Moc: Diesel Engine

[Paddyb98]

Hi all, I have a new MOC for everyone to see. I never have built a big diesel engine. (Or any big engine for that matter ) But I decided to end that. Having a surplus of red bricks, the engine is built in a red/ white color. I believe pictures are worth a thousand words, so without further ado here are the photos:

I tried to incorporate elements from the Hobby Train, as that set inspired this MoC.

I would've liked to have moved the body back a few studs, but I didn't feel like disassembly the entire thing again. I really like the look of the 3-wheel bogie, even though they undergo some stress on curves. I also have yet to figure out a way to power it, so throwing all the power functions into a boxcar may be the final power solution. Also, in reference to the subtitle, does anyone know a website that can clarify all these confusing abbreviations for diesel engines? As always, comments questions and arguing is encouraged.

[LEGO Guy Bri]

Nice work Paddy98 on your first engine. It has a very interesting look. Red, black, and white were the colors I used on my first engine MOC as well; same reason. Anyway, great job

[dr_spock]

Good work on your first engine. Is it a EMD SD9 or SD7 or maybe an ALCO unit? I think it would look better if the body was centered on the chassis.

[Man with a hat]

Nice engine, I like the shape. I only feel it sits a bit high on the wheels. You could remove some of the black plates to make it look sit a bit lower.

[Paddyb98]

I agree with that it would look a little better had the black plates not be their, but The bogie had trouvle on curves without the plates. Also, dr_spock I honestly have no idea what the abbreviations stand for, so I cant comment on that. I too would've like the body to be moved back, but I don't think I'll keep this MOC built for long enough for it to matter (good things to come soon).

[Hrw-Amen]

It does look nice for a first try. I guess most of use start with a lot of red and white, I know I did. Maybe to make the wheels go round the curves better you could build the middle set to have a little lateral movement. It would require building the actual bogies though rather than just using the standard wheels, but should be easy enough if you have the parts that is. There are some examples on this site somewhere if you wanted inspiration. (None of my own though I must add.) But a good one for the start, very nice.

[lightningtiger]

Excellent designing there 'Paddyb98', great use of 3677 engine to shape your own diesel engine (though I too feel it's one plate too high)......Brick On 'Paddyb98' !

[dr_spock]

I agree with that it would look a little better had the black plates not be their, but The bogie had trouvle on curves without the plates. Also, dr_spock I honestly have no idea what the abbreviations stand for, so I cant comment on that. I too would've like the body to be moved back, but I don't think I'll keep this MOC built for long enough for it to matter (good things to come soon).

EMD stands for Electromotive Division. It's the part of General Motors that makes locomotives. EMD labels their locomotives with SD or GP or F or E. The difference is usually the number of axles in the power trucks. GP (general purpose Geep) has 4 axles B-B trucks. SD (super duty) has 6 axles, C-C trucks. F and E locomotives used mainly for passenger service. Fs are B-B and Es are C-C.

This is from the top of my head based on what I remember from reading Model Railroader magazines in the 1990s. It may be a bit outdated.

Edited November 5, 2013 by dr_spock

[Paddyb98]

Thanks for the kind words everyone. And thanks to you dr_spock for that info. Mucj appreciated.

[zephyr1934]

Hi all, I have a new MOC for everyone to see. I never have built a big diesel engine. (Or any big engine for that matter ) But I decided to end that. Having a surplus of red bricks, the engine is built in a red/ white color. I believe pictures are worth a thousand words, so without further ado here are the photos:

I tried to incorporate elements from the Hobby Train, as that set inspired this MoC.

...

I would've liked to have moved the body back a few studs, but I didn't feel like disassembly the entire thing again. I really like the look of the 3-wheel bogie, even though they undergo some stress on curves. I also have yet to figure out a way to power it, so throwing all the power functions into a boxcar may be the final power solution. Also, in reference to the subtitle, does anyone know a website that can clarify all these confusing abbreviations for diesel engines? As always, comments questions and arguing is encouraged.

Yes, right off the bat I thought it looked like it would fit in with the hobby train. The 3 axle trucks suggests SD, the high nose and rounded cab roof suggest first generation. The specific model number, perhaps an SD 9.

EMD stands for Electromotive Division. It's the part of General Motors that makes locomotives. EMD labels their locomotives with SD or GP or F or E. The difference is usually the number of axles in the power trucks. GP (general purpose Geep) has 4 axles B-B trucks. SD (super duty) has 6 axles, C-C trucks. F and E locomotives used mainly for passenger service. Fs are B-B and Es are C-C.

This is from the top of my head based on what I remember from reading Model Railroader magazines in the 1990s. It may be a bit outdated.

I THINK all of the letter prefixes originally had a specific meaning, e.g., "F" for freight, "BL" for branch line, "SW" for yard switcher, etc., but over time they simply became the letter(s) that denoted that general type of locomotive, e.g., F's became equally popular as passenger locomotives as well as freight.

As for the the model numbers, there too, I think the early models there was often a correlation with the horse power (e.g., an sw1200 was rated at 1200 hp), but I think eventually the numbers simply increased with each successive update to the base design.

If you want to peruse the various models, wikipedia is a good place to start.

[Pief]

I'm not familiar with American diesels but it also looks like a NS 2400 very nice