Amtrak GE B32-8WH /w Passenger Consist - WIP!

[legoman666]

Been slowly working on this. Mostly due to the cost, but also due to lack of time. I preset:

Apologies for the poorly lit photos, it is dark. Still a WIP, got some wiring to finish, railings to rail, and I need to stiffen it up a bit more.

This bad boy has 2 PF L motors, custom steel wheels to pick up track power, a custom bluetooth motor controller, a AA battery pack, and a wireless IP camera! The insides are jam packed with electronics.

Camera is on the right. It's tiny, but can still stream 1080p (kind of), and 720p (pretty well). I had a short video I recorded from it, but I deleted it, oops.

Matching those 2 invert angles was difficult.

WIP passenger car. Mostly done though, just needs undercarriage bits. Got a second one almost done, and parts for 2-3 additional. Those windows are expensive :(

Edited September 18, 2015 by legoman666

[Trainmaster247]

Looks good, the car has to be my favorite though.

[v6TransAM]

That's pretty damned nice.

I challenge you to do a B32 in the original colors

Nice front end design and digging the Amfleet car as well.

[dr_spock]

Nice. Phase V color scheme. Are you doing Amfleet I or II cars?

[HBVRaiden]

I'm really impressed by the slope usage on the nose. This thing looks really tightly packed all around. Kinda curious how much it weighs with all the electronics.

[Nemo57]

Excellent copy. And locomotive and passenger cars.

[THERIZE]

Wonderfull! But the locomotice does look a bit to high in comparison with the coach.

[sens1992]

Amazing work here! Love your Amtrak! Very close to the real deal! Well done and thanks for sharing!

[xboxtravis7992]

I think the locomotive would look better perhaps if it was a block or two shorter: but I am not to sure. But that cab! Wow! The dang GE cab with the "slope thingy" is hard to capture in Lego: but your's is one of the best cab fronts I have seen. I might steal the idea someday ;)

[legoman666]

That's pretty damned nice.

I challenge you to do a B32 in the original colors

Nice front end design and digging the Amfleet car as well.

Thanks! Which color scheme is original? Quick search on Google shows many different schemes.

Nice. Phase V color scheme. Are you doing Amfleet I or II cars?

Cheers, apparently I. I just searched to see what the difference was, looks like II has white between the windows instead of blue.

I'm really impressed by the slope usage on the nose. This thing looks really tightly packed all around. Kinda curious how much it weighs with all the electronics.

Thanks! I think it weighs about 2 pounds. Lots of traction :)

Wonderfull! But the locomotice does look a bit to high in comparison with the coach.

I think the locomotive would look better perhaps if it was a block or two shorter: but I am not to sure. But that cab! Wow! The dang GE cab with the "slope thingy" is hard to capture in Lego: but your's is one of the best cab fronts I have seen. I might steal the idea someday ;)

Agreed, but if you compare it to the photos of the real thing, you'll see that it's pretty close. The top of the passenger car lines up with the bottom of the rear upper grille on the locomotive. Mine's right there too. Only problem with doing the cab like this is that the minimum height is quite tall, 6 studs for the front, 2 for the windows, 3 more plates for the roof, and whatever else is needed for the truck. I have an extra plate or two I probably could have done without, but it's almost as low as possible.

The top grille is supposed to be blue. I had 3 of the required 28 slopes in blue needed, so its black until I get the correct pieces. Thinking about making the trim on the trucks a little taller. Also need to finish up the railing. Lots of illegal gravity fits :)

[dr_spock]

Thanks! Which color scheme is original? Quick search on Google shows many different schemes.

Cheers, apparently I. I just searched to see what the difference was, looks like II has white between the windows instead of blue.

I believe the original color scheme for the B32-8WH is called the Pepsi can.

Your first posted prototype pic has a GE B32-8WH in phase V paint pulling an Amfleet II car in phase IV paint. Amfleet II cars came a few years after Amfleet I. They have larger windows and only passenger doors at one end of the car. They were designed for long distance travel comfort--roomier with fewer seats.

If you're doing Amfleet I, then the windows on your passenger doors are a brick too tall. Example of Amfleet I car in original phase I paint. https://akronrrclub.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/e07.jpg

Doors are a main train spotting feature to determine Amfleet I or II.

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

Ooooooh sweet work!

I love your work legoman and this locomotive is so realistic: the back side is what I prefer ...I'm thinking to build a similar unit!

The wagon looks beautiful too with those blue windows and the round shape ...but I've only a question: are the gray round bricks from Enlighten? The plastic mold doesn't seem lego ...and this is not a problem but just a curiosity!

[legoman666]

Ooooooh sweet work!

I love your work legoman and this locomotive is so realistic: the back side is what I prefer ...I'm thinking to build a similar unit!

The wagon looks beautiful too with those blue windows and the round shape ...but I've only a question: are the gray round bricks from Enlighten? The plastic mold doesn't seem lego ...and this is not a problem but just a curiosity!

That piece is mostly from Chima sets: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemIn.asp?P=15068&colorID=95&in=A I bought out almost all sellers worldwide who had more than 50. Each car has 150 ;)

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

Wow the final effect is perfect!

[zephyr1934]

The flat silver was one of the first things I noticed on the cars, great work with that. And then using the grill tiles to replicate the ribbed sides, so much detail. It is too bad that not all of the necessary parts come in dark blue. Can't wait to see the cab video and the entire train together.

[legoman666]

I believe the original color scheme for the B32-8WH is called the Pepsi can.

Your first posted prototype pic has a GE B32-8WH in phase V paint pulling an Amfleet II car in phase IV paint. Amfleet II cars came a few years after Amfleet I. They have larger windows and only passenger doors at one end of the car. They were designed for long distance travel comfort--roomier with fewer seats.

If you're doing Amfleet I, then the windows on your passenger doors are a brick too tall. Example of Amfleet I car in original phase I paint. https://akronrrclub.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/e07.jpg

Doors are a main train spotting feature to determine Amfleet I or II.

?

[legoman666]

Sun kind of washed out half of it. Oh well, you get the idea.

[Gabor]

Wow! What a cool model! The front has some really amazing building techniques!

[cgarison]

Very nice work on the locomotive and the Metroliner passenger car.

I was tempted to build some Metroliner cars when I built my tinder for the Space Train MOC when I noticed how the baby bows in my prototype were very close to the shape of the Amtrak passenger cars. The thing that stopped me was the weight of my build for the space train and the fact that I had issues with the weight breaking the connectors on my train. Once I get that issue fixed, I will wait to build more cars in that style.

[UrbanErwin]

The engine looks great, and considering the amount of electric stuff inside, it looks even better

The wagons have a great shape and resemble the prototype really well.

[codefox421]

What IP camera are you using?

[dr_spock]

Nice. Are you thinking of brick building the Pepsi Can paint scheme?

[legoman666]

What IP camera are you using?

El cheapo eBay special: http://www.ebay.com/itm/151693472299 there are a bunch of sellers. Works surprisingly well.

Nice. Are you thinking of brick building the Pepsi Can paint scheme?

Maybe. It's probably too tall to make it fit using the 75 degree slopes.

Better video:

Camera switch is inside a little removable door. Uses a lot of power so I don't like it being on all the time. Still have to figure out how to wire it up to my main power source on the locomotive. BT controller is getting 10.8V, camera needs 5. Might step it down across several diodes, but that takes up a lot of space.

Bridge rectifier, bluetooth motor controller, DC-DC converter. Diode is from the battery backup. Appropriately enough, it all fits inside the fuel tank.

Phosphor bronze wire scraping the back of the wheels to pick up track power, which is then transferred to the stainless steel axle via a thingy I came up with. There's probably a classification for this way of transferring power to something spinning, but I don't know it.

This is how I'm getting power from the axle to the DC-DC converter. The reason I do it this way instead of with a wire is because the wire tends to break from bending every time the locomotive takes a turn. This also allows me to take the truck off the train without desoldering the wire.

[Phoxtane]

Camera switch is inside a little removable door. Uses a lot of power so I don't like it being on all the time. Still have to figure out how to wire it up to my main power source on the locomotive. BT controller is getting 10.8V, camera needs 5. Might step it down across several diodes, but that takes up a lot of space.

Phosphor bronze wire scraping the back of the wheels to pick up track power, which is then transferred to the stainless steel axle via a thingy I came up with. There's probably a classification for this way of transferring power to something spinning, but I don't know it.

Some veroboard and a linear regulator might work for your purposes.

Also, I think you may call that a slip ring!

[legoman666]

Some veroboard and a linear regulator might work for your purposes.

Also, I think you may call that a slip ring!

I ordered a 5v linear regulator. Thanks for the suggestion! For some reason I thought they would be big, but after looking into it a little, I can see that they are not.

Almost finished another 2 cars. Missing some detail work. I'm out of those blue windows for now. Got some more on the way from Europe.