[MOC] Pennsylvania T1 #5544 version 4

[SavaTheAggie]

Pennsylvania T1 Steam Locomotive #5544 version 4 by Tony Sava, on Flickr

Sharknosed Greyhound - The Pennsylvania T1 Duplex drive 4-4-4-4 steam Locomotive #5544, a MOC that has taken 12 years and 3 previous versions to get to this state.  

Pennsylvania T1 Steam Locomotive #5544 version 4 by Tony Sava, on Flickr

This MOC represents one of the many "production" T1 Locomotives produced for the Pennsy Railroad, as opposed to one of the two prototypes, as well as representing the "as delivered" version with the "Buick" style front end prior to the retrofitting that occured later.  

Pennsylvania T1 Steam Locomotive #5544 version 4 by Tony Sava, on Flickr

The PRR T1 could arguably have been one of the fastest steam Locomotives ever produced, had they ever officially measures her speed.  Anecdotal evidence of timetables of "late" trains suggests she was capable of 140+ mph. (The official record by the Mallard was 126 mph)

Pennsylvania T1 Steam Locomotive #5544 version 4 by Tony Sava, on Flickr

Version 4 of my T1 includes a rebuild of the entire wheelbase, including XXL boxpok drivers from OKBrickworks, custom rods with oversized bearings from Trained Bricks, extended length, "working" valve gear, rebuilt streamlining, extra details on the tender, and an overall better eye for proportions, scale, and detail.  She is a shadow of her original self.

Pennsylvania T1 Steam Locomotive #5544 version 4 by Tony Sava, on Flickr

Upgrading her to full XXL sized drivers has reduced her ability to handle curves down to r104 or larger, but she's fully capable of navigating r104 switches at speed.  Given preliminary testing, she may be one of my best performers.

Pennsylvania T1 Steam Locomotive #5544 version 4 by Tony Sava, on Flickr

Again, special thanks to OKBrickworks for the XXL drivers, as well as the swank new decals.

Special thanks also to Trained Bricks for the awesome rods and valve gear.

Pennsylvania T1 Steam Locomotive #5544 version 4 by Tony Sava, on Flickr

Version 1: Large Drivers, flat boiler.

PRR5544_02 by Tony Sava, on Flickr

Version 2: XL drivers, curved boiler

Shark of the Pennsylvania Railroad by Tony Sava, on Flickr

Version 3: version 1 of the "Buick" front end, streamlined Pistons, etc.

LEGO T1 Trust #5550 by Tony Sava, on Flickr

--Tony

Edited September 22, 2020 by SavaTheAggie

[SteamSewnEmpire]

Really cool.

How does she handle curves with the skirting on the tender? I've always struggled with that on similar locomotives. Or... is the skirt itself a part of the trucks?

 

[Pdaitabird]

That's awesome! I love all the attention to detail, especially around the valve gear.

[High_Admiral]

Fantastic work! I kinda want one now. Is 5544 still articulated or did you move on to a solid frame when you did the XXL rebuild?

[BurkusCircus]

Absolutely stunning model.

[zephyr1934]

Amazing work! From the start V1 was impressive, but each iteration leaves the previous version in the dust. I can't wait until you are able to get the engine out on the mainline at a show and can get pictures and video of it running free.

[SavaTheAggie]

On 9/21/2020 at 11:45 PM, SteamSewnEmpire said:

Really cool.

How does she handle curves with the skirting on the tender? I've always struggled with that on similar locomotives. Or... is the skirt itself a part of the trucks?

 

The skirting is attached to the trucks, with the center attached to the tender, and a half stud gap between them.

On 9/22/2020 at 7:01 AM, High_Admiral said:

Fantastic work! I kinda want one now. Is 5544 still articulated or did you move on to a solid frame when you did the XXL rebuild?

It still needed to be articulated, so it remains so.  However I did have the change the placement of the second flanged driver, those XXL drivers are divas.

 

Thank you all for the kind words, I really appreciate it.

--Tony

Here's a private video of testing the new valve gear.

--Tony

Here's a private video of testing the train on a loop of track with r104 switches.

--Tony

[High_Admiral]

14 hours ago, SavaTheAggie said:

It still needed to be articulated, so it remains so.  However I did have the change the placement of the second flanged driver, those XXL drivers are divas.

Ahh, that makes sense. I was considering maybe attempting the S1 myself and going with a solid frame so I could attempt to emulate the duplex characteristics of the loco, would you recommend that with the XXLs or would it be less trouble getting it to work as an articulated frame?

[jimmynick]

The loco itself is a looker, but the tender is really slick! You hardly notice that 1/2 stud gap and it goes around the track like a charm. Excellent work and thanks for sharing!

[SavaTheAggie]

3 hours ago, High_Admiral said:

Ahh, that makes sense. I was considering maybe attempting the S1 myself and going with a solid frame so I could attempt to emulate the duplex characteristics of the loco, would you recommend that with the XXLs or would it be less trouble getting it to work as an articulated frame?

A simple Flanged-Blind-Flanged setup for XXL drivers is enough to prevent them from navigating r40 curves.  It would probably be possible to make a ridged frame navigate r104 curves, and if you can make it work, great.  My gut tells me that given the location of the 6 axled pilot truck ahead of the pistons, you may have to resort to articulation of the drivers.

--Tony

[legonerd54321]

I'm in love with this model. The curves, the nose, the rods, everything about it. I also love seeing how each version changes it, ultimately leading to this masterpiece of a model.

[Ts__]

Beautiful. And really impressive.

I particularly like the nose, which makes the locomotive stand out from the crowd.

Lego model building at the highest level.

And doing without R40 is not a loss at this size, it wouldn't look good anyway...

Thomas

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

I like the new wheels ...I used them on my big boy too!
Great work! 

[Zombiehunter2_0 Trains]

This T1 looks better than the T1 built by the T1 Trust themselves!

[zephyr1934]

14 hours ago, Zombiehunter2_0 Trains said:

This T1 looks better than the T1 built by the T1 Trust themselves!

The T1 Trust model is also designed by Tony. As per the first post in this thread, this is about v4 of his MOC, whereas the T1 Trust model looks to be v3.