (BRS). It was delivered in July 1949 with 19 others of its type, and was given the number 6505. (The other RS-2's are numbered 6500 - 6520) This type wears the famous “Black with red stripe” that most BRS engines wear. 4-4-0 "American" steam locomotive This 4-4-0 (also known as an American type) was built by Rodgers Locomotive & Machine Works for Brick Railway Systems (BRS) in 1876, and features a bright red-yellow-&-black paint scheme. Number 210 pulled passenger trains for 10 years before being reassigned to Freight duties in 1888. By 1900, the engine was worn out, and sent to a scrapper, who sold the engine to a museum for $100. Eventually, the museum was reorganized as the Imperial Rail Museum, where the engine rests today in non-operable condition. There were plans to get #210 in working order for the US Bicentennial in 1976, but nothing ever came of it, and the engine has remained cold and silent to this day. This is the oldest surviving BRS loco in existence. 2-6-2 "Prairie" steam locomotive This is locomotive #263, of the 2-6-2 Prairie type. This one was built by Sava Locomotives Incorporated in 1883 and was designed for slow freight trains. (It has smaller diameter wheels than faster passenger engines) It served until 1902, when the engine suffered a boiler explosion near Golden Gulch in Legoredo County. The engineer and fireman died in the explosion, but the engine was salvaged and repaired. Loco #263 was retired in 1925 when it was bought by a Hollywood film company for use in a Western movie. After filming ended, the engine was donated to the Imperial Rail Museum in the city of Legoredo, where it rests today in operable condition 2-6-0 "Mogul" steam locomotive The locomotive is engine #272, a 2-6-0 Mogul type. It was built by Zephyr Locomotive Works in 1885 and was a passenger engine, usually only in fast, named-train passenger service. (Thus the large driving wheels for greater speed) It was last used on the faster passenger trains in 1909, when it was painted in the new black & red paint scheme and sent into regular freight / local passenger service. It was supposed to have been scrapped in 1921, but was saved along with late 1800's passenger stock and a caboose. It was sent to the Imperial Rail Museum where it is stored in it's original dark green & black paint scheme. Engine #272 is operational, but is only steamed on special occasions. Present Rolling Stock:1930's streamline coaches These are not really based on any one prototype, but I was going for a Anthony Sava (Tequila Sunrise) meets Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Super Chief look. It looks more like a early 1930's consist to me, like something Pennsylvania Railroad would have done in brown or dark red. 1920's Heavyweight Passenger Cars Again, these are not really based on any one prototype, but I was going for a Anthony Sava (Polar Express coaches) look. It looks more like a early 1920's consist to me, though. 1950's Blue & White passenger consist I based this one off of two sources: the Wabash Frisco & Pacific Railroad (a 12 inch gauge ride-on steam line in Glencoe Missouri, near St. Louis) and the coaches formerly owned by the Museum of Transportation (also in St. Louis) before they were sold in 2012. Express passenger cars (2003-style) In reality, these cars are modeled after set 4511 (2003's High Speed Train) and the Carolina Train Builders passenger coach instructions available at the Railbricks website.-Express Coach (x3)-Cargo / Express Coach (x1)There is one part missing from this picture: http://www.bricklink...sp?P=44572pb005It is not in LDD as a decoration but the basic part is. 1950's Freight Cars In the real world, the modified tank cars are originally from set #7939, (Cargo Train), while the boxcars are from set #3677 (Red Cargo Train). The rock gondola was my own idea and the caboose is a mashed up Toy Story Caboose #7597 (Western Train Chase) and the vintage 10014 (Caboose) from 2001. Wide Vision / Bay Window Caboose I made this model about a year ago from instructions for an Bay Window caboose mixed with instructions for a Wide Vision caboose. I recently rediscovered the photo I posted to Flickr at that time and I wanted to make the model better. I removed some expensive parts (the red train base-plate, for one!) and replaced them with other, cheaper parts. 1920's Commuter Cars These cars consist of 1 baggage / mail car, while the other 3 cars are coaches 1910 Dark Green clerestory passenger train This wonderful train comes with one steam locomotive, one baggage car, two passenger coaches and one observation car. Comments & Critics welcome! I currently own (in real life) the PA / PB set, the 2-8-4, the 1920's heavyweight train, the GG-1, the streamline consist, some of the freight train, the 1920's commuter cars, and the 2-6-2 & the 2-6-0 Western trains.Most of these are modified versions of Anthony Sava's wonderful designs. He has a a Bricklink store from which I purchased everything but the two far left models. (Here is his store: http://www.bricklink...asp?p=AggieSava ) The LDD files or copies of the models I made from his instructions are NOT for sale... so please don't ask. The GG-1 was inspired by this builder from Brickshelf: http://www.brickshel...ry.cgi?f=301802 The FA / FB models were inspired by Flickr user valgarise & his train called the "Invencible": http://www.flickr.co...ise/6238331351/ The SW-1500 is from LGauge, a LEGO train MOC site. (Link: http://www.lgauge.com/ ) The Alco RS-2 was inspired by memories of a diesel creation my Father & me made when I was 7. The LDD file for the GG-1: http://www.mocpages....1395173382m.lxf The LDD file for the RS-2 & SW-1500: http://www.mocpages....1395678142m.lxf The LDD file for the ALCO PA & PB units: http://www.mocpages....1395680308m.lxf The LDD file for the 0-6-0 steamer: http://www.mocpages....1398707791m.lxf The LDD file for the 0-4-0 switcher: http://www.mocpages....1398707178m.lxf The LDD file for the 2-6-0 Mogul steamer: http://www.mocpages....1401200779m.lxf The LDD file for Black & red 30's stream train: http://www.mocpages....1395862145m.lxf The LDD file for the brown 20's heavyweight cars: http://www.mocpages....1395861942m.lxf The LDD file for the white and blue 50's train: http://www.mocpages....1395862516m.lxf The LDD file for the modern white & green train: http://www.mocpages....1395860545m.lxf The LDD file for the Freight train: http://www.mocpages....1395860725m.lxf The LDD file for the Wide vision / bay window caboose http://www.mocpages....1395936808m.lxf The LDD file for the black and red commuter train: http://www.mocpages....1398787896m.lxf The LDD file for the 2-6-2 Prairie (black and red, large): http://www.mocpages....1406727379m.lxf The LDD file for VERSION 2 of the 2-6-2 Prairie (black and red, large): http://www.mocpages....1412537572m.lxf The LDD file for the 1910 Passenger train & Updated 2-6-0 Mogul: http://www.mocpages....1407852914m.lxf The LDD file for the 2-10-4 Texas steam locomotive: http://www.mocpages.com/user_images/80135/1413678781m.lxf

Full Gallery Pennsylvania Railroad T1 Duplex (4-4-4-4) Steam Engine #5544, one of the Sharks of the Pennsylvania Railroad. The Pennsylvania Railroad's 52 T1 class duplex-drive 4-4-4-4 steam locomotives, introduced in 1942 (2 prototypes) and 1945-1946 (50 production), were their last steam locomotives built and their most controversial. They were ambitious, technologically sophisticated, powerful, fast, and distinctively streamlined by Raymond Loewy. Sadly, however, the inevitable march of Dieselisation meant that every T1 was out of service by 1952 and the last was scrapped in 1956. None survived. This model is a near complete rebuild of my original version. While it may not be initially obvious, the locomotive is about 90% different parts, the tender was only slightly adjusted to prepare it for swap over to Power Functions. Changes include: XL drivers, SNOT boiler, added boiler length, new wheel arrangement and articulation, added details and an overall closer eye on matching the prototype. --Tony

My collection of Octan tanker wagons is growing and I want to have a special locomotive for them. I have two kinds of tanker wagons: the ones that come with the 7939 Cargo Train: and some custom-from-the-internet-stolen-design: The locomotive doesn't have to be big or special so I was thinking about a classic 7755 design: But I'm stuck on the colour scheme. The lower horizontal grey layer on the 7755 will be green in my version. Above that will be a layer of red plates. And all the red you see on the original 7755 will be white. But I'm stuck with the roof! Should it be white, red, grey or green? Or do you have another cool idea?

Here's a locomotive that I built for this year's LUG display in my hometown: I wasn't sure what this would be categorized as until after the show was over, but I think I know now. It's a fusion-powered locomotive in retro style, but at the same time it looks too clean to my eyes to really be considered truly retro... thus the label "retro-futuristic". I'm ecstatic over how well the teal and dark green work together; overall, I believe the whole thing contains six colors [not including the various shades of trans parts] - dark and light gray, white, dark green, teal, and some black. The whole thing was kicked off by noticing how the 60025 Grand Prix Truck set used a train base plate as the base for its trailer. Up until I got that set, I had no way of utilizing the white parts I had to build something like this. The back end is very clean and smooth, which I like. The only dis-symmetry is the 1x1 round tile on the nose. It would have looked a little boring otherwise! Whee! Looks all nice and greebly, and yet not cluttered. Pointy noses make everything better. Even better news awaits; I've gone and made an LDD file for this locomotive. Download it from Dropbox here: https://dl.dropboxus... locomotive.lxf

Hi. This is my first lego train and train MOC. I started it at the begining of spring, but then was a difficult period in my life (my girlfriend left me after 6 years of relationships because she do not loves me more, also i finished second degree in the institute - hard session and the protection of the diploma), so I did not have time to finish this MOC earlier and make photos. Hope You like it. Photos are here The prototype

Hi all, I present my second train creation in bricks here An invented shunting engine to power my RENFE Bed-car 9600 Series This is not a nice, or real shunting engine, but works well and have enought torque to move the cars without problem. and work in all Lego train curves The motor is a 88002, that have more power that I thought, the tip is to put weight on it to prevent slippage of the wheels. Is full PF with a custom Li-Ion battery (2500mAh in this case) Detail of the custom PF Li-Ion Battery Pulling the Bed-car The No-Conventional coupling A Conventional Old-magnets coupling I hope you enjoy it

[ full gallery] Here's my take on the classic SW1200 yard switcher, this time in NP colors. I chose my subject from the MTM collection for several reasons, (1) my son is fond of this specific locomotive in part because it is featured in several episodes of the Choo Choo Bob Show (if you've got railfans under the age of 8 in the US I highly recommend this show), (2) I am fond of this specific locomotive because I spent way too many hours running it and maintaining it as a volunteer 20 yrs ago. On a side note, I know of at least one earlier build of the same subject by the folks at GMLTC. I built this locomotive as a gift for my son. He like's his 7939 set but although he is barely in the recommended age range he much prefers his dad's trains. So I wanted to build a very realistic train for his birthday. Since he is still young, it had to be kid tough, which meant one or two compromises, the biggest one being the cab. I managed to get a lot of great details in the cab, I am particularly fond of the back, getting the windows pretty close to correct. Shortly before building this I was commenting to a friend about the reintroduction of 1x1 trans clear bricks and how you could almost always substitute the much cheaper 1x2 bricks... oops... I needed four 1x1's for this and the photos predate my acquiring them. I also like the fact that I was able to work in the all weather cab windows. The thing I don't like about the cab is its length. It is 4 long and I would much prefer to have done it in 5 long, but all of the designs I came up with would have been a lot weaker. As it is, the 4 long cab is the weakest point on the locomotive (plenty strong for AFOL use, but you can't stand on it), I've had to rebuild it a few times ("now remember, the most important thing is that if it breaks, you collect all of the pieces"). To keep the structure tough, I used a lego train base. I also wanted to keep some flavor of classic trains, so I used the train railing on the ends. My son likes to push his trains around, so no motors on the stock build, but I made the trucks the same size as a motor so one can quickly swap in a 9v motor when desired, e.g., The hood is 5 wide, mostly snot. I am particularly fond of the stacks, I think I got the look pretty good (as original, not with the spark arresters that were subsequently added to the MTM unit). I borrowed the hood doors from my GP20 The taper at the cab was inspired by Jeramy's BN kit (the production of this kit reportedly consumed all of the available 2x2x3 double convex slopes in black at the time, though now they are becoming more common). With instructions now available for free here. At the time of the build I contemplated building a second one for myself, but I did not want to take away from the magic of my son's locomotive. In spite of some of the compromises, there are a lot of features on this build that are among my most advanced. I really wanted to give it to him and have him build the set, but in the end (sadly) I built it and presented him with the completed model (in a few more years I can give him the bricks and instructions, just not yet, this build took me a few hours to assemble). Some point in the future I will likely revisit this prototype to incorporate a few changes- 5 long cab, slightly longer frame, replace the train baseplate with regular plates, and motorized from the start. [full gallery]

full gallery I am pleased to present my rendition of the preserved GN S2 class 4-8-4 northern, #2584. This locomotive has been on my to do list for quite some time. I was waiting for the cheese slopes to come out in sand green and then it was only a matter of time. I first saw this engine many years ago while taking Amtrak through Havre, Montana where she is on static display. How bold to paint a steam engine such a bright green. Sure, she was an oil burner, but still, imagine the work to keep that boiler looking clean. The US railroads loved to do this sort of thing and fought to keep their equipment clean (remember, these trains were the equivalent of today's business class on transcontinental flights, heck, the NYC's 20th Century limited is where the phrase "roll out the red carpet" originated, but I digress). Delivered in 1930, the engine arrived in the Glacier Park paint scheme and the fleet of S1 and S2's were used to pull the finest passenger trains on the Great Northern. By early 1950's they were reassigned to freight and repainted black. The 2584 was retired Dec 1957 and stored. GN decided to preserve this locomotive and after restoring it, put it on display in 1964 (more details can be found here). When I saw it, it still had "no trepassing, BN Ry" signs on the fence. So presumably it has been under railroad ownership throughout. When I started building the custom valve gear parts, I knew it was time to build this engine. It took a few months, but here's my model. I must say, building in rare color like sand green is extra fun. Let's take a tour from the front to the back. On the nose I had to have the air compressors, and here was the first collision with the limited parts availability in sand green. I almost gave an arm and a leg to solve it but in the end I managed to keep the arm. Getting all of the snot for the smoke box working was an exercise in multi-dimensional optimization. On the side the stairs up to the running boards turned out well (I'm not sure if I came up with that solution on my own or if I first saw it on another model). Also note the hand rails, a refined design from my earlier northern's. Within the boiler, the framework is largely unchanged from my J, and later used on two other northern's. The design is solid for operating at shows with uneven tracks- the drivers are pulled from the pilot truck and the boiler itself rides on just two trucks. This has the added feature of keeping the swing within reason on curves. Allowing me to put the tender foot plate at the cab foot plate (with the aid of a few wedge plates). I must say, when building a locomotive for tight curves, you come to understand why the rear corners of the cab roofs and top corners of the tenders were cut off. The frame is also strong enough that you can put two or three of the northerns on the point of a heavy train and pull through the front couplers. While viewing the second image above, note the sloped front to the cab borrowed from my NP northern, the mud ring on the bottom of the firebox borrowed from my Milw northern, the cab roof details borrowed from my SP pacific. I think the vent hatches look particularly good in dark red. You will also see one of the design elements that I'm quite pleased with, the sand green ladder above the running board. I'm getting ahead of myself on this tour. Jumping back to the drivers for a moment, I used my custom rods and valve gear bars for the drivers, including modeling the Walschaerts valve gear. Meanwhile, up top, I managed to sneak in a 1/2 plate offset for the green boiler jacket (visible in the very first photo in this post, where the gray smokebox transitions to the green boiler). Now moving to the rear, this oil burner had a Vanderbilt tender. I knew that wouldn't be much of a problem since I had already built one packed with PF equipment for my SP pacific. I had to build the complete engine first, so that I could figure out the clearance for the tender. This time it wound up being almost entirely snotted. Since I did not have to worry about putting anything in the tender, I could get the proportions better than the SP tender. I even included a rounded bottom (though no good photos yet exist). I've got to say that Vanderbilt tenders are hard to photograph and I'm not completely satisfied with the quality of the photos of the tender, but this one should give you an idea, If you look closely, you will also see my Indiana Jones moment. I was faced with figuring out how to get the ladder on the front of the tender. On curves, the couplers swing out to 6 wide. So there wasn't enough room to get any design I liked in there. Seeing the man waving a pair of machetes at me, I dropped my whip and picked up my six shooter. Voila, as I slip another rung down the lego purity slope, the custom ladder was born. They looked so good, I decided to hang another pair off the back of the tender (I'll post more about the ladders soon). Now returning to the prototype for a moment. The Havre locomotive looks striking in its green paint, but while I was digging up reference material for this model, I quickly learned that it was the wrong color. From everything I've read, the Glacier Park paint scheme was commonly used on passenger locomotives, but it was never an official scheme. For the curious, click the small image below for the best color example of the scheme that I'm aware of. Also note the herald on the engineer's side, the goat is facing to the right. The closest lego color to the original green would probably be dark green. Still, I like sand green as the prototype is currently and I didn't want this to look like a Emerald Night MOD. Still, it has gotten me wondering why the prototype is the wrong color. GN preserved this engine and then BN, so it is not like some misguided town repainted it in the faded color after years of neglect. full gallery

Inspired by Locomotive Annie's recent 'Steam Electric Locomotive' topic and Electrosteam's 'Bag of Ideas' topic, I threw together this little MOD. Car #168 is the end result of a secret program started by the CIA in 1964. The previous 167 cars all met a grisly demise on the test track, incurring the loss of numerous personnel. The work was so hazardous that hardened criminals who were offered reduced sentences were about the only people willing to work on it. Haircut (pictured here with his guard) was one of the few to survive. The engine was designed to air-lift itself behind enemy lines where it could wreck havoc in it's own unique way. Most of the interior of the car contained various weapons including large calibre machine guns and missle launchers under the retractable roof. There was also room to store the rotors when not in use as, obviously, they would cause a bit of a problem with bridge and tunnel clearances. This prototype - the first to successfully complete trials - was launched from an aircraft carrier when it suddenly developed engine problems and presently it rests at the bottom of the Gulf of Tonkin. The crew was able to paracute to safety however the general in charge of the program was secretly shot for embezzling funds and for being so daft as to think this was a viable project in the first place! Due to lack of funds the program was discontinued soon afterwards. Oh, what's this? The Atlantis team has stumbled upon the wreck! What are they doing in S.E. Asia? Aren't they supposed to be in the Atlantic or Mediterranean somewhere and what are the Fish-men doing at the wreck? There are rumors of rolling stock that were being developed as well but no photographs have ever surfaced. There are several researchers digging through the files, who knows what they might find...? Ok, hope you got a laugh out of it. I don't have much in the way of space, time or bricks...did the best I could. The 'Atlantis' shot probably would've been more successful from a higher angle, live and learn. Joe

This little engine was inspired by the little shunting engine from LEGO's own City set, 4204 'The Mine' which it is pictured with below. This little engine is just 5 studs wide, and can run on rails at just 4-studs wide. The LEGO historians amongst you may recognise the character on which it's name is based. The engine is based on the iconic miniature engine 'Talyllyn', from the Talyllyn Railway, the worlds first preserved railway in Wales, United Kingdom. The aim was to not to create an exact replica of the engine, but rather it was a self discipline exercise to produce a set that would fit in nicely along side the rest of the LEGO City range. As well as to represent a steam engine at this small scale. Heres an image of it next the magnificent Emerald Night to appreciate the scale of the model. The entire 3-piece train is a tad longer than just the Emerald Night's Engine section! Had all the pieces been available in their respective colours I would have made a physical version of the model, but alas they don't, so instead this model was created using Bricksmith and rendered in POV-Ray (Thanks to C3POwen's awesome tutorial). I've decided to upload it to LEGO Cuusoo, so if you like please SUPPORT it there. It would be great to have an actual LEGO Train set that was more affordable to those with a smaller pocket, as the smaller sets in the Trains range always seem to be random rolling stock, railway furniture (lights, station accessories, etc) or track packs, not much with the 'swoosh/chuff' factor. There are more pictures as well as a second engine and some other rolling stock in the works which I'll post up here, and in its Flickr Album when they arrive..

Im debating how to proceed with re-energising some of my older models; either leave them exactly as they were or bring them up to more modern designs; and it got me thinking about pantograph designs over the ages; and actually which ones work best. And importantly, if the models are updated (as in fact all real life locomotives were) would changing the pantographs make sense Taking as an example 7740: brick built pantograph (plates and studs) - which wont fit nicely inside a 10027 Engine shed Through some I used on a custom MOC to Steinkopfs excellent ones And onwards to the Horizon Express Which are about as modern as you can get. My questions really are what to do with the older models - does it really make sense to update pantographs to more realistic versions; and if so; which designs are recommended? Would you go for realistic; or functional (assuming imagary wires); or lego-istic (7740 style)...

I bought some instructions from Anthony Sava's BrickLlink store the other day, and finally finished MODing the model in LDD. The instructions I bought were very easy to understand, and If your thinking of buying them, do it. You won't regret it! ...Anyway, I haven't come up with my usual backstory yet, so here are my pics. The locomtive is number 1227, and was built in 1933 by Lima Locomotive Works for Brick Railway. The white tiles on the tender / cab are supposed to be printed, and in real life will say: Sides of cab: 1227 Sides of tender: BRICK RAILWAY SYSTEMS Rear of tender: BRS (or maybe 1227, I haven't decided on this yet) Inside of the cab. The slopes will be replaced with two printed pieces, and the firebox door is also a placeholder. I really enjoyed redoing this model, and making into my style. Once again I wish to thank you, Mr. Sava, as you design really thought out, good looking engines' & rolling stock. I give you :thumbup: for excellence and ingenuity. (NOTICE: NO instructions will given here or anywhere else by me, so don't even ask, as I don't want to take away Anthony's hard work and give it away for free. If you really want it, buy the instructions & modify it.)