Dutchiedoughnut

A while ago I posted the start of my "Tornado" model in LDD. In other words, a blue A1 Pacific. Here is an update to that locomotive: I'm also building mk1 carriages in chocolate and custard livery. I don't think they are super impressive, but they sure go well with the A1 and the 4-6-2 that is sitting on my desk minus some key parts ;). They are 24 studs long so I don't suppose they will handle corners well. But I love longer carriages. I've got a Tornado lined up with a 1st class corridor, 2nd class tourist open and 2nd class brake carriage. More pictures on those later ;). The consist has over 3000 parts often in rare colors so I won't be completing those models anytime soon! I do love building them in LDD, and the files are available on request. Other than that, I'm looking into designing a suitable station. The platform for the Tornado will have to be 15 straights long, something of a challenge.

Is there room in the chorus? This is just amazing :D. (oh, and kudos to your daughter. I can't make more than two unique minifigs ;) )

Well. In theory it might work, but things go bad when the two battery boxes don't drain evenly. I think the IR receiver will limit your output power. So why not use two IR receivers and have two independant systems?

Looks nice - although I question the engineering a little bit. In a bridge of the bridge will be in tension (it'll get pulled apart) and the top is in compression. It'll be very helpful if the girder extends to the bridge head, or if there is a diagonal connecting to the bridge head. You will notice all girder bridges have this.

It looks great! Certainly reminds me of German train stations and the vending and ticket machine are wonderful :)

We have an active topic about 2016 LEGO train sets. But what are your plans for MOCs next year? I think I should start. I am building a 2-6-4 tank engine - the one I've posted in a topic here. I would love to build Tornado and more steam engines, but I am also thinking about a Crocodile. And rolling stock to make the engines less lonely.

What is a SPMD? Google can't make much of it.

Back to topic maybe? A creator line HST may be unlikely after the Horizon Express... but it would be fitting as Intercity 125 entered into service in 1976. It is also an iconic train and might be a very nice kandidate.

Maybe the space shuttle in the new space port has a suitable nose?

Hi! You've picked a challenging model I think! The first thing I would do is answer some important questions: 1. Is the model going to be powered? And if it is, how? 2. How wide do you want to make the model? LEGO's own models are base on 6 wide base plates. Wider models can have more detail and sometimes, specific shapes can't be managed in 6 wide. 3. How long will the model be? If you know this, you can choose the correct wheels for the engine and where to put them. 4. What do you think are the most important features of the model? You won't be able to model everything in the model, and it's a good idea to focus on the important features that make the BR 4-4-0 instantly recognisable. What do you think those are? If it were me... I would be looking into an 8-wide model either with Emerald Night wheels or Big Ben's XL drivers. I think the panelling that covers the big wheels is important on this model, and it will be very difficult to make those look good in a smaller width.

Given the function of the ship, and the reference to Spaceballs, I fully expected a syringe-shaped ship :D!

Be careful not to pick up too many 1x2s, or you'll have to build another one! ;) It looks great!

The 4mt also has 4 axles on its tender :). I'll do something similar to that setup.

I cheated and painted it black. It'll be a bit more noticable in grey. Also, the IR receiver is blue at the moment. For the best traction, the batteries and the XL motor should be right above the driven wheels (with next to no weight on the leading and trailing wheels).

Ah, all right :). I will still prefer the XL motor setup, it's a bit more compact and it allows me to make fully cylindrical boiler, compared to the 4mt boiler which is cut open in the bottom to place the M motor. I like how the front is right now, I still have to do the rear truck and the cab interior (working around that XL motor!). And then the other 10.000 things.

Cool, guessed it on the first try (and the second) :). I'm modeling it directly after Tornado :D. I wanted to do a model in blue, I love how colorful the British steam trains were. My Tornado will be powered by an XL motor squeezed into the model. The motor takes the place of the firebox because it's too wide to fit in the boiler. The other option would be twin M motors, but that would potentially overload the IR receiver.

Well. Money is still tight, so I can't brick build my models yet so I thought I would just go ahead and LDD another engine. The basic layout is complete, and I'd like to see you try and guess. If you nail it straight away I'm doing good! Helpful hints: The main drive wheels will be XL drivers.

I know right! I am thinking about doing some non-lego stuff here like build the platform out of model railway materials. Just to save on parts.

Well in that case, watch this space ;). My goal is to end up with a heritage site as a Lego railway. I'm currently working out how to do a V-shaped platform in Lego that looks good. I have space on my layout for a pretty big station, it'll be one of the main features. The other one will be the museum styled yard with at least a turntable and an engine shed. Hey, I like to be ambitious! Sadly my wallet is preventing me from buying a million bricks ;). Here is the start of my platform:

The front wheels are difficult, especially with the pistons. I've got a double ball joint in my design and the lower part of the pistons is part of the bogie. In any case, you'll want to look for a very low solution

I would love to build it! I am setting up my layout to determine where everything will go

Looks good! Is it motorized? If the couplings stick out too much, you could enlarge the wheelbase I think.

Hi everyone, With the 4mt class waiting to be built in actual bricks, I decided to build a coal stage so that its tender is kept full. I also plan to build an engine shed and water tower - first in LDD and later in actual bricks. Anyway, the coal stage is loosely based on that at Grosmont in the UK. A lot of coal stages are built along uneven tracks - the upper track would be used for supplying the coal stored in the bunker, and the lower track is used to refuel the locomotives with coal. That setup wont work on the layout I have in mind, I want to have a flat layout. The coal stage in Grosmont is an actual tower over a single track. A coal bunker is above the track and it has a bucket travelling along a rail to lift the coal up into the bunker. My Lego version doesn't have a bucket and rail, but uses a crane instead. I hope the crane is correct to the 1960's, I tried to model it that way. The bucket of the crane isn't included in the model yet. The coal bunker can be unloaded onto a waiting locomotive. Two hatches can be opened to dump "coal" into the tender. Here is one of the 4mt's under the coal stage:

Reminds me of the trains we have here ;)... https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intercityrijtuig#/media/File:Intercityrijtuig.jpg It looks so cute driving about! :D

Trial and error it is then. The tender uses 2 ball joints and a turntable, the leader wheels use a single ball joint, but they would steer them selves off the track if I use more. I do use two ball joints for the 4-6-0. The four leader wheels will steer themselves, so they require two joints. With the 4-6-0, the family is complete :). Its boiler is a bit longer (by two studs) and of course the wheel base is a bit different.