RUMBLING RAILS UNDERGROUND

A pair of bright lights shines through the darkness, rapidly approaching the platform. Accompanying this light is a cacophony of hissing steam, clanking rods, puffing exhaust, and a shrill whistle. Soon, a little tank steam locomotive pulling a short train of passenger cars rolls into the light of the underground station.

Before the electric subway train that dominates modern cities, underground railways were powered by steam engines. Unlike most of their cousins that ran above ground over long distance, underground steam trains had to meet special requirements to operate safely in tunnels. The engines were often very small tank engines, and both they and the passenger cars had low, narrow profiles, allowing them to squeeze through confined environments, get around sharp curves, and run in both directions equally well. The engines also had condensing apparatuses on board to recycle water and reduce the hazardous smoke emissions, which could cause health and safety issues in tunnels.

While no underground railway today uses team power to run its services, some of these old steam engines and passenger cars still exist in preservation, and a few are even operational.

DESIGN PROCESS

INSPIRATION

This locomotive is loosely based on an old train station and steam train that ran on subsurface railway lines throughout the 20th century. The very nature of trains running through tunnels inspired me to make a station facade that could be used as either a station on a layout or as a set of bookends, with the train appearing to disappear into a stack of books and reappear on the other side. The logos on some of the station sections are based on the logo th

CHALLENGES

Since underground railways trains are much smaller in height and width than normal trains, I opted for 6 studs wide rather than 8. Despite this, I was able to create a fairly proportionate locomotive with a decent amount of detail both inside and out.

Due to the limited color options for part 6222, the boiler uses a very unusual design of 4x4 round parts layered at different angles. A central stud and a central bar allow some segments to be rotated at 45 degrees, and a sandwich of uniquely-shaped plates and tiles allows for centered attachment of the dome and safety valve. The result is a very smooth boiler that holds together really well while still having well-hidden attachment points for details.

Much of the station consist of similar yet slightly different segments. They are held together by the track and a few Technic pins, allowing them to be easily separated by hand to be reconfigured in any order the builder chooses.

SPECIAL FEATURES

The station build and longer passenger car can be split into sections to create the illusion of a train passing through a dark tunnel or a stack of books. The split sections can even be used as tunnel dressing.

BUILD STATS:

Parts:
- Engine = 387
- Long Coach = 269
- Short Coach = 169
- Station Section 1 = 148
- Station Section 2 = 105
- Station Section 3 = 114
- Station Section 4 = 117
- Station Section 5 = 95
- Station Section 6 = 121
- Bookend Walls = 54 each
Lengths:
- Engine = 27 studs
- Long Coach = 27 studs
- Short Coach = 19 studs
- Total Consist = 73 studs
- Station Sections = 16 studs (sections 2, 3, 4, & 5), 8 studs (sections 1 & 6)
- Total Station = 80 studs w/o bookend walls, 84 studs w/bookend walls
  - Can be configured to be shorter
Widths:
- Train = Mostly 6 studs, 6.5 at the buffers, 7.4 at the handlebars
- Station & Bookend Walls = 16 studs
Heights:
- Train = 12 studs from rail to chimney, 12.4 studs overall
- Station = 17.4 studs
- Bookend Walls = 21.6 studs
Functions and Features:
- Working driving wheels and motion
- Runs on R40 curves
- Modest interior for engine cab and passenger cars
- Modular station sections and passenger car for layout, display, or bookend configurations
- Miniature train hidden in broom closet
- Powered-Up Requirements
  - 1 Hub
  - 1 Train Motor