Chris Walas.... 'Jules Verne' style engine for Futuropolis..... The heaviest loco in the Fantasy Corneer will be the Jules Verne style engine. I'm starting with a stripped down USA GP30 chassis and old PVC gutters and pipes; After some fitting, fiddling and trimming, it's looking like this; Still just a very beginning, but I think there's some good shapes and forms to work off of here. Small steps. My big question has been whether I'd be able to use the gutter sections for the top and bottom of the loco. Here's the decking getting tested. It's some left over Sintra that Alan prichard has donated to the cause. The foreground gutter will be the bottom section and the pencil marks are sections to be removed for the trucks. Here's the basic layout of the pieces. The cut section slips up from under the chassis, which had to be cut down a little. The removed sections are shortened for clearance and have become skirts to disguise the normal trucks. This is a concept I had years ago to do some fantasy 1890's streamline cars. Maybe I will someday yet! Here's how it looks now. I'm test fitting rear smokestacks and have trimmed all of the added sections for an easier fit. The side porthole on the bridge only makes the whole thing even more sub-like. I may have to rethink this! Still, I do think this will be able to be turned into an eye-opener for the little kids. The whole submarine thing has me worried. We've got other Jules Verne-ish subs at and around Futuropolis and I'm thinking this one might be one too many. Soooo.... How about this? It suggests more of a traditional steam locomotive outline. I'm thinking of huge plow of some sort on the front (the red cab roof is just to have something there for now). I think the big plow might pull the look together. I can't make up my mind! Is it the steam loco above, or the sub-loco below; This was quite fiddly getting all the PVC sections fitted, screwed and glued the right ways. I'm using Christy's Red Hot Blue Glue on the PVC and it seems to be holding quite well. Portholes have been added, bits rearranged, and I've started the ladders and railings (old coathangers). Started riveting as well with large escutcheon pins for that cartoony look. This engine is riding very low to the rails, which gives it a neat gliding quality in motion, but it may be too close to bottoming out and I may have to remove some lower sections later. Cross that bridge when I come to it. The curved pipe supports on the long, thin section on the side are just sliced PVC pipe "doughnuts" cut into thirds. I'm trying to find just the right "nose" for this thing. As the overhang is considerable, it needs to be not too large. The search continues. I think it's getting pretty close to the finish of basic construction. Still a few rivets to do on the lower section, but I think it's busy enough and I'm getting impatient to move on to a NON-PVC project! I was planning on doing an interior, at least for the conning tower, but I don't think anyone will get close enough to appreciate it at Fairplex, so I think I'll just fill the windows with frosted plastic. Amazingly enough, after all I've done to this poor loco, it still runs great! The crew is commercially available in a pirate set of figures. There's just too much to get together make these figures. Of course, they'll be painted to Regulation Futuropolis uniforms (?). Got all the basic colors on finally! Pretty whacky![:D] Next is conning tower interior, lighting, sound (?), then some final paint cleanup. Then it's on to the accompanying caboose and passenger coach! OKAY!! I've had enough of this one! I could work on this one for a year and still want to do more! Some colorful weatrhering and a few more details, including lights (5). Colorful decals from Stan! Actually found some old Stan decals and used them too! And didn't forget a note of thanks to Charlie Ro Jr.! I decided not to just fog the conning tower windows, so there's a quick interior and poorly repainted 3 man crew. I'm happy with it, I would have done a few things differently if I had to do it again, but thankfully, I don't! Time to say goodbye to Futuropolis RR #1 and move4 on to the caboose; Well, the caboose is moving along. All glued up with rivets and bands. Just need to fill any gaps (major ones anyway!) and figure out where to stick the lights. Well, it's not pink! This train will be colorful! At the moment it looks a little too much like a MacDonald's submarine or something, but hopefully lots of weathering will take that curse off it. Here's the caboose basically finished except for handrails and a seagull or two on top! This color (above) is a little more accurate. Here it is with the loco. Now we've just got to get the other ten cars finished!!!! Amidst all the other construction for the Fantasy Corner, the Futuropolis RR continues to add rolling stock; Here's a flying whatchamacallit! Here's the archaeology carload that John put together. And here's FRR's only coach, the one that started out as a USA four-bay hopper!