Model Railroading > Buffalo Creek & Gauley 2-8-0 #13 - modeled using Lego

Hello all,

This is my first post on TrainOrders. My name is Glenn Holland, I'm a young mechanical engineer in the rail industry, and my modeling efforts are done with Lego bricks. I've been building and seriously modeling trains using Lego for about 12 years now, but my first love is trains. I thoroughly enjoy the research that goes into building a model.

Here is my newest model: I chose the Buffalo Creek & Gauley 2-8-0 Consolidation #13.

I began designing the model in February this year and brought it to completion this past weekend, right at five months of build time. It runs smoothly using a combination of Lego's home-grown motor/robotics system and a custom (non-Lego) battery. I have also added a sound card from Dallee Electronics. In terms of scale, it is closest to O scale, with the exact ratio being about 1:46.

The model is about 97% pure Lego. The remaining 3% is comprised of custom third party pieces, the non-Lego battery, the sound system, and the connecting rods, which I designed myself and printed on Shapeways.

Link to more photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/41032663@N08/albums/72157709020830252

Link to a more detailed article: https://brickmodelrailroader.com/index.php/2019/06/10/buffalo-creek-gauley-2-8-0-13-by-glenn-holland/

Lastly, I uploaded a video about it on that popular video sharing site. If you search "Buffalo Creek and Gauley Lego", you'll find it. It should be the first result.

I'm happy to field any questions. Thanks for reading.
Glenn Holland

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What is the track gauge or width in inches of Lego track?
Bill Pyper
Salem, Oregon
 

God, Leggos have come a long way since I was a kid. Beautiful.

Posted from Android

wjpyper Wrote:
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> What is the track gauge or width in inches of Lego
> track?
> Bill Pyper
> Salem, Oregon

It's about 1.49 inches between the rails.

DAMN!!! Thats beautiful!!!

A true work of art!
Bob

Very well done.  Looking forward to seeing some of your other accomplishments.

Thanks all for the compliments! Eventually I'll begin building a personal layout, along with countless other locomotives and cars. I'll be sure to post some progress here.

Lego ain't what it used to be that's for sure.

Where I work there are a bunch of PhD engineers and in a common area of the office there was a Death Start they were working on for a while.  In the last few months, it was replaced of a complete Lego model of the Taj Mahal.

Me, having grown up in a different era, it's kinda weird - it's like looking at pixelated versions of minituraized objects.   In a way, as a model train fan, to me it's like the opposite of what modelers have been trying to achieve - which is the closest replica possible in a small scale, of some type of train engine or freight car etc.  But in this case, being lego's, the effect is somewhat the opposite.  I bit like that video game mine craft I see kits playing.  I grew up playing blocky looking video games becase the techonogiy was much lower.  Now with Mine Craft and Lego, it's like they are returning to the early days of low resolution.  Crazy!

Anyway, as the saying goes, different strokes for different folks.

That is pretty darned incredible. Very nice!
 

Lego is inherently a blocky medium - so the challenge to use that to create round shapes (like boilers) is obvious. On the other hand I've now lost count of how many people at conventions don't believe they're looking at Lego when they see our club layout.

All it comes down to is years of practice, obviously, and being willing to learn and sharpen your skills, just like any hobby.

Outstanding Glenn, that is just fabulous work!

Posted from iPhone

Is that thing interlocked or will it fall apart? I'm use to Lincoln Logs.

CM1 Wrote:
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> Is that thing interlocked or will it fall apart?
> I'm use to Lincoln Logs.

Legos snap together.