[MOC] Memorial UP GP40 (WiP)

SavaTheAggie · June 4, 2020

TJ Avery inspired Union Pacific GP40 Locomotive by Tony Sava, on Flickr

At one of the very first big TexLUG meetings, TJ Avery brought a MOC of a Union Pacific GP40/SD40 hybrid. It was 6-wide, and fits in very well with the BNSF locomotive that came out many years later. Seen here:

http://www.texbrick.com/model_diesel/index.html

Back then I was only building Castles, and while I loved trains, I never thought of it as a viable thing because LEGO train sets I saw in catalogs as a kid were either very European (I'm in the US), or just kind of terrible. TJ's locomotive was the first time I'd ever seen a train made from LEGO that looked like anything I recognized.

We lost TJ this year. As a way to remember him, I've designed an 8-wide Union Pacific EMD GP40 as an homage to his model. It's certainly not a copy, but I feel TJ helped pave the way for me to move from Castles to Trains. It's power functions with 2 motors, and had an inverted battery box that I'm not sure how it'll get it to stay just yet. I'll figure out that and a few other details when I get physical bricks in hand.

TJ Avery inspired Union Pacific GP40 Locomotive by Tony Sava, on Flickr

It needs the red pinstripe between the yellow and dark grey, but that'll have to be done with stickers.

--Tony