Controls

VTOL - rotate trucks
Pitch - move forward/backward
Roll - turn more aggressively
Ag1 - lights

Description

After grinding through this build for several hours nonstop, I checked the part count for the first time and it was close to 400! I have a device that struggled to complete this and it would crash every time I left the app to check reference images. Nevertheless I'm happy with the level of detail and also simplicity.

Accuracy

You can see the dimensions below and I got close enough I think. It actually amazed me how skinny these are when I laid out the dimensions originally(look at the top view blueprint below), so I checked it with other sources, but sure enough most locomotives are really skinny like this. I think their blocky shapes make us think they are wider.

During this I really noticed how varied diesel-electric locomotives are. I don't think I'm alone saying I used to think all of the locmotives with this paint job were exactly the same, but they aren't! Some obvious physical differences include the nose shape, cab length, fuel tank shape, air tank location, number of wheels, etc.

Even more differences are not clearly visible. Some locomotives have two engines instead of one. Most have a V12 but others have a V16. Each engine and exhaust setup has differing environmental implications. Different wheels may be powered or not. Different numbers of electric motors might be present, controlling an individual wheel or pairs of wheels.

All the different factors above are commonly customizable when a customer orders a batch of locomotives, meaning that each car is unique to its batch of typically 10-20. When I started to discover this, it offered me an insight into the world of railroads and how people can dedicate their lives to something seemingly so simple.

Dimension / Game / IRL
Width / 11'6" / 10' 3" (slightly wider in game due to ladder width)
Height / 15' 5" / 15' 5"
Length / 73'1" / 73' 2"

Usage
I built this as a model but you can use it in screenshots if you made a train car or something, just put my name and a link in the desc, and tag me. You could also make an alternate paint job.