ShrikeArghast

Uh huh. You know what's equally ugly a motivator as pride? Spite spoon-fed by jealousy. Break from the internet. Right. A slightly thicker skin might serve you well.

Some skills? What a backhanded compliment. It is somewhat astonishing to see a pretty obvious tongue-in-cheek theming given to any post so universally dumped upon simply because someone might believe their own work is superior to that of someone else. Even if the wording of the thread wasn't so obviously flippant as to render its meaning obvious, is that really the point we've reached in the western world - that a person cannot think that something they have done is the best? That they need to be slapped down with a little internet justice; have that ego reigned in because somebody's feelings might get hurt? You want honesty? Fine. I'll double down for the sake of the absurdity of your reaction, if nothing else: I don't think this Nate person's work you keep touting is particularly good. I hope that breaks your heart, since it is apparently so easy to crack.

And with numberboards, though I would prefer to just use stickers to accomplish it:

This is hideous. Make no mistake, 10020 wowed even me when it debuted going on a decade and a half ago, but looking back on it, it was just another lazy Lego release using stock pieces to produce a shabby, tired result, only vaguely resembling the real deal. It's not shocking, of course - new molds, etc. cost money, and this was going to be a niche set largely for adult collectors to begin with - no point in wasting any extra dough on it, right Lego? The problem is, in the intervening 14 years, almost nobody has made much of an effort to rethink the issue of the nose. Oh that nose... it's a real Sarah Jessica Parker eyesore, isn't it? And, best I can tell, almost every person who has gone in hoping to do extensive surgery has only really resulted in re-arranging deck chairs on the Titanic. Shift a few studs here, push around a couple of contours there, and voila: a 'new' F7 that is no way distinguishes itself from the older F7s is released. Rinse, repeat. This matter is doubly baffling because it is such a wildly popular locomotive. Not for me, mind you - I actually don't care for F7s (I much prefer their ugly little sister, the BL2, if we're really getting down to the brass tacks). But it was a problem that I wanted to look at... just to see if I could conjure something mildly different out of the heaps of redundant clones out there. And... I think I kind of have. Granted, I'm not sure Rio Grande Southern was the best color scheme to choose to showcase it. But, regardless, HERE is a superior design that does away once and for all with... the aforementioned monstrosity. May the bulldog roam free. Proto video: Proto photos: Model: If there's a lesson to be had in all of this, it's probably something along the lines of: 'don't spend 8 hours solving a riddle that you already secretly knew you had the answer to.' Having said that, I laid down the gauntlet for myself, and once I had unlocked the mystery of the face (it took less than 20 minutes, if you want to know the truth), the whole thing had to be finished. But, for those of you snarling at your computer screens for me so casually flaunting the best F7 ever: a consolation prize. I get to sleep for 5 hours and then have a troublesome tooth drilled. The sha of pride - the most dangerous foe of them all.

Yeah, that's what I meant. If you wanted to try to get creative, you could make an effort to incorporate part #52031 (which is too long for your present nose, and would necessitate a redesign of the cabin). Should be available in black. But, yup, that is what I imagined.

5 hours later... ... swish. Crushed. Nothing but net. Touchdown. Home run. Mic drop.

I doubt that T1 will ever get built.

Not a clue. I just eyeball these things based on schematics, like the black and white line drawing in the OP.

Small update: I lengthened the body by two studs. I cannot honestly decide if this is an improvement or not over the original. Obviously, this is closer in length to the prototype, and looks a lot less crowded. On the other hand, it has the disadvantage of emphasizing the small trucks, which obviously isn't desirable. Anyone have an opinion on this? Original: Long version: One extreme option would be to gut it, drop the stock trucks, build custom wheelsets, and then remotor the thing. A drawback to this would be that I'd need to shrink the fuel tank, but it would at least result in the model looking appropriate at all levels.

Nice. Always disliked the tender on that locomotive, with the side frame shielding so much of the wheels. I also personally prefer the Empire State Express' cowling, but I know I'm in the minority on that one. I really wish there was a way to replicate disk wheels - they're such a defining characteristic of this engine. But, sadly, I can't fathom how you'd do so while retaining functioning valve gear (unless you went the custom route).

Oh Lego... we need to talk about your curves. Behind the drug store... ... with my baseball bat.

When I win the lottery? Heh. The saddest thing about Lego trains are how much more expensive they are even than fine models. An engine like this would probably cost upwards of $200 to build via Bricklink - I actually own an HO model of this specific unit that I got for $70... tack on a DCC sound decoder and you're looking at $110 tops. Even in O-scale, which is far more expensive, you're not topping out at more than $250-$300 for the locomotive (and that's manufacturer's list, mind you - I could do better on Ebay). The economies get far worse with the cars, however. You can doll up a bargain bin HO car via painting and fine detailing and wind up with a very solid model for around $15. Since Lego doesn't distinguish on pricing between rolling stock and locomotives, an individual box car would cost $100-$150 without breaking a sweat. I could put together an entire, functioning, 4x8 HO train set with super-detailed scenery, sound, buildings, lighting, etc. for much less than it would cost to assemble a locomotive and five or six cars in Lego - THAT'S the disconnect, for me. *Phew* No need to be self-effacing, though - your own models are quite excellent (particularly that GP30). The problem with my work is it's all make-believe - you're building yours. Until I can actually put my hands on these things, I feel like I'm kind of cheating myself. I'd love to build this engine, though - it just has the look of something 'substantial.' I always feel that way about my diesels... even if I love the steam engines more, I think my efforts in modern locos are stronger.

I've spoken to a couple of retired railroaders over the years who said they preferred the GE products from this era over contemporary EMDs. It's sad that the industry as a whole purged these units but retained many of the geeps from the late 70s and early 80s.

I love everything but the top of the cab nose, which looks like could be fixed in about 2 seconds with 93604 in combo with one 1x2 flat plate and a couple of 1x3 flat plates. The nose of the prototype is too contoured (even more than an F-unit) to leave it flat. People have been churning out some pretty excellent results using that windshield piece + stickers, as well: Also, good lord Lego needs to give hobbyists a break with the track radius. It's simply stupid that they cannot cut us any slack at all with wider curves.

Obviously, it's not perfect - the battery box makes up a part of the frame (but is still built to be accessible) and would require a black sticker (or, more likely, an orange one). The trucks are too short because I just went with a standard motor, and the windows on the cab are 'as good as I could manage,' but a better solution could probably be found for those side ones. I messed around with some SNOT fixes for them, but eventually gave up. Proto video(s) (sorta... I always did like Guilford): Proto photos: Model: