We all know Scott Hoffemeyer for his outstanding work in engineering new LEGO-compatible track elements. Those who know Scott personally will know that he never fails to deliver anything less than awesome, and this week he again proved this to be true.
Scott published an excellent model of Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O #377, a 4-6-0 steam locomotive with classic lines and fun colors.
The real #377 was built in 1902 for the Cincinnati, Richmond and Muncie Railroad and numbered 108. After merging into the Chicago, Cincinnati & Louisville, and a bankruptcy, it landed in C&O possession and was renumbered 1108. In 1923, it was renumbered for the last time to 377. The locomotive was retired in 1952 and headed for scrap when the City of Logan, West Virginia requested an old-style passenger train for the anniversary of the completion of the Logan branchline. The C&O rebuilt the 377 and added several classic features, such as the oil headlight, wooden pilot, and flanged chimney. After the anniversary, it was considered a “goodwill ambassador” for the C&O until it was delivered to the B&O Museum in 1971, where it has remained ever since.
Scott’s model is instantly noticed perhaps for one primary reason:
It’s (comparatively) huge.
A firm believer in the ways of 9-wide, Scott modeled 377 in 1:38 scale. Doing so, however, allowed him to model details in a bit finer scale, having more room to work with. Foe example, the one-piece LEGO cowcatcher suddenly becomes more appropriately scaled.
Powering the locomotive is a single LEGO L motor coupled to the drivers and connected to stock Power Functions components.
A couple details I particularly enjoy are the open cab roof hatch and smooth change in boiler diameter. Both of these features are more iconic on older steam locomotives and Scott has modeled them both well.
Topping it all off, the color scheme chosen represents Russia Iron, which was a metal commonly used on older steam locomotives for boiler jackets due the the heat resistant properties. The color of Russia Iron is often a topic of intense debate, but a pale light blue color is usually accepted. Scott’s choice of sand blue conveys the presence of Russia Iron.
Decals from OKBrickWorks make for a well-polished final product.
I look forward to more models from Scott. Hopefully he can be convinced to build some appropriate passenger cars to put behind his excellent 4-6-0.