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Nexus Force / LEGO Universe - 2-8-4 steam streamlined train - Diesel freight train 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 the 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 2000 through 2010. The Moonlighter engines themselves are based off the 4-8-4 GS-6 "Daylight" of the Southern Pacific Railroad of Earth (known on Earth for the lone GS-6 class survivor, 4460), but with only two leading wheels instead of four, turning it from a "Northern" type 4-8-4, into a "Berkshire" 2-8-4 type steam locomotive. The loco is equipped with ditch lights and a large headlight. The Nexus Force logo goes onto the nose of the streamlined pilot and the rear of the observation car, while the engine's number 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 another locomotive has arranged a freight train in the Nexus force spaceport's yard, a RS-1 road switcher loco has arrived on scene to pull it's train to the some 500+ miles distant city of St. Nicklaus. This larger diesel 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 Nexus Force owns several ALCO RS-1 class locomotives for use in heavy-duty switching jobs involving mobile rail-based artillery (in case of enemy invasion, this loco type can be quickly armored with bolt-on sloped plates), and as a road vehicle for general freight duty. The Neo Nexus Force logo goes on the ends of both hoods, and the number 99 (in printed 1 x 1 tiles) on the short hood sides. In reality, this loco was inspired by an early-2000's MOC I and my father made of a generic diesel loco. I later destroyed the old MOC for needed parts around 2011. This new MOC honors that loco with the old doors on the sides, and four printed vent fans on the long hood. The cab features control stands for either direction of travel, but it is mostly used short-hood forward. The doors to the cab also open for figure placement. 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. -
In this latest model series, I decided in order to keep the "toy like" proportions of it's inspirational genesis, set 71044. (Disney train) Now, people who know my design style are probably scratching there heads right now in confusion, as I don't EVER build in 8-wide for trains. But in order to make it look as good as possible with the original 2010 Toy Story figures and their stretched appendages, I had to do 8-wide. Loco Number 1 - 2-6-0 Ten-Wheeler w/ passenger train This train is meant to be built from sets 7597 (Western train Chase from Toy Story 3), 71044, (Disney Train and Station) and set 10014. (Caboose from the My Own Train series, albeit a bit bigger width-wise!) I also used the 1955 Disneyland RR passenger car instructions from @TJJohn12, as seen on Flickr here. I just recolored them and simplified them for this model. The coal-burning straight stack-styled locomotive is a mish-mash of two steam locomotives, (both 4-4-0 type) from the Toy Story set and Disney train model. I just stretched out the Disney model, added a blind driving wheel to either side (making it into a 4-6-0), and repainted it into a Toy-ish color scheme. Oh, and I built a brand new tender from the rails up, which will use 1970's red 12v-era wheels. (I hate the new Powered Up wheels without the metal axle, so this was my only choice!) The locomotive is missing these printed parts, which are colored wrong on the model for visibility. They are as follows: - the green 1 x 4 printed number "1" bricks, two on the loco and two on the tender. - a single printed red 2 x 2 brick with "1" print for the headlamp. - one 2 x 2 printed round tile for the firebox door in the cab. This baggage / coach car is styled after TJJohn12's free instructions. I did change the color scheme a bit, with black windows. black roof, and red doors, instead of red doors, reddish-brown roof, and red windows. Two of these are also going to be built, and were designed with TJJohn12's instructions. (with some subtle design changes by me for ease of ordering and a slightly simpler design) Now, I know passenger train's are not supposed to have cabooses, but this one does as I couldn't figure out a good red light arrangement for the rear-facing passenger car. Thus, this 10014-styled caboose was created in 8-wide. The yellow 2 x 4 tile on the both sides of the car are actually supposed to be this printed red part of the same size. Loco Number 2 - 4-4-0 American w/ freight train This freight-hauling locomotive is meant to be built from sets 7597 (Western train Chase from Toy Story 3), 71044, (Disney Train and Station) and set 10014. (Caboose from the My Own Train series, albeit a bit bigger width-wise!) I also used set 10013 (Open Freight Wagon, also from My Own Train) as a guide for the pipe-carrying car, plus model 15 (Tanker) from set 10183, Hobby Trains for the tanker car. This loco shares the same tender as my other Western 8-wdie loco from this time period. The engine itself, however, is an enlarged version of 7597, in yellow and blue. It's also meant to have inside pistons as it's an early-to-mid 1860's locomotive. (thus the lack of visible pistons!) The locomotive is missing these printed parts. They are as follows: The four yellow 1 x 6 bricks are supposed to be printed with this number 2. while the headlamp is supposed to have two of these printed yellow 1 x 1 tiles. The firebox door requires this print. Inspired by a @wildchicken13 model from Bricklink, back from before Lego bought them out. This boxcar is not inspired by any specific car in particular, and was done freehand without looking at other 8 wide boxcars. The four doors slide open. Model 15 (Tanker) from set 10183, Hobby Trains was the inspiration for the tanker car. It should feature this print on the 2x2 round white tiles. This model was built from instructions seen at the Old Workhorse's Lego Ideas page as seen here. (I am not affiliated with the creator of that page, I just used their free instructions, visible further down in the updates section, to build the traction engine seen above.) The model has been attached to an 8-wide flat car for transportation across the county. This 10014-styled caboose was created in 8-wide for my passenger train, but has been redone in yellow for the freight train. Loco Number 3 - 2-8-0 Consolidation w/ military train This entire military transport train was inspired by sets 60052, 79106, and 79111. This train also has a couple play features, such as a rotating Gatling gun, moving steam engine side rods, and a exploding jail car wall. This eight-wide model is a complete model of my own design, and is inspired by the steam engine from the 1970's Western film, "Breakheart Pass". I included working pistons, and a more cohesive color scheme of red and green, with a splash of yellow. Big Ben bricks' medium size wheels, 4 flanged and 4 blind, are meant to take the place of the gear wheels. You can buy them at his site here. The tender and cab walls are supposed to have four of this printed red 1 x 6 piece inserted into them: The front headlight is supposed to have two of this printed 1 x 1 placed on it. This horse car was originally a cattle car from set 60052, (2014 Cargo Train) but I've re-purposed it for my Army officer horses. These cannons are from set 79106 (Calvary Builder Set) and were placed on a generic flatcar for transport by rail. The rotating Gatling gun you see here was taken from set 79111. (Constitution Train Chase) This car has the basic "look" of the 1955 Disneyland MOC trains cars from TJJohn12, albeit without the clerestory roof, which instead has a walkway for train crew / soldiers on lookout during fuel stops. The jail car you see was originally from set 79111. (Constitution Train Chase) while gaining the styling of the 1955 Disneyland MOC trains cars from TJJohn12. This car has one play feature that is sure to blow you away: the back wall can be removed to get at the jail cell via the "dynamite" on the outside of the back wall. When pushed back towards the other end of the car, the lever on the left side pops the back wall out and the bad guys can escape! Loco Number 4 - 2-8-0+0-8-2 Garratt w/ rotary snowplow train This blue train is marked (4-8-0+0-8-4 Garratt, for heavy duty rotary snow plow jobs) number 4, and joins the family of similar mid-1880's engines such as the large 2-8-0 for military transport, the inside-piston 4-4-0 for freight, and the fancy 4-6-0 for passengers. This 8-wide Garratt-type steam locomotive is perfect for use on the mountainous terrain of Colorado Rocky Mountains, with it's double steam locomotive pistons sets. (Before anyone says anything about Garratt loco's not being ever sold into the North American market, I'll say it's an lost experimental prototype to help with a motive power shortage. It may have been seen by the owner as a economical way of sending one locomotive to do the job of two.) This steam powered rotary snowplow was inspired by the real-world Denver and Rio Grande's narrow gauge plow "OY", as now seen on the Cumbres and Toltec RR in New Mexico / Colorado. I've decided to name my plow "YO" in tribute to my inspiration, using four of this part from the original Toy Story sets as a sort of marker. The rear of the plow features the coal tender with a ladder from the water tank-top down to the magnetic coupler. This 8-wide engine was originally a SRW locomotive works product, (made by Anthony Sava and formerly available on Bricklink until LEGO sadly removed most of his models.) I reworked the engine to have working pistons and side-rods plus a longer frame. This made it from 2-4-0+0-4-2 to a 4-8-0+0-8-4, among other smaller updates to the engine. I also substituted a Disney train-style boiler onto the engine to backdate it to the mid-1880's or so. The rear of the steam locomotive. This part in black goes on the water tank and coal bunker walls (it's the number 4). Even with the added pistons, the engine can go around corners and switches quite easily. A simple caboose, for the snow plow train. I used a pair interesting windscreen parts for the cupola windows. Loco Number 5 - 0-6-0ST shop switcher Locomotive number 5 is an eight wide model of a generic 0-6-0 saddle tank steam engine from the later half of the 19th century, and was inspired by a @ScotNick build of Stanley from Thomas and Friends for the stripe work, and this build of Percy (also from Thomas) from the L Gauge site for the front of the boiler/ piston assembly. The 1 x 1 black tiles on the coal bunker should have the number "5" printed on them. Also, Big Ben Bricks' medium size wheels in yellow (4 flanged and 2 blind ones) are needed to take the place of the six 40-tooth gear wheels when built in real life. You can buy the wheels at his site here. The Wichita Xenia Yazoo & Zephyrus Rail-Road (Stock market trade name WXYZRR) was a mid-19th / early 20th century enterprise also known as the Wasted, eXausted, Y bother & Z*. (*No one could figure out an insult to the railroad that started with the letter "Z") The railroad started in Wichita, Kansas in 1868, then went straight through Xenia, Oklahoma, while then meandering into Yazoo, Colorado and barely making it into Zephyrus, New Mexico by 1875. Other stations included several army forts dotted along the route through Oklahoma and Colorado, along with scattered mining camps and agricultural towns across the maps of New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Kansas. The railroad is hardly mentioned anywhere in writings of journalists, except in scathing "letters to the editor" of various newspapers about lack of the promised service on the line in the early years. Also, the much derided company slogan "last railroad you'll ever need" did not work out well for the new railroad, but it did vastly increase questions fielded to the main office about coffin, headstone, and various other memorial shipments from all over the area from which the railroad served. It is therefore shocking the railroad lasted as long as it did, a substantial fifty-six years from incorporation in 1867, to it's sale at auction in 1923! The old WXY&Z railroad had about 35 locomotives on the books at the maximum, but most of these were already very old when purchased and broke down frequently so they were chronically in the workshop for some reason or another. In fact, the seven additional 4-4-0 locomotives purchased third-hand from engine dealers were of the long-obsolete inside-piston variety of the mid-1850's, yet were bought in the early 1870's! However, what the railroad lacked in regular service motive power, it made up for in the snow plow-train department. A single prototype of what would later be called a "Garratt" (a doubled-power-unit steam loco with a single boiler not normally found in North America) was first run on the "High Line" between Fort Legoredo, Colorado and Glencoe, New Mexico in the steep Rocky Mountains. This is where the railroad really shined, in keeping the trains running through steep mountain passes with a single experimental train with a rotary snowplow at the head end... of course, there were other plow trains, but only two rotary trains. (One would work from either end of the Glacier Gulch Pass, and meet in the middle on a passing siding. The Garrett would be on one train, and two regular locomotives pushing the other.) After 1923's closing of the railroad, it was bought wholesale by a consortium of stock brokers from Denver, with plans to redo the line with less sharp grades and more snow sheds. However, during this reconstruction, the 1929 Great Depression began, leaving half the line with old grades though most of Colorado mountains, but new grades on New Mexico were finished in time. The passenger car fleet was upgraded, but the freight engines (downgraded passenger power, really) and rotary plows remained vintage as far back as 1878 for motive power. The older inside-piston locomotives went for sale once the Depression really started up, and one was snapped up for a potential history museum in Glencoe, while the rest were scrapped. Then, a miracle happened: the movie industry intervened, and several production houses bought some of the oldest rolling stock, engines, and the line was given enough cash to stave off it's dismantlement until 1941, when trains of heavy munitions from companies on the line came rolling through for the War effort, making the line the busiest it had ever been. The profits from this, and the later 1950 / '60's movie companies use of the stunningly scenic "High Line" line for motion pictures saved the line. When the good times started to dim in the early 1970's, the railroad was jointly bought by the states of Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, & New Mexico for tourists, occasional movie trains, and the freight that still used the line, as the original stock broker consortium had by then been dissolved. The "new" WXYZ railroad, (the town names were shortened to just the initials for simplicity's sake) was thus founded in March 1st, 1971. It has been running, mostly non-stop and is closed during the three winter months of December, January, and February for running of the single remaining rotary snowplow to get the line ready for opening day on March 1st of every year since the early 1970's. (NOTES from the writer: Only Wichita (Kansas) and Xenia (Illinois) are real-world towns, with them being based in name ONLY on real places. Yazoo, for example, is really a river in the state of Mississippi, while Zehyrus was simply because I needed a "Z" name that sounded plausible, and the Colorado Zephyr train was on my mind at the time. The rest of the story is also fiction, as no Garratt ever rode the rails of North America.... ever. Also, the WXYZ logo is an old Union Pacific logo from the early 1910's, while the railroad name's initials have never been used ANYWHERE on a railroad.) EDITED 2/25/21: added 0-6-0ST shop switcher to this post.
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Hello, all! Today I bring you my latest creation, a 4-8-2 mountain type based off of Frisco's 1500 class. I have been able to fall more in love with Frisco locomotives as I've been helping take part in cosmetically restore the Frisco 1501 located in Rolla, Missouri. Not only that, but my great grandfather was one of the engineers of the 1501 before it was retired. Some history of the locomotive: “Steam locomotive 1501 was once part of a proud stable of thirty such engines on the Frisco Railway system. Built in 1923, the handsome modern machine was the pride of the fleet until dieselization of the system in the late 1940s. The 1501 was part of an initial order for fifteen locomotives placed with the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Eddystone, Pennsylvania in 1923. The order was the Frisco's response to delays in passenger service due to the tortuous Ozark territory west of St. Louis. The oil-buring locomotives were a type nicknamed "Mountain", which has a wheel arrangement of four lead or pilot wheels, eight driving wheels, and two trailing wheels under the cab (4-8-2).” Down below you can see the progress of the locomotive from the very beginning. I decided to update this as to help show the final product.
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Steam-locomotive DR BR 38.2-3 XII H2 and custom 3D-printed rods
Bricks-on-Rails posted a topic in LEGO Train Tech
Good evening community, Today i want to present our latest realized model. The XII H2 was especially designed for the hilly terrain of saxony. It has been built in Chemnitz between 1910 and 1927. The model consists of approx 1121 parts and it´s about 58 studs long. The model is a customer-wish and it´s designed for a motorization with power-functions as well as powered-up and for sure with the old 9V train-motor. All the electronics like motor, battery-box and IR-reciever take place in the large coal-tender. All the wheels are from Big Ben Bricks. The main wheels are XL-drivers, the wheels on the front-bogie are medium and at the tender are small train wheels. To make this locomotive with the low hanging cylinders suitable for curves, i separated the cylinders horizontally. The upper part is fixed to the main frame and the lower part is connected to the bogie and could swivel left and right. Special attention was paid to the boiler with the golden rings and the golden accents like in the example. The technic to create the boiler rings was taken over from the DR BR 01 of Simon Jakobi (Dr.Snotson). The instruction of the DR BR 38.2-3 is no available on our website. As a speciality i also want to use this opportunity to present our latest news. Since November the 1st we offer different 3D-printed components in our shop too. We offer different rod-designs in various dimensions, as well as rod sets or special components like blind-wheels or customer solutions. This offer is probably most interresting for customers in europe because we´re located in Germany but we ship worldwide too. And here with custom 3D printed parts. -
Hello everybody, my last construction project took me to Scotland. The Jacobite Steam Train still operates between Fort Willam and Maillag. Various steam locomotives are used for this train, e.g. the LNER class B1 No. 61264, the LNER class K1 No. 62005 (when I visited in 2005) or the LMS Class 5 "Black Five" No. 45231. They all serve as wagons of British Railroads Mk. I coaches. The classic British steam train passenger car par excellence. As a locomotive I chose the LMS Class 5 "45231". This promised a challenge as a Lego model: a conical boiler and angled cylinders. Exciting. The locomotive has 2 Lego PU motors as a drive. 1x in the locomotive on 2 of the 3 large main axles (BigBen XL wheels), 1x in the tender on 2 of the 3 tender axles (BigBen M wheels). Each engine has its own HUB. The locomotive is controlled via the Lego PU remote control. However, since the motors have to be operated with different power due to the different wheel diameters, a tablet / mobile phone with the Lego PowerUp APP is interposed between the remote control and the locomotive. The APP accepts the travel commands from the remote control and forwards them to the two HUBs in the locomotive. The lighting of the locomotive consists of self-soldered LEDs, connected to the Power UP HUB in the locomotive. A normal Lego Led for PowerUP is installed in the tender. The entire lighting is controlled via the handheld remote control and the APP. Forward travel: steady light at the front, optionally flashing light or off at the rear Reverse: front flashing light or off, rear continuous light The flashing is realized via the APP. Built from Lego parts with the following third-party parts: - BigBen wheels S, M, XL in new dark red - Linkage from the 3D printer - Lighting partly self-made - Self-made lettering / decoration But only a locomotive is no train.... The classic: British Railroads Mk. I passenger car. Built in the 50s in very large numbers and in many variants, these cars are still in use today on tourist trains and in collections / museums. The color "new dark red" was attractive and difficult at the same time. There aren't many windows and if you do you can't pay for them ... So I first looked for a solution for the windows: buildable, affordable and based on the model. In particular, the 4 small windows above are the mark I also found the variety of variants impressive and couldn't really decide which one to build. So I build all ;-) The cars are all built according to the same basic scheme and yet completely different. There are some with an open compartment (e.g. FO - First open) and some with individual compartments (e.g. SK - Second Corridor). I have 1st and 2nd class. 1st class has dark blue upholstery and a side table with a lamp. The 2nd class is more simply equipped. It was very interesting during the construction: the left / right sides of the car are often very different. E.g. In the case of the corridor cars, the doors are on the corridor side in line with a compartment door. In this way, in the event of war, the wounded could be pushed into the compartment on couches through the outer door. The bogies were of course important to me again: Model type Commonwealth: All cars are again equipped with ball bearings. The reason is simple: the cars are long and heavy, and weigh around 900-950 grams. Most cars can drive Lego R40 curves, only the two very long ones cannot. Since my locomotive also needs R104, I prefer to use the cars on large radii. The roof of all cars can be partially removed to insert figures. With the corridor car you need little fingers ^^ BR Mk. I 3093 Florence FO (First Open): An open 1st class car. 1st class cars typically had maiden names as proper names: BR Mk. I 4951 SO (Standard Open): An open 2nd class car with an open-plan compartment. In terms of construction, this car is longer for me than most of the others, this has to do with the spaces between the windows. All of the cars have the correct number of windows, but the wall between windows in 2nd class cars was smaller than in 1st class cars. It's hard to do with Lego. So I decided to use the length differences. BR Mk. I 1840 RMB (Restaurant Mini Buffet): A restaurant car with a small bar / kitchen for coffee / tea / snacks. In the fan area is the bar. To the left of the middle door is a small storage room. BR Mk. I 13320 FK (First Corridor) Anna: A 1st class carriage with a corridor and 7 individual compartments with 6 seats each. Ok, only 2 Lego figures per compartment because of excess width ... BR Mk. I 99035 BSK (Brake Second Corridor): A 2nd class carriage with a corridor and a brake / attendant compartment. It also serves as a luggage cart. This car belongs at the end of the train. In the case of "runaway" wagons (the wagons were torn off from the locomotive), the train attendant was able to recognize the situation via periscopes (the angles on the roof) and brake the wagons. This is why this car has the rear end for me. This is implemented as a flashing light and can be switched on inside. BR Mk. I 21266 CK (Composite Corridor): A corridor car with 1st and 2nd class. The car transitions are designed the same for all cars: The aim was: the smallest possible gaps when cornering: This is what the car transition looks like in an R104 curve: Enjoy: Thomas
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This is my first share on here but I've been hanging around for a while sucking up inspiration. Here are some MOC's made purely for fun and for play. First up a British 0-6-0 saddle tank steamy. It comes with it's own coal truck and brake van in which I've hidden the power functions so they all work together as a set. http://Lego_Train_MOCs_2018-1 by karen chappell, on Flickr http://Lego_Train_MOCs_2018-2 by karen chappell, on Flickr http://Lego_Train_MOCs_2018-6 by karen chappell, on Flickr The brake van hides the battery box and sits on top of the motor. This attaches to the IR receiver cleverly hidden in the coal truck. The whole set pushes rather than pulls but at sensible speeds this hasn't proven to be a problem. The drive gear is from Trained Bricks over on Bricklink. http://Lego_Train_MOCs_2018-3 by karen chappell, on Flickr http://Lego_Train_MOCs_2018-4 by karen chappell, on Flickr Next up is a simple modern tram set. 3 cars with the all the power functions hidden in the central car. http://Lego_Train_MOCs_2018-7 by karen chappell, on Flickr http://Lego_Train_MOCs_2018-8 by karen chappell, on Flickr http://Lego_Train_MOCs_2018-11 by karen chappell, on Flickr http://Lego_Train_MOCs_2018-9 by karen chappell, on Flickr Here's a diesel electric goods engine, not modelled on anything in particular, hauling a short train of logs for the lumber yard. http://Lego_Train_MOCs_2018-12 by karen chappell, on Flickr http://Lego_Train_MOCs_2018-15 by karen chappell, on Flickr http://Lego_Train_MOCs_2018-14 by karen chappell, on Flickr http://Lego_Train_MOCs_2018-13 by karen chappell, on Flickr This was my first MOC, a blue shunter obviously inspired by 60052. Everything power functions related is squeezed inside. The wagon behind is a refrigerator truck. http://Lego_Train_MOCs_2018-20 by karen chappell, on Flickr http://Lego_Train_MOCs_2018-22 by karen chappell, on Flickr http://Lego_Train_MOCs_2018-21 by karen chappell, on Flickr http://Lego_Train_MOCs_2018-23 by karen chappell, on Flickr And finally some short container wagons. http://Lego_Train_MOCs_2018-17 by karen chappell, on Flickr http://Lego_Train_MOCs_2018-18 by karen chappell, on Flickr Hope you all like them and apologies for the mammoth post. Thanks.
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Need Help Replicating Historic Engine System
GeorgeCrecy posted a topic in LEGO Technic and Model Team
Dear fellow LEGO enthusiasts, I am in dire need of some help from you folks who are definitely more knowledgeable than I. In this case, I am needing help with the replication of the RMS Titanic's Reciprocating Engines and Turbine. I am in the midst at the moment of working on the project below, though I have not updated it in a great while due to university work. See this link here for the project thread. But this is a minifig scale project, with every door, every window accounted for. This means that in regards to the engines, I am also seeking to make them at least somewhat true to scale and able to work as intended. Obviously this is a big job of some top notch Edwardian-era engineering, but I am hoping that there might be some out there not as technically-challenged (pun totally intended) as I am, willing to help me get this part of the project off the ground. Some of the features I I am looking for include a fully air-powered system, where the air supply would come from tanks hidden in the mock-boilers, that are then funneled at somewhat high pressure to the Triple Recip. Engines, which means that the pressure would go down as it goes through each cylinder (HP, IP, then two LPs). The leftover air at a much lower pressure then goes to a junction that can either go to the Parson's Turbine at what was historically 4 psi, or can go directly to the condensers. With the latter I intend just to make the outside of it and hide inside some custom compressors like this. That would then return to the original air supply. With this I am hoping that I will have a self-supplying system with ideally no more than 5% leakage, or enough compressors that leaks are compensated for. WIth the Parson's Turbine, that can be an accurate shell with whatever is needed inside to include a working turbine, and probably with an gearbox and ascending set of gear ratios to give it the necessary torque. These engines and turbine are meant to actually turn the propellers, perhaps even in water! Some other features would include a replica of the Brown-type reversing engine on the side of each of the Recip engines, making it so that the Stevenson-type eccentrics can change the direction of rotation. Considering the scale, the reversing engine doesn't technically have to be much more than a slightly-hidden piston that does the required job, but any more realism doesn't hurt. If something like this is possible, please let me know. I am really wanting to continue with this project, and this is a central part of it. But without the pieces in front of me instead of on a computer screen, what little I know of engineering definitely doesn't help without that tactile interaction. Thanks for your time, and I look forward to your replies! If it is possible, then I can follow up with the intended dimensions. Here are some references for any that wants some: View of turbine and condensers through wall from main engines rotor shaft model of port-side recip. engine overall basic view path of the steam of original, pressurized air for mine -
The prime method of transportation to and from the North Pole for children is now arriving at your front door! So, grab your robe (but don't rip the pocket in your haste to get outside!) and head on the adventure of your life... "Well, aren't you coming!? This here is the Polar Express!" This engine began life based on my design of the Frisco 1522, a 4-8-2 Mountain type. I copied-pasted it and switched the front and rear bogies, (making it into a 2-8-4 Berkshire) and replaced the tender with a coal burner type. This is more accurate to the Pere Marquette 1225, on which the book - and movie - engine was based. NOTE: I just realized the front wheel is hidden behind my photography sheet. (Sorry about that, was in a rush and didn't notice while taking them!) Let's just pretend it's plowing through a small snowbank... Being almost all black, the engine requires few other parts in other colors with makes it difficult to see the details, but they are there - such as the front end railing for the conductor and his two young passengers to hold on to during the Glacier Gulch sequence.... or just for the mini-figures to be placed there. (Also, I just dusted this engine before the shot, and it's dusty again in the close-up photos. Now you know why all my steam loco's are different colors - not black!) The inside of the locomotive's cab, with the firebox door clearly visible. This is the saddest car in the film: the recycled toys baggage car, which thankfully is empty here, but in the movie was full of tangled marionettes and broken toys galore. This car features a sliding baggage door in addition to the usual opening regular doors. (which in turn were styled after the Emerald Night's coach's doors) These two coaches feature opening doors on each end. The color scheme chosen for the cars was inspired by @SavaTheAggie's Polar Express, and not the movie. (Dark red windows and medium blue train cars are accurate, but way too expensive!) This is the observation lounge car, and features a viewing balcony on the end of the car. From left to right these people are: - Narrator child - Engineer (I'm calling him Max) - Fireman (now named Joe) - Conductor (named Charlie, as far as I'm concerned) - The mysterious ghost hobo (who I'm trying to write a story linking him between the movies Emperor of the North and Polar Express. It will explain how he got onto the Express, and how he died at Flattop Tunnel. Based on a deleted scene from the Polar Express.) This model originally was inspired by the EMD FL9 in the "Lego Train Projects" book from No Starch Press. I made it shorter and added a B unit, while changing up the color. I also make them into a regular diesel powered F-units instead of the dual electric / diesel powered FL9. The chosen color scheme is of my Polar Express train which, as you most likely know, is usually headed up by 2-8-4 steam loco 1225. HOWEVER: What happens to the steam-hauled Express when the steam-era parts suppliers eventually go out of business in the mid-to-late 1960's? Elves know toys, but steam locomotives are a bit out of their wheelhouse. Enter 1231, the newest locomotive-set in the Polar Express' repertoire of railroad vehicles / rolling stock. Built by EMD in December 1959 as a FP9 for the cab unit and a regular F9 for the B unit, these engines use small steam boilers to heat the heavyweight passenger cars, just like the 1225 before them with it's (obviously much larger) boiler. NOTE: This idea of a later-day diesel hauled-Express is actually not new, as I've seen it in blue-and-dark red Lionel models for a while now in several Hobby shops... they even have a "Polar Railroad" GP-7 as a model too, according to my Google search! The engine will feature (once built) feature printed letters on the A-unit's sidewalls saying "Polar Express", and closer to the nose, will have the "1231" as the loco number. The rear has a doorway to the first passenger car. Any comments, questions or complaints are welcome. I've been working on this since December of '19, finding parts, tweaking the model and, more recently, - forgetting to take pictures - until today. Oh well, there is only so many days until Christmas, and then this train becomes relevant again!
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I know it has been a while since I posted on this site so my first, the Z-6 challenger link to it will be posted here for those who forgot about it. But I also came across another steam locomotive that struck my interest, enough actually for me to recreate in Lego. Thus, without further delay. I give your my take of the Western Maryland's exclusive 4-8-4 "Potomacs". Just to note. It is 10 studs wide and is one of my earlier builds, therefore it is an older design with PIVOT bogies, not the bogies I use on the Z-6. Z-6: Northern Pacific Z-6 Challenger - LEGO Train Tech - Eurobricks Forums Let me know what you think of them.
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Hello everybody, I am glad to introduce you my last big project : a pneumatic steam locomotive ! I think it's one of the firsts pneumatic locomotives, using only Lego parts. First of all, the YouTube video and some photos: The idea with this model is to replace the steam of a real Locomotive by compressed air, and this for as much functions as possible. Here are the main functions : Movement of the train : Using 4 pistons, 2 on the sides, and 2 inside, the train can move forward. It works like a classic LPE, with 2 pistons shifted 90° from the others. 4 pistons consume a lot of air, but they guarantee enough power to move the whole train. To make the rotation smooth, a free wheel is hidden inside the boiler part of the locomotive. Its rotation is 25 times faster than the wheels of the train (40t/8t x2). The train isn't moving very fast because the pneumatic elements aren't modified. However, it's fast enough to make it interesting to look at the connecting rods and wheels moving. The breaks : On a real locomotive, compressed air is produced by a compressor (powered by steam) and is used to press some brake shoes against the wheels. Here, the same technique is used : a small piston is filled with compressed air, and thanks to some rods, brakes shoes are pressed against the wheels. It's cool but...it's not enough. Plastic against plastic isn't very efficient to stop the train's movement. Therefore, another rod is connected to the brake system and press another brake shoe against the free wheel. Because its rotation is faster (and therefore, with a low torque), it's is way easier to stop it. The Whistle : A system that I love in this locomotive is the whistle. Currently there isn't any whistle produced by Lego that could be used in the locomotive, so I had to think a little for finding something working. This whistle is activated by a switch in the cabin. The Cabin : Nothing much to say except that in contains 3 switches for the 3 main functions (whistle, wheel movement and brakes). There is also a pressure gauge showing the pressure coming from pumps. The train moves with a minimum of 1 bar. A 2-2.5 bars, the movement is faster. The air supply : There are several possibilities for the train : we can directly pump with Lego pumps, or store the air into 6 to 8 airtanks or produce the air with Lego motors and small pumps. For instance I use 4 pumps side by side, linked to some air tanks, but I don't what the final model should work. Maybe some motors and pumps could be cool ? The design : The hard part was to make the boiler of the locomotive. It's a little hard to make cylinders with Lego technic parts but, with flex axles passing through Technic beams, I managed to make something satisfying. Some details are visible on the locomotive, I tried to make it look a little crowded like a real locomotive with fake air/sand tanks, fake compressors and mechanical elements. It's probably possible to make it look better, but for instance I am happy with it. The rails are "homemade" with Lego bricks. The locomotive is too big of course to work on Lego railtracks. The wheels aren't perfectly flat so the train is "blocked" in position inside the rails. Therefore, the train can move foward cur cannot go out of the railtracks (which is great for a train). Finally, as a bonus functions, there are some bumpers at the front and back of the locomotive to imitate the real bumpers used to absorb small chocs on a Locomotive. That's it for now, I hope the model is interesting to you and if that's the case, don't hesitate to support it on Lego Ideas ! Click Here to support :) If you have any question or comment, please reply to the post, I'll be glad to discuss with you !
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Hello everybody, parallel to my train "LMS Class 5 The Jacobite" I also built a famous railway bridge in Scotland. Ok, not the" Firth of Forth Railroad Bridge "... And not the bridge over the Tay ... It should of course be a bridge that the train "The Jacobite" actually crosses. I myself was there in 2005 and was able to photograph the bridge "The Glenfinnan Viaduct" with the train "The Jacobite" and I was a fan of Scotland, the bridge, "The Jacobite" and of course whiskey for a long time. The "Glenfinnan Viaduct" was built in 1897/1898 and has a curved track design as a special feature. Of course, this doesn't make it easier to recreate it with Lego bricks. The next problem is size. The Lego R40 curve is too narrow for most of my trains and the bridge wouldn't really work either. Then it would only be 4 curves long and only one locomotive would fit on it. So I used the R104 curve from Trixbrix as the rail. This means that the bridge has 8 curve segments and 1 Lego straight at the beginning and end. The arc describes a 90 ° curve. In order to be able to show the bridge at exhibitions and to integrate it into routes, it had to be built transportable. A modular construction was unfortunately not really possible for me, only the area with "The Glenfinnan Monument" is modular. I transport the bridge itself in a specially made wooden box and this box also serves as a height-adjustable table at exhibitions. For the Lego implementation I first tried to build an arch from Lego bricks. Then the pillars down, then the foundations, then the landscape. Just like you build a bridge: from top to bottom ;-) There was no digital planning, the model was created through trial and error, various new buildings and many stone orders. My children's Lego Duplo bricks that are no longer used are built into the substructure and covered with a Lego 2x4 wall. Construction began after Christmas and dragged on until summer. In August 2020 the time had finally come. Despite the Corona crisis, it was possible that a meeting of Lego railway fans could be held in Schkeuditz near Leipzig, Germany. And I was there ;-) There were hygiene requirements and no visitors were allowed, so that only we Lego train fans had 4 days to play with. A huge track was built and my bridge was integrated at the beginning of a single-track branch line. At home in the living room my bridge looked huge, on site in Schkeuditz it was rather tiny and there were concerns that not all models would fit ... But it worked for most models, even an ICE could pass. Only a huge American diesel locomotive got stuck. But it was just a branch line ... But what is a bridge without a train? The railway line between Fort William and Mallaig is still in operation and in summer the steam train "The Jacobite" runs as a tourist attraction over this railway line with the famous bridge. I had shown the train "The Jacobite" of an LMS Class 5 locomotive and 6 classic British passenger cars of the BR Mk. I series here at Eurobricks. And hasn't the bridge become even better known through a series of fantasy films? Many may only know the bridge from the Harry Potter films. And so it made sense to change my design of the LMS Class 5 to a Hogwarts Express train. I hadn't seen any of the films until last year. My first impression of the Hogwarts Express comes from the book title of the jewelry edition from the first volume. This is how a Hogwarts Express had to look to me. Later on in the films I was disappointed: the locomotive looks way too good and has nothing at all like a magic train. So it was clear: "my" Hogwarts Express should look something like on the book title: I hope I was able to entertain you a bit and you had fun reading and looking at the pictures. Enjoy, Thomas
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Hi all, after a quite long absence from the forum, I'd lilke to show you this small MOC I just prepared. It should have been a model for the Octrainber, but since I've no time to prepare the whole diorama, I'll show you only the little railcar. The Egger-Bahn is a model line created in the 60s, based mainly on fictional freelance rolling stock (even if some models were inspired by real prototypes). These models were in 1:87 scale, running on H0e track - therefore simulating a narrow gauge system. One of the main models was the articulated steam railcar you can see in this picture taken from internet. The lillte railcar is articulated and composed by a steam motor and an half-passenger wagon. It is a very nice model and I've always liked it! Since I'm working a lot on big scales, I wanted to do something different, so I got back to 6-wide on 4-wide track: It's super-deformed as my other small locomotives I made , and it's based on the 9V red MicroMotor. It can run on black Lego narrow-gauge track and on LEMAX Christmas Train track - which is perfect for small Lego models (and features straights and larger curves). Here below you can see the different components, like the MicroMotor, the rear bogie, and body parts (motor and trailer). And here's a detail of the motor and passenger trailer. As you can see, the 9v MicroMotor is mounted upside-down, and moves the rear wheels of the steam motor. The power comes from a 9v battery box, but I succeded to run the Micromotor on small 12v batteries. Some home made electronics may save space! The batteries should be placed near the trailer link, therefore their weight - insisting on the only driven axle - can improve traction. I hope you like it! Ciao! Davide
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Hogwarts Express with Hogsmeade station (real world MOC and a LDD WIP)
Murdoch17 posted a topic in LEGO Train Tech
Since the 2018 Hogwarts Express (set 75955) is lacking in realism, (with the engine and tender in particular!) I decided to revise my custom version with ideas from the set, including printed 1x4 curve tiles with Hogwarts Castle printed on them. The locomotive is a heavily modified version of LDDModelmaker's Black 5 model with some parts from set 79111, Constitution Train Chase. The tender features a three wheeled bogie design modified from the one in Anthony Sava's ALCO MRS-1. The middle axle moves side to side, as to allow going through switches and curves without issue. The inside of the cab features two gauges and the firebox. In this false-color image, the red parts slide, the blue ones stay put to allow for the loco to go around curves and switches. (BTW: There are parts underneath that keep the sliding bogie from falling out.) The roof and side wall of each coach come off independently from each other, to reveal four seats for students and / or the occasional teacher. The Hogwarts Express is usually made up of four corridor BR MK I passenger coaches, although sometimes a special fifth coach is attached with an open floor plan. (however, in this Lego design, they are all open floor plan!) Also, the end car is not accurate to the films, but is what I prefer to the alternative: a gangway leading nowhere with no red light on the end. In-universe / Film History for the Hogwarts Express: Leaving from Kings Cross' Platform 9 & 3/4 to Hogsmeade Station at exactly 9 AM, the Hogwarts Express carries students (and sometimes faculty) to and from Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft & Wizardry in the Harry Potter series of books and movies. It has been seen in every Harry Potter film, from it's first appearance in the beginning of Philosophers Stone to it's (so far) last at the end of Deathly Hallows. (part two) The Hogwarts Express is usually only in the film for a short while, and it is generally a pleasant journey from Kings Cross to Hogsmeade, although Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and a certain Flying Ford Anglia might beg to differ! This 100% fictional version of Hogsmeade station (as in, not really based on any of the Harry Potter films) was inspired by several sets, mainly set 21324 (123 Sesame Street) and bits of my older Hogsmeade station MOCs from years past. The model is modular, and features a detachable track-side platform, ground floor, second floor, and roof. The platform is five tracks long, and starts three studs away from the rail head, making it a breeze for larger engines with wider pistons to pass through unrestricted. The street side features the same basic look as the other side, but in this case their is a staircase.... which could cause a problem for luggage trolleys as their is no ramp! As also used on the rail side, this Hogsmeade 1 x 4 tile should be placed on the four exposed studs on the second floor. The upper floor features the station master's office with an little break room for an off-duty engine crewman to sleep in. Also up here is a fireplace and two desks, one of which has an oil lamp on it. The lower floor features a bench for passengers out of the Scottish fog and rain. Also, the two ticket booth's share a single cash register, so the two ticket agents best be extra sure how much money goes where and who did what! Every floor & platform is grouped separately in LDD, as shown here. As usual, comments, questions, suggestions, and complaints are always welcome! EDIT 10/27/2020: Hogsmeade station LDD model replaced, screenshots and words updated accordingly. Real life pictures coming eventually. (Hopefully soon!) -
Rotary snow plow YO with 2-8-0+0-8-2 Garratt (Double Consolidation) and caboose - finally FINISHED!
Murdoch17 posted a topic in LEGO Train Tech
This rotary plow-fronted train is ready to keep the other trains running in the worst winter weather using good old-fashioned steam power! 100% fictional history of the steam engine type (and the whole train, really): In late-1929, Thomas Carter was Chief Mechanical Engineer for Brick Railway Systems (BRS), and on vacation to visit family in New Zealand. He was about to get on the train in Christchurch, when he was passed by a new NZR "G" class 4-6-2+2-6-4 Garratt steam engine. Remembering how he was having problems getting the next "big thing" built back in America, and that he was having a steam power crunch when it came to rotary snow plow duty up in the Rocky Mountains, he contacted the engine's manufacturer, Beyer, Peacock and Company, and talked about a possible contract in America using the New Zealand "G"class as a starting point. Once he got home to BRS company HQ in St. Louis, Missouri, he got the upper management's final okay, and began final design on the new "DC" class of Garratts. (DC standing for Double Consolidation, as it is really just two Consolidation 2-8-0 type loco wheel-set's back-to-back with one boiler.) All in all, six of these (assigned numbers 4834 - 4840 by the railroad) were made as a trial run in 1930, but the Great Depression worsened in 1931-33 so no more were ever ordered. (originally, 10 locos more were planned for general freight service but were never built, which would have brought the grand total up to 16 engines.) Six engines were permanently paired off of with a dual snow plow team: two DC engines on each plow, with each engine team working the two track main line, one team per track, one way, until they met at the halfway point of Continental Divide (also known as the town of Summit Point), which was a vital steam-era crew exchange and refueling point near a inter-state highway. The third team of two engines and it's plow (The one marked YO seen above) was used as replacement engine for the two crews already mentioned, and were only used if another rotary crew was down for regular maintenance or due to an accident. After diesels came on the scene to replace the steamers (plows and engines alike) in the mid-to-late 1950's, the only two steam engines left of the DC type in North America were pushing the spare steam rotary plow YO. One of these locomotives (no. 4840) was found to have a severely rusted water tank and front engine frame, and was thus kept for spare parts to keep the other loco (no. 4839) running. This severely impacted the surviving engine's ability to push the rotary plow hard enough to make it through the dense banks of Colorado snow. After a few unsuccessful modification attempts to keep the 34-year old engine going, it was decided to send the entire train (plow, engine, and caboose used for the train) to a railroad museum in Missouri. They would also be sent with all the remaining parts from engine 4840 as it might be prudent to re-steam the engine in the future. So, in 1963, the YO and 4839 were sent to National Museum of Transportation in St. Louis, where it still sits today. (The following part of the story is actually true!) This steam powered rotary snowplow was inspired by the real-world Denver and Rio Grande's narrow gauge plow "OY", as now seen on the Cumbres and Toltec RR in New Mexico / Colorado. I've decided to name my plow "YO" in tribute to my inspiration, using a 2010 Toy Story printed part for the "YO" designation. Oh, and yes, the front "blade" does spin around, but is not motorized. This model has been updated since the last time I uploaded this, with a better plow shroud because the old one would fall off when I looked at it funny. This one is not upside down on the bottom half like the old one, but it is MUCH more sturdy. (I was inspired by @dr_spock's rotary snowplow to build my own plow. Take a look at his Flickr as he's got a bunch of cool designs there!) The rear of the plow features the coal tender with a ladder from the water tank-top down to the magnetic coupler. (Before anyone says anything about Garratt loco's not being ever sold into the North American market, I'll say this is not from our reality, this is my own railroad mirror-world and does not follow our history as closely as it could. I mean, I've got steam loco's running into the 1970's on main lines hauling premier passenger trains for goodness sake!) This engine was originally inspired by two SRW locomotive works products. (Both were Garratt models made by @SavaTheAggie and formerly available on Bricklink until LEGO sadly removed his instructions) I reworked the model from Sava's 4-6-2+2-6-4 to a 2-8-0+0-8-2. I also added the forward water tank and aft coal bunker from his 2-4-0+0-4-2 Garratt, a custom boiler designed by me and medium Big Ben Bricks drivers to make it from a fast passenger loco into a slow freight hauler. (or in this case, a snow plow pusher!) The engine is flexible to a degree more than this, but not by much. It goes though R40 curves and switches just fine, though. A simple caboose, for the protecting the rear of the snow plow train. I used a pair interesting windscreen parts for the cupola windows. Inspired partially by 2001 My Own Train set 10014, (Caboose) but in blue. NOTES: Finally finished 10/7/2020! -
1930's freight train with 1898-style 4-8-0 Mastodon steam locomotive - real life MOC
Murdoch17 posted a topic in LEGO Train Tech
It is the early 1930's. The dark days of late 1929 has worsened into a economic depression of truly epic proportions. Worse, the drought starting in summer 1930 (lasting until above average rains stopped it in 1941) caused the dreaded Dust Bowl and the mass migration of (most) of an entire generation of farmers and their families westward. This time frame also led to the rise of hobos, wandering, jobless people trying to use the one mass transportation still running across the dusty, windswept nation: The freight trains. The backstory on this train is as such: The engine, number 6519, runs daily from Lawrence, Kansas yard to where it finally services the Rust-eze factory in Moberly, Missouri. The line branches off and curves to the left in Columbia Missouri, while the main goes straight on to St. Louis. The rest of the regular freight is worked at the Columbia yard, expect for the acid tanker and the two marked generic boxcars. That tanker goes to the factory too, as it's a chemical component for Rust-eze. Rumor has it that the Rust-eze plant will be moving closer to St. Louis, or even shutting down soon, maybe by early 1934. The engine used to be a heavy-hauler out on the main, but has been relegated to branch line work, as it's 1898-vintage pistons are wearing a bit thin and she is overdue for a overhaul. Unfortunately, with the current depression, she has been reassigned to light branch work with a limit on her speed. Hopefully, they will scrape up the money to get her in the shop soon. This early 1900's-era engine model was first designed as a 2-8-2 Mikado before having the front pony truck removed and a 4 wheel bogie from set 10194 (Emerald Night) added instead, turning it into a 4-8-0 Mastodon - type. The rear pony truck was removed as well, with the 79111-style boiler shortened and cab re-arranged. Then, as of late September of this year, I completely rebuilt her from the wheels up to use the Disney engine boiler you see here. The running gear was originally a Scotnick invention from his 9F, but now comes from my MOD of the Constitution Train Chase set. So, basically, the only thing original left is the tender. Together, these several different engines from four different eras and five separate builders come together to create this one steam engine, which I have numbered 6519. The coal tender was inspired by Anthony Sava's Pacific 4-6-2 model's oil tender with the letters "BRS" added in the middle of the tender using printed 1 x 1 tiles. I was inspired by this photo by JB Lego to build this boxcar as seen here. They are made to haul pallets of cargo, specifically Rust-eze chrome restorer in 55-gallon drum containers for commercial packaging at this facility into smaller containers. Inspired by the green tractor trailer from CITY set 4204 (The Mine), this bathtub gondola is carrying boulders from the mine destined for the gold refinery where they will be opened up and the metal extracted to make coins and ingots. This drop side flat car was first part of set 2126 (Train Cars), but it didn't really have a purpose. It was hauling uprooted evergreen trees in the set, but that didn't look very good, so I changed it to generic freight. (My layout's resident hobo and his trusty guitar usually catch a ride on this piece of rolling stock.) The hobo is trying to get home to his family, which lives in Glenncoe, Missouri. Sadly, he picked the wrong train, as this only get's him halfway there. He's going to have to ride the blind of a steam engine tender on a passenger run to get home. (that's the area between the first car and tender, it's very dangerous because you're balancing on the coupler!) This dangerous liquid tanker was modeled after a real tanker car you can walk through in the Museum of Transportation's collection in St. Louis, Missouri. The real deal hauled hydrochloric acid for Monsanto starting in 1940 up into the late 1960's. I'm backdating the car ten years to fit into my mid-'30's freight train. I have adapted this UK inspired model of a brake van by Fireglo450 (see it here) to once again be a more American-inspired caboose. The caboose has no interior, and the red marker light can go on either end of the model to represent the end of whatever train it is being hauled behind. Here you can find other topics of interest mentioned in the text, or that are similar enough to be placed alongside time frame-wise I have this passenger train, that goes along with the freight train in this time period. (No, the hobo does not ride this one home.) and this branch-line station that is from the same late-1890's era, and on the main line from the San Francisco to New York (via St. Louis, of course!) Here we see the (100% fictional) Moberly, Missouri, Ruste-eze Factory. It seems to have made it to better times, with this picture taking place in the early 1950's. Any thoughts, comments, or complaints? -
Hey guys! I have a new MOC to share. This was a commissioned build that will be turned into a full kit for bricktraindepot.com. Will be doing additional full kits for Nickel Plate #765 and Pere Marquette #1225 as well. Pre-orders for all three kits will open on September 1st! If you purchase the C&O kit, $100 will be donated to Kentucky Steam to help with the restoration of #2716. Anyways, about the engine. The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway's K-4 class were a group of ninety 2-8-4 steam locomotives purchased during and shortly after World War II. Unlike many other railroads in the United States, the C&O chose to nickname this class "Kanawha", after the river in West Virginia, rather than "Berkshire", after the region in New England. During the 1940s, the C&O K-4's were being built to haul heavy freight services and were used mostly for high speed freight and passenger services throughout the north-eastern regions of the United States and part of Ontario, Canada by the Pere Marquette Railway. C&O Class K-4s were one of the few recognizable 2-8-4 (Berkshires) classes in North America along with the Pere Marquette Class N (road numbers 1201-1239), and Nickel Plate Road Class S (road numbers 715-779). Both the PM Class N and NKP Class S were manufactured by the Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio. NKP 779 was the last standard-gauge Berkshire to be built in the world, and the last steam locomotive built by Lima Locomotive Works. My model features 2x L motors in the boiler with custom battery box in the tender and all specialty wire custom finished, 3D printed XL drivers, BrickTracks wheel in roller bearings, custom side rods by TrainedBricks, and decals by OkBrickWorks. I've finished the physical build and have been doing testing while waiting for OKBrickWorks to print my decals and wheels. Hope you enjoy the renders for now. More pictures will be coming soon! Left Front by Jeffinslaw, on Flickr Right Front by Jeffinslaw, on Flickr Getting close! by Jeffinslaw, on Flickr Additionally, be on the lookout for other train cars from BTD such as the AAR 50 ton hopper in C&O livery as well as an update to our TOFC to include a C&O flat car and some Railway Express Agency trailers. Let me know that you guys think! -Jeffinslaw
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Adventurers - Sam Sinister's train of evil with 4-6-2 steam loco (finished MOC)
Murdoch17 posted a topic in LEGO Train Tech
This train was originally supposed to go with the new Crocodile electric locomotive (set 10277) that was revealed a couple months ago. But it doesn't fit my UK "theme" very well, so I bought this train instead. This engine is numbered 514 (as a tribute to the HC514 part seen in the Adventurers sets), and the the tender should say LNER, (London North-Eastern Railway) as that's who originally designed and built the Z1 class locomotive. This 4-6-2 type engine is named Hazel Crusader, and is not actually owned by the railroad company, but it is maintained and crewed by the railroad's employees when called upon by Lord Sinister to be moved from his private siding. (That's why it has the non-LNER-standard gold, black, and brown paint scheme that matches his coaches: it's Sam's personal color scheme for his railway stock - it's owned by Lord Sam Sinister himself. He even had this locomotive designed just for him.) In reality, this Z1 type never existed on the LNER, as it is a creation of my own imagination. My fictional Z1 take on the wheel 4-6-2 arrangement is inspired by the 2-10-0 Austerity class of WWII (boiler wise) with a tender donated by the A3 which originally pulled Sam Sinister's train. This is Sam Sinister's automobile, situated quite precariously on a two-wheel flat car that is much too small. Being that Sam is cheap, he bought the one that would cover his needs... sight unseen. The railway yard master's eyes nearly fell out of his head when he finally saw what Sam was going to load onto this flat car! The flat car is easily detachable from the load, as you can see here. (NOTE: This car was inspired by the 2015 SDCC exclusive Action Comics number 1 Superman, recolored and heavily modified.) The car seats two figures side-by-side, and even comes with a spare tire in the back. This Gatling gun car protects the train from any goody-goody interlopers trying to make off with Sam Sinister's ill-gotten goods... namely Johnny Thunder and his friends. NOTE: The Gatling gun on this car was taken wholesale from set 79111. (Constitution Train Chase) These looted ancient Egyptian items include: a temple guardian from the Well of Souls (taken from set 7621, Secret of the Lost Tomb), a obelisk warning others to not defile it's owner's tomb, and the Queen's sarcophagus itself, with a very angry mummy inside. (Guess Sam doesn't listen very well, huh?) I wasn't kidding about that curse you know! Look's like Sam's somehow stolen a Sphinx as well! (not THE Sphinx, of course, that would never fit on his train car and would be a bit missed by the locals... not to mention any snooping Archaeologists!) Thankfully, however, Sphinx were not inscribed with any magic hieroglyphics, so they are safe to observe.... or in Sam Sinister's case, "borrow without permission". Unlike the Re-Gou Ruby's twin (yet not worth anything) gem which can curse you to an eternity of bad puns, as the now-mad Baron Von Barron found out. In reality, the statue's head was inspired the one in set 5978. (Sphinx secret surprise) In this train car we find all the weapons one could dream of in the 1920's, as it is called the armory car after all. (Thanks again to @Pdaitabird for making these cars in his awesome instructions, which you can find on Flickr here.) This is Sinister's war wagon. Why is it called that? It has old charts, brand-new maps, magazines and trade journals, plus all kinds of notes with clues to hidden locations with items of vast power or great fortune just waiting to be grabbed. If Johnny Thunder or Sam Sinister hasn't seen it or at least heard of it, the item probably doesn't exist. This car also houses Lord Sinister's bedroom for overnight journeys. Here we see the whole train at an "on-it's-side" view for maximum viewing. Thoughts, compliments, complaints, and suggestions are all welcome! NOTE9/22/2020: Added updated real world pictures of everything, including the Sphinx car and updated steam loco, now called Hazel Crusader 514. (as in HC-514, the print on the tile on the side of the cab. Took me quite a while to figure out a good name for the engine!) -
2-10-0 "Austerity" class steam locomotive + UK freight train - real life finished MOC!
Murdoch17 posted a topic in LEGO Train Tech
The War Department "Austerity" 2-10-0 is a type of steam heavy freight locomotive that was introduced in WWII in 1943. It was designed by R.A. Riddles, the same man who latter went on to design the British Railways 9F 2-10-0 type. I've backdated my 1950's 9F type into this 1940's Austerity class by removing the side smoke deflectors and changing around some small features here and there. As most of this engine still existed as-built from my previous 9F build from 2014 (that itself was inspired by @ScotNick's model of Thomas and Friends' 9F-type engine Murdoch) or so, I just needed to get wheels, a tender draw-bar connector, pistons / side-rods, and the little bit of parts to convert it to a Austerity type. The tender has "BR" printed on it in 1 x 1 tiles, standing for British Railways, as this engine was placed into service with the newly nationalized rail network after service with the War Department during WWII (around early 1948). However, it still is carrying it's War-time grayscale color scheme at this point in the early 1950's, lending to it's nickname the "Gray Ghost". The cab of the engine, with firebox in the middle. In the real world, the Austerity 2-10-0 class engine was designed and built during the Second World War as an British export locomotive, with some going as far away as Greece, the Netherlands, or Syria, while a few stayed in the UK to be worked by the War Department, and later, British Railways. All but three of the ones from the UK (of which one was owned by the Longmoor Military Railway) survived mass scrapping in 1962 and were preserved, while a fourth was brought back from the Netherlands and also survives. (There are also a few derelict versions in Greece, while a museum in the Netherlands has an engine as well, albeit in much better condition than the Greek locos.) All credit for the BR plank wagon model seen in the picture above goes to @Pdaitabird, who designed them. See here for an awesome step-by-step tutorial by the original builder of the BR plank wagon. Original design by Flickr user Fireglo450 in 2013, revised by me in 2020. See here for the original inspirational model. Here we see the whole gravel train at an "on-it's-side" view for maximum viewing. This train is destined for the Gravel loading facility where it will be loaded with crushed stone for either rail ballast or concrete works projects elsewhere in the country. As usual, comments, questions, and complaints are always welcome! -
At long last I present to you all my second steam engine: The Canadian Pacific G2 Pacific I was pleased with how this one turned out especially the smokebox on the locomotive. It took longer than I wanted and that is because I had other things around me to consider. But I would see to it that it would get through for you guys. Runs of 2 L motors housed in the boiler with the IR receiver and battery box in the tender. I know it is rather bulky for a small steam engine. But I wanted to make sure that I could get in as much details as possible.
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Saxon steamship | Preservation of the Dresden steamship fleet
Bricks-on-Rails posted a topic in LEGO Town
Dear community, Today I would like to advertise a campaign and present a MOC to you, which basically does not belong to my core competence, but which I nevertheless enjoyed developing very much. But now lets start at the beginning... In the middle of June one of my customers from Dresden wrote me a kind e-mail. He informed me that the Saxon paddle steamer fleet, which is the oldest and largest paddle steamer fleet in the world, is currently in economic troubles. Not only because of Covid-19, but also because of the increased low water in the past years. Locals, fans and friends want to support the association "Weiße Flotte Dresden (white fleet dresden)" with various activities. The idea of my customer was to create a construction instruction for a steamship model and to sell it. A major part of the proceeds were to go to the campaign. I wanted to help. I wouldn't call myself a real fan of steam ships, but after some research I was fascinated by these old heavy machinery, like the steamers on the rails. The problem, clearly, I had never built such a model before, but once my interest was caught and after choosing a suitable original, I started working on it. It gave me great pleasure to see the model grow, also the acquisition of new building techniques from the sector ships was exciting. But soon it became clear that a scale model would be about 1.5m long. This is of course way too big to make a instruction for private customers. So I designed a model in reduced size. I paid special attention to the recognition value by the colouring and the proportions. Various details were reproduced in the exterior and on the decks, but also in the interior. For example the steam engine, which can be driven together with the two paddle wheels by a Power-Functions or Powered Up motor. The model is built in minifig size. The individual decks can be removed individually and the interior can be played on. The instructions are available directly on our homepage or in our Ebay-Shop for 14,99€ / $17.99. From each sold steamship instruction, we pass on 11€ / $13. We support the crowdfunding initiative "Preservation of the Dresden Steamship Fleet", which was founded by Michael Hillmann. Further information about the initiative can be found here. Many thanks and best wishes Martin | www.bricks-on-rails.de Inspired by the steamship "Dresden" The lifeboat is also present The roofs can be removed, the bridge offers space for the captain There are several seats at the rear, the lower deck is not equipped. The view of the "steam engine" In the front saloon there is, besides some seating, also a small galley The ship is divided into individual modules The dimensions of the finished model -
A 4-6-6-4 type steam locomotive. First conceived by the Northern Pacific in the 1930s, they were among the steam locomotives that represented "super-power" where engine builders learned to create locomotives that combined both power and speed. The first batch of 12 of these engines were first delivered in 1936 to replace double-heading methods. The locomotives please Northern Pacific so much in fact that 9 more were ordered in 1937. They could be found all over the NP's divisions hauling fast freight trains and reefer trains. Their 69 inch drivers allowed them not only strong pulling power but also the ability to go 60 miles per hour. I thought it could bring a real "challenge" to those who want to build it. It has OVER 2000 parts total. It has a side rod system that needed to be reversed engineered a few times to perfect it to where no 3rd party elements are required. Unlike most other articulated steam engines I have seen on YouTube and other places, mine has a FIXED rear engine unit and a front free swinging engine unit just like Union Pacific 4014 that was restored in 2019 if I am correct. Description: Locomotive is powered by 4 LARGE motors, these sit inside the boiler and provide the means of going forwards and backwards. Both the IR receiver and battery box sit inside the tender. I would recommend some extension cables given the fact that the locomotive itself is very long. The IR receiver also plays a part in the tender for the locomotive is designed to look like an oil burner. The bogies on the tender are specially designed to not only to look realistic but also to take turns at the same time. And the same can be said on the lead truck in front of the first engine unit. The cab will actually let you house an engineer and fireman to simulated them driving the locomotive. To look at my other creations go to BrickLink and search under Strader987 https://www.bricklink.com/v3/studio/design.page?idModel=160723 This locomotive is also on The Lego Ideas website, here is where to find it: https://ideas.lego.com/projects/7a2adb34-7fc5-401a-aa28-c8eddd37480c Please help me get 10,000 supporters please.
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On railless locomotives: the case of bipedal vehicles
menele posted a topic in LEGO Digital Designer and other digital tools
Like many people, I regarded steam locomotives as rather dark and monstrouos machines untill I first saw their early iterations. It was a novel technology at the time, so embelishing them for the amazed crowds and potential contractors should have been appropiate. The mechanical detail is more aesthetic than plausible. Yet, there are elements taken from what an early steam walker should have looked like, besides the vibrant colours. Most of its inhards are shown, there are very few largue pieces of metal, structural elements take over shape design. It is somewhat outlandish, taking a mechanical shape similar to that of many tin toys. Even if it seems to be something rather decorative, there are a few tricks to make it more resistant than it seems. Legs rest directly over the axle pillar and the superstructure it hides. Feet are also anchored to the base to avoid deformation. -
I tried to recreate the Flying Scotsman to the best of my ability. I have also tried to created good looking instructions to go along with my creation. She can become remote controlled with Power Functions/ Powered up really easily with a few modular modifications. I have also uploaded her to LEGO IDEAS. Flying Scotsman LEGO by Da Mangos, on Flickr Flying Scotsman LEGO by Da Mangos, on Flickr Flying Scotsman LEGO by Da Mangos, on Flickr Flying Scotsman LEGO by Da Mangos, on Flickr Here she is without smoke defectors and a double tender. Flying Scotsman LEGO by Da Mangos, on Flickr These Instructions are NOT to be sold, they are free for everyone. Instructions download: https://1drv.ms/b/s!AspcbvQ53YKPnzVyiFCVFkgh43-Z Hope you Enjoy.
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First off: I did not design this steam engine! I modified it heavily to suit my tastes from this Eurobricks post (link here) from user @damangos. I did, however, rework my original 7 wide Emerald Night tender from 2014 instead of the 6 wide tender used by damangos in the original model, and I also reworked his model to suit my tastes and be cheaper on BrickLink. The engine in question is modeled in LNER dark green, and is numbered one higher than the A3 engine series ever went, though it is still called the the Emerald Knight. (just the set 10194's name with an added K, as you may have noticed.).... and yes, it's a bit dusty. I just noticed, and it's too late to retake the pictures now. (It's been sitting in a open-top bin waiting for the coaches to be built for a while, and I thought I dusted it thoroughly.) LNER is the name of the railroad that built the locomotive (like it's real-world inspiration, the Flying Scotsman, 4472), and it stands for London North Eastern Railway. The number 2509 was chosen because the A3 class of engines never went that high in numbering. (2508 was the highest, and was the last one built in the mid-1930's.) These four regular coaches, (and one guard's coach, seen below) are inspired by the recent Hogwarts Express cars, to save money on wheels and train car bodies / frames. They don't have any of the interior details the Hogwarts Express has, though. I based the colors of the coaches on a inverted set 10194 (Emerald Night) coach color scheme. I always thought the colors looked better like this, and it avoids the problems of the tan 1 x 4 x 3 train windows used in the original set. (which are very expensive!!) Fictional locomotive backstory: Fictional locomotive backstory: This is loco 2509, built January 1936 as the very last A3 to roll out of the factory for London North Eastern Railways (LNER). It was given the name Emerald Knight, a name which, while being the name of a wining racehorse from the mid-1800's also matched it's dark green paint job. The engine was usually assigned the the Kings Cross to Scarborough line, hauling the Scarborough Flyer until being withdrawn in 1965. The engine survived WWII in remarkable shape of maintenance during those hard years due to the heroic actions of it's engine and shed crews who were said to have taken a shine to "well-riding" and "good tempered" engine. Steaming never was an issue, and the fire was always roaring right when you wanted it according to a fair amount of it's crews from 1940 to 1947. British Railways (BR) took over in 1948 and the engine was painted "Express dark blue". Loco 2509 soldiered on for 17 more years until 1965 when it was deemed unnecessary for future use and sold for scrapping. Thankfully, unlike 99% of the rest of it's class (except for the Flying Scotsman, which was also saved), it was not condemned to the scrap line for very long, as it was saved in 1966 by the Lego Rail Transportation Society (LRTS), a preservation group with aims to restore the trusty engine to it's former glory. LRTS backdated the loco to it's original 1936 exterior specifications, while keeping abreast of any interior improvements made to it's sister loco "the Flying Scotsman" (loco number 4472) over the next forty years. In early 2018, the engine was rolled into the shop for it's new boiler ticket tear-down, when it was announced it would wear LNER dark green again instead of the BR dark blue. The engine rolled out of the LRTS shops on December 26th, 2019, just in time for the engine's 84th birthday celebration in January 2020. Well, that's all I got for now... just need to get my layout up and running again! Comments, questions, and complaints are welcome as usual!
