When celebrated pioneer aviator Charles Lindbergh returned to the United States on June 11, 1927 following his successful solo transatlantic flight from New York City to Paris, he was greeted by President Calvin Coolidge in Washington, DC and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. There was intense competition between several newsreel companies to be the first to get footage of the ceremony back to New York to show in the Broadway theaters. Several companies chartered aircraft, but the International News Reel Corporation instead chartered a special train from the Pennsylvania Railroad.

E6s Atlantic #460 was selected as the locomotive, B60B baggage car #7874 was equipped as a mobile darkroom to process the film on rout, and P70 coach #3301 brought up the train to carry PRR and newsreel company officials. The crew were given permission to run as fast as they considered safe. And run they did.

The train made it to the electric changeover at Manhattan Transfer with an average speed of 74 mph (119 km/h), a record never beaten by steam on that journey, and with a reported maximum speed of 115 mph (185 km/h). The newsreels brought by train reached the cinema screens and beat those flown to New York by over an hour, due to the delay the latter experienced to process the film. The Pennsylvania Railroad used this victory extensively in publicity in the following years.

This train has been a work in progress since 2007. The original #460 and the first versions of the passenger cars made their public appearance at Brickworld 2007. But I was always changing and improving the design so I’ve never posted the whole train until now. I think I’m finally happy with the results.

The full Lindbergh Special

The Real #460

The LEGO #460

PRR B60b Baggage Car

PRR P70 Coach

Love the train. The cars are especially well done. But the true story really makes this special. Thanks.

This sort of thing would make a great article for BrickJournal or RailBricks.

 That is freakin' incredible!!  

Question - your axle/wheel design on the boxcars, how do the wheels spin?  I see a lightsaber axle in between two 1x1 plates with vertical round clips, and the wheels attach to the axle?  

rip

Quote by: Ted Godwin

Love the train. The cars are especially well done. But the true story really makes this special. Thanks.

This sort of thing would make a great article for BrickJournal or RailBricks.

Thanks. It's one of my favorite railroad stories. And I have been thinking of doing a Railbricks article on it.

Quote by: Mike Ripley

 That is freakin' incredible!!  

 

Question - your axle/wheel design on the boxcars, how do the wheels spin?  I see a lightsaber axle in between two 1x1 plates with vertical round clips, and the wheels attach to the axle?  

rip

 

Thanks Mike. The instructions for the passenger trucks can be found here. The technique for the axles is the same one I use for my freight trucks. I did an article for the freight one for RailBricks #1.

So is that flex tube you use for the axles?

rip

Quote by: Mike Ripley

So is that flex tube you use for the axles?

 

rip

 

1/8 inch Brass or Aluminium Tube. Flex tubing is a bit too tight for a free rolling axle.