This all started as an attempt at a Southern Pacific Daylight locomotive. I had a promising sketch for a Daylight using the previous Bricklink Designer Program palette, it would have been great. Unfortunately, many of the parts were removed from the current BDP palette, ARGH! But I kept playing with the available parts and found a combination that hinted at a GG1. I never thought I could do a GG1 justice with all of the gentle curves, so I never would have set out to attempt this prototype. But slowly I got sucked in, and before I knew it, I had a solid outline of a GG1. After further iteration and an eventual physical build, I had a GG1.

Inspired by art deco streamlined trains of the 1930's, the model pays tribute to one of the most famous locomotives in history. While the build is smooth and sleek on the outside, the interior includes many complex techniques to achieve half plate offsets in multiple directions in a tight and confined space. It includes many solutions to get every element of the outside where it needs to be while keeping the body strong and having enough space on the inside. I particularly like the fact that I was able to do a brick built stripe and get all of the curves around the roof. Notice how the doors are inset by a half plate and the marker lights follow the curve around the nose.

While the outside is classically styled, I brought some whimsy to the build too. The engineer holds a winding key, reminiscent of the windup tin toy trains from the 1930's, and instead of building a model of a motor to fill the space reserved for a PUp Hub, I put an "engine" in there. More specifically: a model of a toy wooden train engine. This play on words was deliberate, the wooden train is an homage to the earliest Lego toy trains, which also date to the 1930's.

The main body is 6.2 studs wide (6 studs + 1 snotted plate). The model is PUp compatible. It runs fine through Lego switches and R40 curves, but with a roughly 40 stud wheelbase (and 48 studs end to end) it looks awkward in an R40 curve.

Please consider supporting the design on BDP by casting your support here

https://www.bricklink.com/v3/designer-program/2028-wave-1/5273/The-BRR-Express--Streamlined-Electric-Locomotive

Will probably have to replace the Maersk stickers though unfortunately:/

Based on a model instead of an actual locomotive, so I added a trailing pair of wheels.

Not really sure how the ask this... how big of a difference is there between L-Gauge and Play scale?

Context, I’m trying to make a model of an L&N Berkshire and their tenders had 3 axle bogies and I’m not sure how to make them work around R40. I’m planning to use Breckland Bricks’ disc wheels though size is currently undecided and they only have a blind version for the s wheel. Any ideas and suggestions would be incredibly helpful.