ShrikeArghast

If I added that window, it wouldn't accomplish much, since the extra length would be masked by the boiler. And no... it's not powered. If I ever built one of these, I'd have to introduce a power car somewhere on the train.

The Heisler is the less well-known (and, arguably, less well-beloved, because of it) younger brother to the Shay and the Climax. The renown of this particular breed of engines is also likely decreased due to the fact that most of the "action" - which is the hallmark of the other two versions of geared locomotives - is fairly well hidden on the Heisler, occurring inside a pair of opposed pistons sealed inside a casing, with the power transfer all going on beneath the frame, rather than on the side (as with the Shay). Still, I stumbled across this picture of a model of a rather beefy version of the type a few hours ago and knew I had to construct my own. I was only partly successful - aesthetically, the locomotive is largely complete (it should have piping, but I am God-awful at getting the bend tool to behave), but owing to the fact that I am clumsy as heck with technic in LDD, my feeble efforts to drive the pistons by linking them to the rear-most truck failed. Still, it looks good, even if you wouldn't be able to see the little piston heads pop up and down inside the barrels (which isn't even prototypical, but I wanted action). *Edit* Also, yes, I know the Heisler's wheels are coupled with rods. However, it's impossible to represent custom wheels in LDD that would allow for this, so I elected to simply link them together. Prototype: Mine:

Thanks guys! And here's a nice little video of the real thing: it looks no less cutesy in motion, I assure you!

I knocked this out due to boredom more than anything else, though I was really surprised how excellently it turned out, considering the narrow frame. I based it loosely on the privately-owned Eureka and Palisade 3-footer, but there were 2" gauge 4-4-0s out there, too (though probably not many as high-stepping as mine - those are big drivers for such a narrow gauge). Prototype: Model:

I'm not opposed, but I can't do anything with them in LDD, and, more to the point, I am not sure they'd help with an outside frame, where the wheels are situated inside an exterior shell, beyond which the running gear is located. I think a custom solution is warranted... just probably not one that is readily available on the market.

Something tells me there's a blue shell out there - somewhere - with his name on it.

Sadly, that was just the first effort - I've been through like five iterations at this point. The running gear/wheels are a big cluster in general, and I am no closer to resolving the puzzle (unlike with my Darjeeling MOC, I am not willing to sacrifice functionality this time around; the action in an outside frame loco is everything). This may sound like a cop-out, but the problem is the Lego itself - I am exceedingly limited (like most Lego trains folks, who are increasingly turning to custom-made pieces to solve this problem) by the potential parts available... particularly the connector pegs. My difficulty, personally, is exacerbated by the outside frame specifically, as well as the wheels - I have to use the + shaped pins, and everything I have come up with so far is an ungainly mess once I get past the stage of this photo: Honestly not sure where the project goes from here. Everything else - the tender, snowplow, etc. - is finished; I am stymied by this one problem alone. *Edit* Here is a bluerender of where things stand:

**This is a WIP** The K-28 is an American 3-foot (Cape) gauge locomotive designed during the later era of Colorado steam railroading. An extremely successful design, the K-series locomotives have their enormous bulk to thank for high performance numbers - the class essentially represented a melding of a standard-gauge boiler to a narrow gauge frame, and the payoff was raw power. Engines in the series have served as far away as Hawaii and Alaska (and I believe Tennessee?), but most can now be found on Colorado rails, specifically pulling trains on the world-famous Durango and Silverton Railroad, and equally-renowned Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad. First, the prototype, starting with And a pic (just one for now this this is a WIP): And the WIP, minus running gear: The model is designed to run on Space2310's Cape-gauge track (seen here), and features free-swinging lead and trailing trucks, which should allow it to negotiate at least modest curves (I wouldn't bet on much though, with all those flanges on the drivers). I'll be tackling the running gear (BLARGH!) and tender later this evening, but was eager to share what I had so far.

Interesting scale choice. Really like the old wood burner.

It's nice to see a company committed to saving electric Lego trains.

Yeah :) That was part of my dissatisfaction with the cab - in addition to the fact that it was a god-awful mess, and useless as a for-play feature (which I consider a necessity in all minifig scale models). However, I haven't been idle - I went and tore the cab apart right down to the frame, then completely rebuilt it. The minifig can now sit fully inside, sideways, and nearly stand (and can stand if you get a little cute with it and pop his head out the window). The flanks of the cab and coal bin also present a prototypically-smooth, single face, which is an enormous improvement. This is the best I am going to be able to do: And one more picture of the real deal. This is my favorite photo of the B Class:

Thanks. I'm a little disappointed with the cab... I really wanted to be able to wedge a seated minifigure in there somehow, but it doesn't seem to be possible. Best I can do is put one holding one of the railings, with his feet perched on the coupler. This isn't as bad as it would be in other trains - half the photos of the DHR I see have employees hanging off these locomotives at all angles, or leaning bodily into the wind.

And I promise henceforth to stop spamming my own thread, but here is a bluerender:

Any chance on an LDD share? My parents are from Maine, and I can distinctly remember as a child of about 4 watching these suckers switch out our town mill.

I knocked out a few carriages, too. They're boring, but so is the prototype: --

Lovely. The mid 30s was the highpoint for aesthetics on American BBs - everything was downhill from North Carolina onwards.

Affectionately known as the 'toy train,' the real DHR Class Bs still putter around the foothills of the Himalayas in far northeastern India, performing a vital double-duty as viable passenger carrier and (increasingly) tourist boon for this eternally depressed region. Because of their diminutive size, classic British styling, and cozy 2" gauge, these locomotives have been widely modeled in everything from home layouts to live steam, and I seriously doubt I am the first person to take a crack at them in Lego. First, the prototype, beginning with And photos: And my version: Technically speaking, I think a 2" gauge locomotive would probably be closer to a 3-stud track width, but I decided to go with 4 because this is the standard in Lego narrow gauge. There were also a few concessions made to aesthetics, most notably the non-functioning valve gear (I played with it for like 4 hours before deciding that making it work would ruin the locomotive's appearance overall [and, to be fair, I don't think I've seen anyone successfully design one that looked decent in narrow gauge]). But, in spite of that, I am pretty darned satisfied with the final product... and one of the best things about it is that it is only 203 bricks - so like a $40 project!

Meh. Fusos were kind of gangly... looked alright. Arizona was a very fine looking ship - personally not my style, but excellent nonetheless. I just don't like how utilitarian the later American BBs got... especially when the Italians did this with essentially the same turret arrangement:

Superb craftmanship aside, I've always thought the Iowas were incredibly ugly capitals. Someone needs to do a Repulse, Renown, Lutzow (WWI) or Warspite.

My only nit to pick is that I feel like Mario would have been better done as a minifig.

Actually, moving the wings may have fixed the proportion issues in general: Any my wing chord isn't *that* far off (unless you mean the leading edge). If anything is at issue, it's wing width: Also, my tail section doesn't narrow enough aft of the second canopy. When the mood strikes me, I'll probably do a comprehensive redesign of the tail and wings.

Yeah, the wings are too far forward. I also think the fuselage may be a couple of studs too long - possibly two. I may try to relocate the wings this weekend - that's easy. Shortening the whole hull would be much, much more complex.

Parts to make the minifigures began arriving first, and the initial one I could complete was Isara Gunther. Isara wears a wool-like Darcsen knit shawl in the game/anime, which (along with her hair) identifies her with an ethnic subgroup essentially analogous to Eastern European Jews in WWII (no, I am not making this up - its an enormous part of the plot). I chose to use some more traditional, heavy fabric to represent the outerwear, rather than utilizing Lego cape cloth, because I felt like the latter looked too stiff for this piece. Her hair is from Lego friends, she sports a blue-eyed, fleshy head piece, her top is borrowed from a Lego policewoman's chest (not that you can see it, but I used the pencil eraser method to remove the back lettering - though I might have not bothered, since you can't really tell), and her legs are taken off a doctor minifig. All the Gallian female soldiers feature the 'skirt/leggings and boots' combo, which I realized early-on was going to be really hard to copy. I'd either have to do extensive painting on flesh-colored legs, employ a cloth skirt, or find a piece to substitute. This leg option is the best compromise I could come up with - it looks flowing, matches the tunic well, and seems feminine enough. Finally, I should note that the characters sport a significantly darker uniform in the anime than they do in the game. Neither is quite a pastel, but the Sega version is a few strong shades lighter than the series incarnation posted above. So while I didn't match it perfectly with any of the figs (male or female), they are closer to the spirit of the game than the cartoon.

Spent about 15 hours making this last night. First the prototype: My version: The torpedo doors open, wings fold, and it will actually seat three minifigs. It would obviously look better with a few stickers.

This is really odd. It's not there in mine. I wonder if my LDD is somehow bugged?