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Sweet job. I especially like the black rail that runs around the top of the
engine. It adds a very nice detail.
How well does that thing round corners? I have found that with the
longer wheelbase you sometimes run into coupling issues. Any insight to you
method would be much appreciated. Thanks.
-Nick
John Neal <johnneal@uswest.net> wrote in message
news:3925B5BB.88017034@uswest.net...
> I having been working on and off on my 8 wide Hiawatha loco since last
> winter and have finally finished it:-)
>
> It is an Atlantic 4-4-2, the original engine to have pulled Milwaukee
> Road's famed Hiawatha train which ran between Minneapolis, Minnesota and
> Chicago, Illinois. Only 4 were ever built, numbers 1,2,3, and 4. A pic
> of number 3 is here:
>
> http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=3723
>
> I have also redesigned my 8 wide passenger cars for it, basically
> eliminating the 1x4x3 train windows and replacing them with 1x2x2 thin
> walls. The scale works out much better with the thin walls. In fact, I
> will no longer use train windows in my trains (wides), but that is
> another story. I have only finished two of the cars; the other 4 are in
> various stages of completion.
>
> Hope you enjoy them!
>
> http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=526
>
> -John
>
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Nick Goetz wrote:
> Sweet job. I especially like the black rail that runs around the top of the
> engine. It adds a very nice detail.
Thank you.
> How well does that thing round corners? I have found that with the
> longer wheelbase you sometimes run into coupling issues. Any insight to you
> method would be much appreciated. Thanks.
Cornering, of course, is the rub when creating larger locos because of the
unnaturally tight curvature of the track. We are trying to design something
that works yet in real life is impossible. So compromises are inevitable. I
had to add washers to my drivers to give them more weight or they wouldn't
take the curves at all. But after I got that problem worked out it runs ok.
When I get some time I will post pics of it in a curve. As you might imagine,
it looks rather ungainly, but such is life:-/
As far as coupling goes, I preemptively decided to go with technic 1x plates
to couple the cars. Even without even having tried magnets, I know they would
break apart on me-- 5 planned 8 wide cars are not an easy load, especially
when the train hits a curve. And since it will be about 10 feet long, it will
be in *2* curves a lot of the time. Coupling the cars in a dedicated manner
like this is a big pain, but until TLC comes out with their version of a
knuckle coupler, I'm stuck. I am too much of a purist to incorporate a
non-LEGO coupler though that would be sweet.
Now, as far as my 14 wides go, I use G scale trucks (wheels) which have arms
attached to them that hold the (Kadee) couplers. This method, though
unprototypical, kills 2 birds with one stone-- I get wheels and couplers in
one impure package;-) I have no problem with this as I am going to run them on
G scale track anyway. This way I'll be able to mix them in with any G
scaler's rolling stock at train shows without any trouble-- now that should be
fun:-)
-John
>
>
> -Nick
>
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John Neal <johnneal@uswest.net> wrote in message
news:3926EE0B.9E36BF9B@uswest.net...
> I am too much of a purist to incorporate a
> non-LEGO coupler though that would be sweet.
Is that John Neal, the man who puts 4 wide trains on HO trucks, 14 wide on G
scale trucks and recently tried to convince others to forsake Lego track
altogether and switch to O scale train track and trucks? The same person
who wanted to cut up coke cans, place stickers on them and wrap them around
the Lego trains for a more realistic look? Too much of a purist? Please,
you are making me laugh so hard, the soda is coming out of my nose. My
sides are aching and my nose is burning. Please stop!!!
Mike Poindexter
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