Glenn Holland

Thanks!

Thank you both!

Thank you!

Thank you! The design works well - I aim to use a similar approach in a few more things I'd like to build eventually.

Thank you! I haven't displayed with PennLUG since before I built 763, but there is plenty of video of the model on Youtube. Thank you, Thorsten! Thank you! I think the 22-RA tenders that survive (behind 587 and 624 if I'm not mistaken) are very close but not identical to the 700's tenders. Even still, thank you!

"Homecoming" When I built my first Nickel Plate Berkshire, I imagined having at least one more. A model of a locomotive like this is hard to be content with only having one of. Of course, having since served in a conductor's uniform behind both 765 and SD-9 358, I was further tempted to model what I've experienced. Modeling 765 would certainly scratch an itch I have, but until a few more things fall into place, that's something I'll hold off on for now. Truthfully, I had already decided on which of the remaining 79 Nickel Plate 700's I would represent in my fleet. An S-1 would make for a nice change. These were built across two orders by Lima in 1942 and 1943 in one batch of 15 and one of 10, respectively. The first 15 made up Lima order 1160 and were the first batch of berkshires built by Lima for the Nickel Plate. 725 was a part of this order. Builder's no. 7870 and delivered July 23, 1942. 725 featured a built-up engine frame as opposed to the single-piece cast engine beds found on the S-2, for example. The S-1's were effectively copies of the earlier S class and were similarly regarded as rough-riding. 725, as far as I have found, was a bit of a wanderer. I've seen photos of it in Brewster, Peoria, and I own one excellent shot of the locomotive that's marked as having been taken in Cleveland. No matter where it ran, 725 performed well enough for it to be among the last remaining berkshires on the Road. "Berkshires of the Nickel Plate Road" notes 725 as having been stored serviceable at Brewster, Ohio by July 16, 1958 and officially retired in August 1960. 725 was sold for scrap in August 1963, making it the third to last S-1 to survive, although I believe at least its whistle is still around somewhere. I generally model what I have seen or experienced in person. 725 was gone before my father was even born, but still, I found a way to connect with it, naturally via the Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum. If you walk through along the tour path from stall 6 towards stall 1, you'll find a wall near the corner to the backshop which features some old papers clipped to the board. One of these papers is an original daily inspection form for Nickel Plate 725. My model is mechanically identical to my proven 763. The differences between the two engines are cosmetic only, and minor: - plain journal bearings on 725 - rods and valve gear correct for an S-1 - a "gables" style number board (3D printed) on 725 which represents a shelf-less headlight mounting - four sanding lines instead of six - brass whistle and bell This is the first time I've built a second copy of something at a later date. I may very well build one more, which may be my last Berkshire, but that's not something I'm going to focus on just yet. There's always plenty of projects demanding attention, not to mention the rest of life. Photo album: Brief video here: As always, thanks for reading. Glenn

Richard and Ashley are good friends of mine; I'm glad for this news to break. They have a lot of very strong ideas for both maintaining and growing the brand and product line. Getting R120's back in stock was a piece of the deal, I believe. Definitely a good move for BrickTracks and the community.

Much appreciated. I usually say the research phase is my favorite part of any project - certainly true here! But I'm always left wanting "just one more photograph" of detail X, Y, and Z! Thank you, glad you like it! It's a great movie if you enjoy trains or other movies like The Dirty Dozen. Glad you like it.

Thank you! It certainly looks good now that it's finally together. You should! Thanks very much!

Thank you! Thank you! The 90-ton mikados are intersting locomotives, built generally for logging service. 19's drivers are only 48" in diameter. Glad you like it! Thank you very much! Each piece is unique and contribute wonderfully to the overall train.

Very glad you like it. I built these models at "8-wide". Thanks very much!

Certainly my favorite movie as well - it's stuck with me for quite a while! The rest is definitely on the way, slowly but surely. Research is probably my favorite part of every model project, but I've been hoping to compile everything into some sort of published work eventually... and I do mean eventually. But there's a lot to show - photos, information. etc. It's all fascinating. Thanks very much! These are uniformly 8-wide. Very pleased with performance as well, 19 should be capable of the extra cars that remain! It's such a neat story to tell when you have the full train you're representing. Glad you like it.

"The Local" Long before I published my model of Oregon Pacific & Eastern 2-8-2 no. 19 in December 2022, I'd been working on an appropriate set of cars to go behind it. Those who remember Robert Aldrich's 1973 film "Emperor of the North" may remember some of the freight cars that were used behind 19 for the entirety of the film. Naturally, I had to model these in addition to 19 itself. Any other combination of cars would not be fitting. Research, I've always said, is one of my favorite parts of modeling. Having a goal in mind and being forced (forced? that makes it sound like a bad thing!) to dive into history and explore the most fine and minute details of a topic is something that I particularly enjoy with everything I model. The freight consist used behind 19 in Emperor of the North certainly forced me to pay attention to detail and explore threads of information I'd have never otherwise come across. Each piece has a unique part to play and blends together to create a visually appealing but commonplace style freight train from Depression Era America. What you see here is the "minimum" consist for 19. The freight train seen on screen changes a few times throughout the duration of the movie, and a small handful of the cars used are not represented here (at least not yet). This is "The Local" version, or the "Pre-Portland" version of that train, seen in this configuration from the first scene through the end of the opening title sequence. A short time on screen, but a legitimate representation nonetheless. Missing from this representation are as many as four cars used at different times - at minimum, 19 pulls five cars plus a caboose (seen here). At most, eight plus a caboose. Each car has been modeled with as much detail as I have been able to research - some creative license has to be taken in cases like this because the bulk of information I'd need to do a perfect job simply does not exist, and if it does, I have not found it even after more than seven years of research. Still, I'm perfectly happy with the results. There is little I can think to improve on the train at this point, though that may change as more information becomes available. Reaching this point has been years in the making. Through years of research, design, building, and redesign, I finally have an unquestionably appropriate train for 19. These (and the remaining few not yet built) will likely be the only cars to use behind 19 from now on. Anything else would not support the goal of properly representing "Emperor of the North" in Lego model form. More to come, eventually - but for now, I'm celebrating this milestone. More photos: Video: Thanks for reading.

A very impressive locomotive for sure. I had the pleasure of working behind 765 this past weekend - the photo run-by was quite an experience! Generic freight consists are always the way to go for superpower engines like these - just means I need more to have the proper variety! Thanks all. Very pleased with the way Shane's copy turned out.

I modeled Nickel Plate Road S-2 Berkshire #763 over most of 2022, and finally published it in December that year. Since then, my model of 763 has won me the Global Award for Best Steam Locomotive in the 2023 Brick Train Awards. It wasn't originally the plan in designing and modeling such an iconic locomotive (Nickel Plate Berkshires are nothing but iconic) but shortly before publishing the finished model, I gifted the digital version to a handful of friends in hopes that some of them may be crazy enough to build their own. The Advisory Mechanical Committee (AMC) design of 2-8-4 found its way onto a number of eastern US railroads, so even a small number of Lego Berkshire models (built to the same model pattern) would be spectacular to see, especially if they were to represent the different roads which rostered the AMC design. My friend Shane has since taken up that mantle and cemented his position as the first to do so with his model of Pere Marquette #1225. The Pere Marquette had 39 total Berkshires following the AMC pattern. 1225 was part of the second order which made up the N-1 class, and is one of two preserved examples, and the only one in operation out of Owosso, Michigan. Shane's original model of 1225 was also a Brick Train Awards winner - taking home the same Global win for Best Steam Locomotive in 2022. This was Shane's first steam model. Having seen it in person before its retirement and disassembly, I was definitely impressed with what Shane did. Unfortunately, and Shane can attest, it was never the top-performing engine one would expect an AMC Berkshire to be. Thankfully, this new model hits the mark. I was happy to gift my design to Shane. He did an excellent job assembling the model and changing necessary details to reflect 1225 specifically. Shane sent me the model in early June 2024 to look over in person and fine tune before Brickworld Chicago 2024. I'm confident that I've got the model running as smoothly as 763 - if it were my own, I'd be satisfied. Having these two models together, even briefly, has been quite gratifying and just plain awesome to see, though I'm excited to return 1225 into Shane's hands for his enjoyment. https://www.flickr.com/photos/41032663@N08/53788324316/in/dateposted/ That leaves me with 763 once again. As much as I do truly love 763, I think I need another Berkshire in my roster. More photos here: Short video here: Thanks for reading.