MOC: C&O H8 Allegheny

[SavaTheAggie]

Chesapeake & Ohio H8 Allegheny class (2-6-6-6) articulated steam locomotive, the tallest, widest, heaviest steam engine ever created. By herself, the H8 weighed a staggering 724,500 lbs; with her fully loaded tender she topped out at earth shaking 1,066,100 lbs. She was capable of producing up to 8,000 horsepower, the highest ever calculated on an articulated steam locomotive, greater than even Challenger and Big Boy. In fact, her massive boiler, the largest ever installed on a locomotive, was large enough for the boiler of the Big Boy to fit inside.

She was named after the mountains where she worked, pulling mile long trains of 150+ coal cars up and down the Allegheny mountains, but was also capable of pulling long troop trains at speeds up to 60 mph.

There are still a few tweaks I'd like to make, but most of them are minor and won't make THAT much of a difference, visually.

More pics will come after Brickworld. Please visit my Bricklink shop to make that happen! (Three more custom steam engine kits coming soon!)

--Tony

[Bartram]

Amazing work on the train, Tony, that looks superb!

What a creation! Does it have power functions?

[WesternOutlaw]

Wow! That's a wonderful steam engine Tony. I'm really impressed with all your creations. How do you decide which engines to add to your collection of MOCs?

[Captain Zuloo]

Looks beautiful mate! Very wide too though. Is it 8 or 10 wide? I really like the way you have captured the curves of the real loco.

Very well done, keep it up!

[SavaTheAggie]

Amazing work on the train, Tony, that looks superb!

What a creation! Does it have power functions?

Thanks! No, currently it has three 9v train motors installed - two under the tender and one disguised as a 3 axle trailing truck. I have plans to create a Power Functions tender to go with it, though, so I can run it as either PF or 9v. When I build it I'll also build a 3 axle non-powered trailing truck to replace the existing one.

Wow! That's a wonderful steam engine Tony. I'm really impressed with all your creations. How do you decide which engines to add to your collection of MOCs?

Thanks much! You know, I don't really know how I choose. I guess, really, it all comes down to how unique or special the trains are. If it's rare, special, or different I want to build it. That's probably why I've been tempted by a Shay or a Garratt class steamer for a while.

Looks beautiful mate! Very wide too though. Is it 8 or 10 wide? I really like the way you have captured the curves of the real loco.

Very well done, keep it up!

Thanks much! She's 10-wide, but that is most likely to scale with all 8-wide trains. The Alleghenies were THAT big.

--Tony

[MetroiD]

That's amazing... both the real train and the MOC! I seem to recall this one from one of the Railroad Tycoon games - truly awesome locos! It must have taken an awful lot of work to come up with something THIS big, but the end result is stunning.

[Cale]

Very awesome. Now where is the string of coal hoppers for her to pull?

[SavaTheAggie]

That's amazing... both the real train and the MOC! I seem to recall this one from one of the Railroad Tycoon games - truly awesome locos! It must have taken an awful lot of work to come up with something THIS big, but the end result is stunning.

Thanks much! Yes, it took quite some time, I did a lot of research, spent some time in photoshop with real photos, and more time in LDraw coming up with mock boiler designs. I'd imagine I actually spent more time planning her build than the actual build itself.

Very awesome. Now where is the string of coal hoppers for her to pull?

You and Benn Coifman. Curse you, Cale! Curse you and your little coal hoppers, too! :)

I do have plans to make a few coal hoppers, as I have so little in the way of rolling stock, but they'll have to wait till my bank account recovers from this and Brickworld.

--Tony

[Cale]

You and Benn Coifman. Curse you, Cale! Curse you and your little coal hoppers, too! :)

I do have plans to make a few coal hoppers, as I have so little in the way of rolling stock, but they'll have to wait till my bank account recovers from this and Brickworld.

--Tony

Ha ha ha. I only have two hoppers built right now but I'm working on some more. If you're really nice and there is room to pack them in the car I may have some at Brickworld for you to pull.

Cale

[Brickthus]

I'd imagine I actually spent more time planning her build than the actual build itself.

...

--Tony

Yes, all the best models are well planned. Nice one Tony.

Have you stuck to the support / design of the real loco in the way the various sets of wheels move and support the boiler?

Mark

[SavaTheAggie]

Ha ha ha. I only have two hoppers built right now but I'm working on some more. If you're really nice and there is room to pack them in the car I may have some at Brickworld for you to pull.

Cale

Perhaps I should put a call out to all the attendees to bring all the coal hoppers they have to stage a big photo-op. :)

Yes, all the best models are well planned. Nice one Tony.

Have you stuck to the support / design of the real loco in the way the various sets of wheels move and support the boiler?

Mark

Thanks. No, she would hang out horribly over the curves had I stuck with the original articulation design, fixing the rear driver set to the boiler and articulating the rest. After all, she's some 58 studs in length, she'd have never cleared anything, and probably would hit any train on an adjacent track. She's designed so that she pivots on her forward driver set and her rear truck, with the rear driver set floating out from underneath her in turns. The rear driver set is drug behind the front set and is tiled to insure smooth transitions. She only slows down a little in simple 90 degree turns, though long S curves slow her down considerably.

--Tony