Here is my version of the Constitution Express. I have like so many others modified it to have working running gear. It was more tricky than I imagined and I went through several versions until getting one I was happy with the look of.

I tried using the original wheels, like those on the tender, but they kept hitting the running gear. I did try having the front truck as just two wheels, but then there just seemed a big gap. I tried moving the truck forwards, but again too much of a gap, it just looked silly. Eventually I made the truck as thin as possible and used the very smallest train wheels and it seems to work a treat.

It is quite a small locomotive actually so the Power Functions gubbins is all in the tender.

I then found I had enough bits to actually make another one in red and black. I really wanted to use the red wheels on it, but I lacked them in the ones that fit on the motor and also I have never seen any of those smallest train wheels in red? I am not sure that they even make them, I have some in black and white and that is it.

Now I have two of them I did a name for the red and black one, any ideas?

I have made a Western style carriage in both green (Not Dark Green, I don't have nearly enough.) and red, one for each engine. I'll post pictures when I have processed them.

This is really great!

Any chance of a video to show them in action?

Keep up the great work.

That looks terrific!

I think the Constitution is a fantastic base for a running old style train. If I didn't already have the EN (Legoville is too small for two old style trains) this is the set I would get.

I will try and get a video at some point, maybe at the weekend I have time as I have to lay the track as well.

It really is a good kit to use as a custom base for old American style steam trains, simple yet with loads of details. I may try another American style steam train at some point, possibly one without a Cow Catcher. I was thinking to myself 'how do they run in reverse, or shunt with that great big thing on the front?'

Nice MOD. Looks like a good set to get curve tracks too.

A nice build...

It really is a good kit to use as a custom base for old American style steam trains, simple yet with loads of details. I may try another American style steam train at some point, possibly one without a Cow Catcher. I was thinking to myself 'how do they run in reverse, or shunt with that great big thing on the front?'

Yeah, the 1870's and 80's had some very ornate locomotives, the best had lots of shiny brass. As for those huge cow catchers, those were still in the days of link and pin couplers. Typically there would be a long bar running down the center of the cowcatcher, right on top of the middle bar. Unhook it, pivot it up, and it would now extend a little past the cowcatcher, ready to couple.

Oh yes, I see. I had never seen that before on one of them. I just assumed they must have little shunters in each station, or a turn table of some description.

I must say though even with that set up on the cowcatcher, it does appear to be a little flimsy for heavy railway carriages and wagons?

The cars were all wooden and the consists rarely were more than 10 cars (the engines were not yet very powerful). It was the constant push for bigger/heavier trains that put an end to the link and pin couplers (one of the necessary advances was the introduction of air brakes). Of course heavy trains was not the only factor, the safety provided by knucle couplers also helped the transition come about, the brakeman no longer had to stand between moving cars to make a coupling.

I just thought of a name for your red & black engine. Since the dark green one is named Constitution, why not name the red one Independence?

Just a thought.

BTW: Love the red coach.

Edited November 11, 201311 yr by Murdoch17

Um, Independence? Possibly, although it is not such a good name for an engine from England!

England? I thought it was still the American western-like engine like the original set. By the way: if it's from England, why are you not renaming the dark green one too? Or are you shipping the engines from England to America? (even though America had builders like Baldwin Locomotive Works since 1831, and the Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works, also of 1831.)

Edited November 16, 201311 yr by Murdoch17