rday1982

Thanks for the advice, guys. Okay, this seems like it might help. Guess I'll have to learn how to use Brickstock next. Specifically for those windows, they appear to be the most recent variant and yet do not appear to have a cheaper alternative (also they don't seem to come in a huge selection of colours, which means I can't do the classic green or blue BR liveries). Anyway, here is the locomotive, in all its blocky basic glory. Shorter than the real thing should be, I know. I ought to have tried mapping the length to a number of studs when the width is assumed to be equivalent to 6. It's been a while since I've done this, so I guess I'm a little rusty. I swear, I used to be decent at this stuff. I guess Lego builds are a skill that atrophies when not used for a few years, like anything else. All the stuff on the side panel between the wheel sets is just a placeholder - if anybody has a suggestion as to what should go there to mimic the real locomotive, then suggestions will be gratefully received. The power switch is hidden under one of the grille tiles on the roof. I'm still looking for a more elegant and representative way to reproduce the roof vents. I already know where I want to make a few refinements in terms of adding detail, and can see a couple of small areas (roof, side windows, maybe the doors) where I have idea for a better parts set to more accurately represent the real thing. Which I suppose I should supply my reference photo for also. The difference between the front and rear vents is due to the internal geometry of the battery box, motors, and command receiver unit being squeezed in there (The cutaway views of the class 47 by @Dutchiedoughnut here helped me mount the motors in similar fashion, so thanks, Dutchie). I'm quite pleased with my solution for the three-axle powered bogies - IIRC these should be the maximum distance that you can position a trio of wheels at on a single truck and still make it around a normal Lego curve. I guess I'd have to build it and see to be sure, but I'm reasonably confident for now (and could always turn the leading axle into something unpowered and with a little slip if not. I have it already designed in Studio, it wouldn't be much work to sub that part out, I just wanted to see if I could actually power two out of three axles and produce something that I think will handle the standard curved track). Just in case it'll be of use to anybody else, here is a render of the bogie design in several semi-assembled states and orientations. If you see a problem with it, please do let me know! Since I can't test it in brick without ordering parts, if anybody spots a problem and lets me know, they'll be doing me a huge favour rather than just nitpicking! This loco design isn't perfect, but I decided to not let perfect be the enemy of good, and I figured that folks here might be able to point out some easy fixes or quick wins to tip the balance closer to perfect than it was. As always, any comments that help me improve are appreciated!

I love the use of gear wheels as buffers. This is not something that's ever occurred to me before, and now I really want to try it out (at least in Studio). Thanks for sharing this!

Steam trains are hard, and expensive. I've built a Class 60 in EWS livery in Studio, since that seemed like it might be easier and cheaper to do. Fully powered with two motors, the estimated cost is $330-ish. Does anybody have any idea what I can do in general to reduce the overall cost of the most expensive parts? The windows, wheels, and profile bricks all seem to be things that cost way more than they're worth. Studio estimates the two sloped 6x2 windows at the ends of the locomotive as $30-ish each, and this just seems like far too much to justify spending on a single part. Is this a common problem, and is there any common solution? Anybody? I should probably render the model and put the image here in the next couple of days now that I think about it. Shouldve done that before coming here. Oh well. Give me a little time, and it'll appear.

I think it'd be great to see an induction charging system available - like the wireless charging pad I have for my phone. If you could simply park the train over a section of track that's plugged into some power supply, and have a LiPO with a decent charge capacity trickle charge for the next two or three hours, you'd never need to dismantle and rebuild to charge batteries. Nor would you need to deal with wires, save for the ones leading to the section of track that's got the induction plate attached. I know this will never happen. It'd just be nice.

Thanks for the cutaway diagram, and video of the valve gear! I see some things I will definitely be experimenting with. This is a very cool build, and the rest of your shelf of trains also look pretty impressive!

I'm not normally a heritage diesel guy, but I love the engineering that's gone into this build, and how you replicated the look of the 47 without sacrificing that engineering. It's a great looking locomotive, and should be a fantastic heavy haul train for lots of cars. Bricksafe? Or import to studio and share in the gallery.

Nice update. It's good to see that you've managed to get all the parts together and assemble it physically. Will there be pictures of it actually on your layout?

That is quite the gearbox solution. You've given me an idea for a potentially un-powerable train to suddenly become powerable. Truly, this forum is a wonderful resource once a person has time to trawl through it for hidden gems like this.

That was the intended flavour of hell to put the would-be builder through, yes.

This is gorgeous. I love the angled cylinders and the trans slope SNOT for the cabin. I think the rebuilt tender is gorgeous too - the addition of the upward curves really makes all the difference.

Given any thought to British Rail green or blue? I think it'd be at least possible to build it in green thanks to EN, and probably possible to do in blue thanks to... ... ...well, everything that's available in blue. It'll look fantastic in any colour, but I do think that this would be very nice looking in almost any BR livery except for flat black. In flat black, I think this would risk looking drab. Mixed black and grey could be a good colour scheme, in fact. Black with grey highlights/trim if you see what I mean. It's just a shame that there would be parts not available to do it in dark green with gold highlights.

Okay. You win. Streamlined shapes in Lego are their own special hell. But then again, so are things like this: I would *love* to see this done in Lego. But I would live in awe and fear of the person able to actually *do* it.

Mallard has been done well, but I think most of the builds I've seen have resorted to things like modifying parts, third-party parts, and even gluing bits where they have no right to stick. I think that the A4 class is probably one of the worst possible things to have to reproduce in a block-based medium. But that, I think, is part of the challenge and part of the fun.

This is excellent! Thank you so much for sharing not only the photos, but the digital model! It's an amazing resource for anybody looking to build something similar.

This is a wonderful model. I think I might have a solution to the door inset problem. Attaching using a jumper plate at the roof and hanging the whole thing on brackets should allow the weight and clutch strength of the roof, along with the geometry of the model, to hold it all together. You'd sacrifice the 1x1 round stud plates that serve as the door opening buttons, but I'm sure that experimentation will yield a way to get something in there to replace them which will not interfere with the offset of the door. Hopefully you can see how this (I think) will translate to the offset in your model. If it's not helpful for any reason, I'm sorry. I tried.

As well as the perspective of the render being somewhat deceptive, I rendered that last night, before I'd fully upgraded the tender from the original LDD version to something I like better (and is cheaper according to Studio's price checking). This shows the articulation of the locomotive and tender pretty well: As you can (possibly) see, I've slightly altered the geometry of the front pony truck to allow me to lower the cylinders and still take a tight bend or navigate an S-curve, changed the connection of the rear pony truck to be able to get around a tighter bend or S-curve without derailing, and lengthened the bogies under the tender by 1 stud each, as well as pushing the gap between tender and cab a little further out (mainly thanks to the small increase in length of the connection between the driving wheel frame and trailing pony). The tender's sloped front allows the cab roof to slide across on a turn. This is all based on what I remember from articulating locomotives to run on real track, but admittedly might not be totally accurate in the translation from virtual model to physical bricks. The likely point of failure with regard to articulation is the brick at the back of the cab with the vertical pin attached. However, those are simple enough to swap out for a single stud if it shows itself to be a problem. The valve gear has been amended to my preferred arrangement which should eliminate the potential to bind at speed (it worked on a remodelling I did of an Olton Hall/Hogwarts Express that's now with my brother's kids). That's what brought the cylinders a little lower (not even much, *just* enough that it would have interfered with the front wheels had I not re-jigged them). Studio estimates the total right now as $262.78 - which is less than I thought it would be, given the sheer number of parts (886). That's lower than it would have been before I gutted the interior of the boiler to remove all the gearing which would be useless to me, seeing as I definitely do not have the money to make this a powered model and do not have the space to get this with any track. At least, not if I don't want it to be seized and dragged under the sofa by the cat (she's a sweet little murder machine, but anything smaller than her which moves is prey). Anyway, removing the innards enabled me to make some of the internal structure a little more sturdy, too. As well as substituting some high-price parts for cheaper ones. I might need to invert the orientation of the rear magnetic coupler, as it seems to be sitting a little higher than the buffer bar in this direct side-on view. I also might need to swap the round bricks holding the front buffers out for a stack of two round single stud plates. There are probably other little refinements I can make, and I guess it's a good idea to explore as many of them as possible if I'm actually planning to spend money on doing this.

Thanks! That'd be great. I'm struggling with properly representing the train at 7 studs wide. I see yours is six, maybe a studio file to pull apart and examine the solutions somebody else had will give me some inspiration or convince me to drop the extra stud's width altogether. If I can put something nice together, I'll probably then try to get it built in bricks, and will definitely share my own Studio file for others who might want to take a crack at it. I pulled the front end off an LDD train (not originally mine, one I found somewhere on the internet, I forget exactly where and when, but probably back when LDD let you upload and share files) that at one point was an Emerald Night recolour but ended up undergoing some drastic changes at my hands both internally and in a few design aspects, to add brick-built buffer beams. All I was intending to do was change the buffers out, I just got a little carried away. I then got frustrated with the LDD parts selection, ported it into Studio, and made even more changes. Proper articulation and valve gear that won't bind being the main ones. Cab detailing being another: The end result: It'll never be able to be powered. There's too much I yanked out and changed around inside to make it feasible to put a motor and battery box in here. But the overall look is something I'm pretty happy with. I never expected this to be anything other than an exercise in how to replace the standard train buffer part with a new assembly made from individual bricks, so it's a pleasant surprise to find myself wanting to actually build this: Studio estimate is around $260 for the parts, and I'm actually sorely tempted. I think this looks pretty nice and it would be good to get this as an incentive to actually get somewhere with more space to build up some track and scenery (also, more space for the wife and cat to occupy as a bonus, but obviously the Lego train is my main motivation here). But before I dive off the deep end and spend a little too much to buy something I will probably find glaring fault with since it's not going to have anywhere to live apart from a small space on my bookshelf for the immediate future, does anybody have recommendations for further improvements or refinements?

Thanks, both of you. This is exactly the sort of tips and visualisation of techniques that will help me to improve. This is an attempt to splice a brick-built buffer bar into a pre-existing locomotive design: It ended up being a substantial rebuild of the front end. I think I might have to start building from the ground up using this technique, but I do like the added realism (and I used @Pdaitabird and @Ts__'s techniques together). I really like the improved aesthetic this gives, and now I need to work on building something with a more appropriate width boiler. I do like the L&Y locomotives you have built, @Pdaitabird and it looks like an excellent opportunity for me to practice adding a splash of colour with brick-built lines. I'm not going to attempt to replicate your work outright, but I think the next thing I spend time attempting to build in Studio will be very similar to your Class 28. Not just because it's a lovely model, but also because this was one of the first steam locomotives I got to take a look at up close IRL (there are preserved examples in the national railway collection and operating on the heritage KWVR line near to where I grew up) and it's sort of a nostalgia trip for me right now - I have no idea when I'll ever be able to go back to England, nevermind the little valley I grew up in. So building this virtually should be a nice way to connect with my original home.

Any technique you'd care to share for this? It's not something I've attempted before and I'm struggling to get the height above the track, and the proportions right.

Studio renders of my awful locomotive designs will be posted here. If you think you can offer me helpful advice or teach me something to help me improve, please feel free to do so. I'm not going to take offense at being told I suck, I know I have a lot to learn. One thing I struggle with a lot is knowing what parts are available for a particular job - programs like Studio really help there. If you know of any awesome useful parts I don't seem to be using, please point them out. I also tend to avoid extensive SNOT work unless it's really necessary - I find that Anyway. Here are two based on the same rolling chassis and cylinder arrangement: This one is an early attempt, years ago, in LDD to model a decent steam loco with articulation and valve gear. Another very early LDD model: I'm aware that they all need work - please, if you can think of specific things to improve upon what you see, do say so. I have others to upload when I dig out an old hard drive or two, if people are interested in not just saying "that sucks", but maybe saying "that sucks in this specific area where I think this specific brick or SNOT configuration might really help improve the look". I'd like constructive criticism. Something I can use - something that will help me improve. Don't tell me if I did something right. Don't tell me it looks terrible without telling me where and why I went wrong. Please, help me learn and grow if you're open to sharing your collective expertise. Thanks in advance!

Ah, the trick for me would be getting them to run *at all*. I can design something that looks relatively nice and will take a straight line. It's even possible (difficult IMO, but I can usually figure it out) to get it to take a turn. Then, putting valve gear on, and getting it to roll around a curve without that flying apart in an explosion of strained plastic. When I was last using physical bricks, that took a little figuring out (I am not a smart man). But putting a motor, battery, and wires, inside is where I'm totally stumped. It doesn't help that I'm limited to digital building for the moment. I usually start with the wheel frame also, and then put on the boiler cap at the front, building up the SNOT brickwork to allow the boiler to take a tube shape. Then I extend that backwards, meet the end of the main frame, and build into the subframe over the trailing truck at the back to get the cab. Detailing the cab follows, then I'll go back along the boiler and ruin the curved lines with attachment points for piping, then hop up to the top and plop on a funnel, boiler hump, and the smooth top, all the way back to the cab again where I'll make a roof that hopefully seems like a continuation of the smooth lines. I've got a collection of locomotives I've designed in Studio which are pretty obviously inspired by things like the Stanier engines or the UP844s, and I'm going to build them when I *finally* can move into a bigger place. Which won't be too much longer, but has definitely been pushed back a few months or more by Corona. I'm going to get some of the rarer and more expensive parts back from my former collection (my brother's kids mostly just like building with the more basic bricks and don't care what horrible mishmash of colours they use), and then hopefully order the rest from Bricklink. Then, I will build in brick what I've put together digitally. I just don't like the lack of detail, and other compromises I've had to make, to balance affordability, range of motion, and the overall looks of the locomotives. I see models like TS's and just despair of ever being able to build something that looks as good and is still functional. Right, that's really enough hijacking of this thread. I'll start a new one with pictures for you to take a look at my horribly blocky, lumpy, locomotive renders. Thanks, that actually answers a couple of the questions I had about "how".

Thank you! I'm going to enjoy looking around this model, and I'm going to add it to the (long) list of things to build physically when I have the space (and some more Lego bricks).

Well, people suck and we can't have nice things because people suck. I like to take a look at how somebody else approached the problem, and maybe make something similar but I'd rarely copy outright because I happen to agree that one's own work is more satisfying in the end. I know enough of the classics to figure out what it's a variant of, but if I'm completely dumbfounded, that's my first question. I agree that it's not anybody's job or obligation to share the details. I'm just a little taken aback by the extent to which people guard their secrets in the AFOL community. And we're back to people suck and we can't have nice things because of that. I didn't know there was an English translation. The last time I looked, there was only the German text available. I have just ordered this. My interest in this one in particular comes from it being by far the nicest rendering of a Class 5 (one of my favourite steam engines) in brick that I've seen. Whilst there are lots of great models out there, many instruction sets for them, and some wonderful help available, the main reason I was expressing particular interest in this one is that it's absolutely gorgeous. I'd love to be able to model it half as well. I think I see some things I can try for myself, and I wanted a 3D file if possible because that way I can pull it apart and put it back together again, then look for areas I'd like to do differently, and then attempt from scratch to build my own version using what I've learned before so much as touching a physical brick. But we're back to people not liking to distribute their files because there are people who suck. I get it. I understand it. I do. It's just that it's really sad that people who would hoard rare parts, or people who would sell rather than freely distribute these files are something that folks have to be concerned about. It's a horrible indictment of the society that we live in to have to take these things into consideration when attempting to use a popular construction toy to engage in a somewhat niche hobby when said hobby is one of the most rewarding uses for free time (and said construction toy) that I've found. You should probably start a thread containing said walkthrough if you're not unwilling to share the information. I'm not the only person who could benefit from this, and the more people who can access this information, the more people are going to feel like they can take a crack at building them, which is good for general interest in Lego trains. As for the simplicity, I find that North American engines aren't always more complex. They're bigger, heavier, more rugged beasts and the shapes involved in building them up are sometimes easier to deal with. European and British locomotives are shorter, sleeker, and generally have less space to pack internals like motors and battery boxes into (yes, I know, the battery goes in the tender). When it comes to steam locomotives, I do prefer the likes of the Class 5's, the A3's, etc. But I do have a certain fondness for things like the UP844's, or the Big Boy. I'd love to get some general tips from you for things like articulation between driving wheels, valve gear, greebling, and the best of the various ways to build a round boiler that's the right approximate size for a given stud width. As well as the above, if anybody has any general tips for building at 8 studs wide without making it look like the locomotive started off relatively svelte but let itself go severely following a bad divorce, I'd love to hear them. Anyway, I'd like to apologise to Ts__for inadvertantly hijacking the last few posts. Let's get back to telling him how good his train is (and as much of a work of art as it is, I'm sure that you'll find improvements to make over time as that's the nature of Lego).

I'll glean what I can from the photos provided then. Although, I do find it slightly frustrating and baffling that Lego builders treat their 3D files like alchemical formulae. I'm not looking for the philosopher's stone. I just want to one day* make a decent-looking Lego steam locomotive which hopefully doesn't cost me thousands of dollars to buy the parts for via Bricklink. At which point, I shall be happy to provide the blueprints for others to follow suit. *probably not any time soon, since all of my physical Lego is now with my brother's kids on the other side of the Atlantic. But one day when I've the space here.

This is one fantastic model. I love this locomotive, and I'd love to take a look at any LDD/Studio files you have available for the build - It looks like you've used some very interesting building techniques throughout and I think I could learn a lot from this locomotive.