[MOC] My Amtrak North Carolina Train Sets

[nc_trains]

I am not one to be active on in the internet (I typically am just an avid reader ) but wanted to post some work that I’ve done creating Amtrak Lego trains.  For these pieces, I tried to resemble the style of James Mathis’ work, with dimensions resembling the Lego train sets and track and an intent to capture the essence of these train sets.  Granted, his work is much better than mine and not all my works are playable (though that was my original goal…but designing for form and function is tough!).  I wanted to create the Amtrak trains that cross my home state of North Carolina as I've haven't seen them represented much in Lego form and wanted to build something near and dear to my heart. 

 

 

The first train set is unique to Carolina and represents the state owned passenger equipment that operates on the Piedmont service between Charlotte and Raleigh.

The second one is the classic Amtrak consist of a P42 locomotive, Amfleet coaches, and a Viewliner.  These cars are used in the Carolinian and Silver Star/Meteor.

 

The third train set takes the P42 locomotive and adds on Superliner cars.  This represents the Auto Train that runs through Carolina (but has no station stops in NC).  At some point, I’d like to make an Auto Carrier that goes along with it, but I’ve kept it on the drawing board for a while after stubbornly wanting it to be less than 8 studs wide but still able to fit a small Lego car in it.

 

 

I welcome any thoughts on making these designs better!  I have built all of these and made sure that they can operate in real life and are generally durable enough for my 3 (now 4) year old to not instantly destroy my cars when she wants to put Lego figurines into the coach or cafe cars.

 

Also, I wanted to post my .io files— what platform do you recommend?  I know Bricklink and Rebrickable exist out there. I have no interest in making any money off of it.  For some of my projects, I’ve taken from and learned from other designers’ files and would like to pay it forward if at all helpful.  Not sure if I’m allowed to post it across multiple sites so if anyone has guidance there it would be appreciated!

 

Lastly, a big thank you to this community.  I enjoy reading this forum and seeing your Lego MOCs with such detail and precision that I didn’t even know was possible to do that with Lego pieces!  My approach of having a simpler design is my acceptance that I will not come close to many of the wonderful designs that have been shared on this board.

 

Thanks!

 

[Stereo]

11 minutes ago, nc_trains said:

The third train set takes the P42 locomotive and adds on Superliner cars.  This represents the Auto Train that runs through Carolina (but has no station stops in NC).  At some point, I’d like to make an Auto Carrier that goes along with it, but I’ve kept it on the drawing board for a while after stubbornly wanting it to be less than 8 studs wide but still able to fit a small Lego car in it.

You wouldn't be able to "drive them in" if they have doorhandles or wheel arches, but if you had the side fold open, you could load most 4 wide cars between these in windowframes https://rebrickable.com/parts/62113/bar-1-x-4-x-3-end-tabs/ https://rebrickable.com/parts/5032/chain-link-fence-4-x-6/ My train has this car in it cause anything larger doesn't really work with 6-wide trains https://rebrickable.com/sets/4544-1/car-transport-wagon-with-car/#parts

[Murdoch17]

Welcome to Train Tech and EuroBricks @nc_trains! These MOC's are fantastic!  Keep up the good work!

[The_Cook]

If you do manage to find a host I’d be very tempted to replicate the super liner cars having ridden Amtrak from Washington to New York to Chicago to Denver some years ago.

[zephyr1934]

Those are so cute! I really like the look and feel. One thought for the superliners, you might want to swap in profile bricks to simulate the fluting.

 

On 6/27/2024 at 1:33 PM, nc_trains said:

At some point, I’d like to make an Auto Carrier that goes along with it, but I’ve kept it on the drawing board for a while after stubbornly wanting it to be less than 8 studs wide but still able to fit a small Lego car in it. 

How about something like this:

Or you could do brick built walls using profile bricks instead of the studded 4x6 plates

[SD100]

That is the nicest looking 6w lego-ified P42 and amfleet set I've seen! It's a shame wedge 2876 has never been made in Dark Blue, but you're giving me ideas on trying to build your loco in either Empire Service colors or one of the heritage schemes. Awesome stuff, it would be great to see it in real brick!

SD

[Feuer Zug]

Great batch of locomotives and consists. You've captured both locomotives well for the 6-wide truncated size. The carriages are great too. The cheese slopes on the roof of the Superliner car are a great touch.

[Hod Carrier]

These are just so cute. I really like the way you've taken LEGO City train proportions and made something very recognisable with it.

While we all love to see huge scale attempts at real trains, the reality is that very few people have enough space to run such enormous trains. Going back to the roots of LEGO trains and creating something of more modest proportions brings realism and play opportunities to the home hobbyist, which I find quite inspiring. Thanks for sharing.

[nc_trains]

Thanks everyone for the kind words!!!  And thanks @zephyr1934 for the tips, I will definitely look into the Superliner fluting and the doors for the auto carriers!  And thanks @Stereo for the auto carrier part options as well!

If I get these uploaded somewhere, I'll post them on here. 

[The_Cook]

There’s also not many people on the forums designing for play rather than display. I personally try to  build with my children in mind and robustness and ease of access is key. It’s a different mentality to design for play compared to the detail that most AFOLs desire.

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

Very nice train and lovely livery! 

Good job! 

[SD100]

On 7/6/2024 at 6:16 AM, The_Cook said:

There’s also not many people on the forums designing for play rather than display. I personally try to  build with my children in mind and robustness and ease of access is key. It’s a different mentality to design for play compared to the detail that most AFOLs desire.

That is a huge draw of nc's design. It fits at a play level and it looks great too. Best level of detail achievable at that scale that I've ever seen.

SD