Maine Central 470 - "Mascot of Maine"

"Mascot of Maine"

 

Compared to most of the other locomotives I've published most recently, this one is a bit of an outlier. It's not the hotshot superpower found on the Nickel Plate, it's not wartime power like the Mohawk, and it's not part of the Age of Steam collection.

 

My love for 470 comes from elsewhere. Having been a New England resident for several years and having vacationed in most of those states, I've developed a soft spot for the region, especially the piney woods of Maine. I've also always enjoyed the idea of coastal railroading: a mix of maritime and railroad visuals produce interesting scenes. There's a concept for a layout module I've had for some time that would perfectly represent those thoughts.. Maybe someday I'll build it.

 

I'm also drawn to the Maine Central and 470 specifically due to the preservation and claim to fame of the locomotive; 470 operated the last steam-powered passenger train on June 13, 1954 and is the largest preserved steam locomotive in New England and Maritime Canada. After sitting on display for over six decades, the non-profit New England Steam Corporation acquired the locomotive in 2015 and has since relocated it to a purpose-built structure where volunteers actively work to restore the locomotive to operating condition.

 

Being a naturally good looking locomotive, not to mention the incredibly striking Maine Central "speed lettering" it carried, and being preserved and undergoing restoration wins 470 a spot in my heart.

 

I began my model in early to mid 2021. I know, quite a while ago. Chronologically this locomotive was designed around the time I was building and completing Grey Ridge 26. Work progressed through September 2021, at which point I tested an assembled and functioning model (minus rods and artwork) on some track on my apartment floor. Tests were satisfactory; no major issues found.

 

And then I let the project go for quite a while. In this incomplete state, 470 sat on my shelf until last year.

 

One of the bigger challenges I faced was designing a satisfactory rod and valve gear package for this engine. The cylinder design necessitated some new thinking and part design which is perhaps the main reason why I only completed the model in January 2024. Some of the valve gear components required as many as four iterations until they performed as desired. I guess the take-home point is that I got there. Better late than never, right?

 

I'm using a Power Functions L motor geared at a 1:1 ratio to XL.25 size drivers. Control comes from a Power Functions V2 IR receiver and power is a 7.4v battery from Tenergy - a staple of my newer locomotive designs.

 

XL.25 wheels almost deserve a post in their own right. I initially started designing this engine with the more commonly available XL.5 wheels (right in between XL and XXL wheels). I quickly found that the driver wheelbase and proportions of the model were entirely wrong. So, I bit the bullet and opted to design a unique set of drivers at an intermediate size - essentially 1/2 a plate larger in diameter than an XL driver. This allows for the proper wheelbase dimension and better overall proportion, and the wheel is closer to scale as well. Overall, it's more effort, but worth the result.

 

I'm satisfied with performance, having operated the engine running light on my floor for a couple hours and getting a full hour in a convention setting with a mid-sized train behind it. Even still, my goal from the start of this project has been to operate 470 with a powered baggage/RPO car to enable more prototypically long passenger trains. While it would be nice to have 470 handle an entire train alone, it wasn't practical to go with any alternatives - no more room in the boiler for an extra motor and the tender is too short to use train motor bogies. Compromise was made, but I'm far from unhappy.

 

I've modeled 470 as it looked on its final revenue run on June 13, 1954. I think this is, bar none, the prettiest model I've made in recent memory. My favorite thing about this engine is the way it looks with the Maine Central logo, striping, and accents on the rods and wheels. An incredibly unique look for a star locomotive. All artwork was done by Cale Leiphart with some assistance and references from Richard Glueck. All artwork is decals printed by OKBrickWorks. Thank you all, particularly Mr. Glueck, for your assistance with this project.

 

As always, I'm pleased to bring this one over the goal line. Having been in progress for several years now, it feels great to have this one complete and published for the public. Guess I need to design some passenger cars now.

 

Video: youtu.be/kQwbIfLftjU?si=HOCQQ3svumVz1HXv

 

Thanks for reading.

 

Done