Sven J

Thank you! Well, I haven't tried yet. But I suspect that, at least for longer boilers, they may not suffice. I like to have as much stability as possible ;-) Thanks, but it's actually not my own invention to use the steering wheel this way. Several train MOCers have done so before.

I understood it exactly that way Problem is, when you build it like that, you don't have those long plates any more running through from back to front, so the whole thing might be more prone to bending. It's the steering wheel from the classic 3829 assembly, mounted on a 20482 round tile instead.

@zephyr1934 The solution you describe above is exactly what I had in mind first. But that 1/2-plate "steps" in the corners looked ugly. Then I had the idea to fill those gaps with neck bracktes and had to find some way to attach them... Btw: Here's the first real-life build that uses the proposed design.

@Shiva That should work, but I don't think it would be as sturdy. It's actually the sides that stabilize the design.

Hi all, sorry for bumping this topic, but I thought it might be of general interest. For an upcoming new steam locomotive, I needed a boiler with exactly 5 studs diameter. So I invented a rather weird design I'd like to share with you. Characteristic elements of this design are: the "backbone" made of Modified Bricks 4733 with Rigid Hoses (cut to 4.5L) running through; the relatively new oval 1x3 plates whose open stud holes are used to attach them to the ends of the Rigid Hose pieces; and finally the inversion of stud orientation in the sides, using the old hinge plates. The result is surprisingly sturdy. Best regards, Sven

Well, it was to be expected - nevertheless I'm sorry for you!

These are actually 3386 "Brick, Round 1 x 1 x 2/3 Half Circle Extended with Stud on Side". Stacking them results in the closest distance between open studs that is possible with Lego elements (6.4 mm). In fact, playing around with a pile of 3386 was what gave me the idea of building the SSKL.

@dimka_ya Thank you!

I can't really explain. 18 201 looks really good, 18 314 is ugly... maybe it's more a matter of proportions than of basic forms. And I don't like unneccessary ornaments (V200 with its two-tone paint scheme and that ridiculous chromed "V" at the front) and "cluttered" looks with lots of visible pipes and tubes and angles and edges - that's why I love Swedish steam locomotives with their clean, elegant design. Back to topic, I suppose... Thanks! No matter if it's formally "patented", I just consider it to be a question of good manners. When someone else has a good idea, I won't copy it without asking.

Thank you! More about the procedure for converting JS figures is shown here.

Don't worry - there are many widely celebrated German locomotives which I find rather ugly, too (BR24, V200, BR10, 18 314, ICE3...) P.S.: May I borrow your idea of the sausage/minifig-hand combo for the compressed-air hoses?

Well, the original is rather ugly in my opinion, but your model is simply breathtaking! Awesome attention to detail and crazy building techniques make this a gorgeous piece of LEGO art!

Hello everyone, After looking at some prototype photos again, one thing was certain: the exhaust manifold had to be modified. Luckily, I had some rigid hoses in the appropriate color lying around, so the three pipes now not only extend further upward, but also are shining in flat silver. In addition, I swapped the old 132 tires for the brand new (and unfortunately still ridiculously expensive) 21x6 ones (5813). It takes brute force and some tricks to stretch them over the wheels, but in my opinion, they look much better. The overall wheel diameter is a fraction of a millimeter larger than with the old tires, but more importantly, the new tires are treaded and significantly narrower – perfectly suited for vintage car models. See for yourselves: Thanks for stopping by again! Sven

Thank you for your kind words and appreciation, @LEGO Train 12 Volts That's what it was built for... But it will take a few more months before the locomotive is finished. I'm susceptible to procrastination...

Yes, they`re great, and much sturdier than I expected. Webrick lists them as parts GDS-90190, GDS-90192, GDS-90193, GDS-90294 and GDS-2201 (don't mind that they call them "boards with panels"...). I used one GDS-90193 for attaching the double slope in the radiator of my Mercedes SSKL recently. A purist solution is much bulkier.