I did a repaint job on one of my old Lionel 0-4-0s to look like one of the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad locomotives. It turned out a little more glossy than I would like so I still need to dirty it up and add some decals. I also will be painting the cars yellow too sometime this week but it's a start!



http://www.flickr.com/photos/33739067@N ... otostream/

Wow, finally a model Big Thunder locomotive that can take prototype curves at prototype speeds!!! Hurray for 3 rail technology (it STILL rocks!!!). You know, that Dockside switcher's boiler and wheel proportions actually match BTM's rather nicely. I'd bet you could make up a taller cab, and presto, instant GnWhateverLionelTrackWouldBe!!!

Thanks! I finally got the cars painted yellow too. I want to still add some detail to the cab and boiler but haven't gotten around to it yet. Once I expand my layout, I actually want to bank the curves so it's more like Big Thunder Mountain track. The engine can take the curves at a higher speed if they're banked. Right now if it goes to fast it crashes down the mountain... Not good! But it fits in with the theme!

Thanks! I finally got the cars painted yellow too. I want to still add some detail to the cab and boiler but haven't gotten around to it yet. Once I expand my layout, I actually want to bank the curves so it's more like Big Thunder Mountain track. The engine can take the curves at a higher speed if they're banked. Right now if it goes to fast it crashes down the mountain... Not good! But it fits in with the theme!

Got any new photos of this set or your layout? Too bad its not for sale from MTH or Lionel. I would love to have one of these runing on my O scale Layout.

Awesome!! Would love to see it all come together.

Don't raise the drawbridge, lower the river... You want it to stay on the tracks you need to figure out how to both bank the curves, and add up-stop wheels (or at least skids) just like the Prototype BTMRR.

Building tubular track that could handle standard Lionel trains with added up-stop wheels/skids would be a neat trick, but not too bad technically IMNSHO - The easy part would be to have a batch of track spreaders laser-cut from 1/8" cold-rolled-steel sheet stock, then you hand bend the curves in the running rails out of 1/8" Brass Rod stock and silver-braze or TIG weld the rails to the spreaders to hold gauge.

The third rail would be a little more fun to make, as you need to come up with an easy way to mount the Brass Rod on insulators. Sometimes an Idea is just crazy enough that it screams to be let out...

--<< Bruce >>--

I think it would be easier to set the train speed using block control, and try to avoid upstops. You can use seriously banked track, as long as the train is running at the right speed.