The first idea for this MOC, I had in May 2020. Now it is done and it is made of 100% Lego® parts.
The BR250 is an electric locomotive of the „heavy duty“ class. Means, it was used on long and heavy cargo trains, but also on Passenger trains, for example the Staedte-Express (City-Express). I build the version of the Deutsche Reichsbahn, the railway where it was originally in operation. Maybe you recognize it already: I have a fable for train vehicles of the German Reich Railways. Why? Maybe because I grow up in East-Germany and these trains were always around me. Anyway. It was just a question of time before I “stumbled across” the BR250.
In the beginning I thought: Great, it will be easy, red box – done. But the more I was looking into the details of this „red box“, the more I became aware of the complexity. From the bevelled corners to the 3-axle bogies until the complex roof structures - the dimensions became apparent bit by bit. And only shortly before the end did I even realize: I'm building an electric locomotive. An electric locomotive needs a pantograph! Filigree, flexible and that with Lego®? Well then…
The original is a mighty thing, and this is also reflected in the Lego® model. The "monster" is 55.1 studs long, 8 studs wide (9.4 with door handles), 13.9 studs high and its proportions should come very close to the original. The MOC weighs 1,138 grams (with two 9-volt train motors), consists of approximately 1,500 parts (depends on the variant - with or without motor, with or without RC) and is fully able to pass curves and turnouts (which is my minimum requirement for a train model made of Lego® bricks).
Cornering in the tight Lego radii are of course visually borderline, but technically possible, even in these dimensions.
Normally, the Lego® train motor housing (part number 590) gives very limited possibilities for detailed bogies. But I think, I did a quite good job. Compared with the non-motorized version, it is a compromise but a good one.
The original BR250 has 3-axle bogies, whereby the middle axle can be moved to make cornering easier. In Lego®, I designed a bogie with a movable middle axle (for my BR118), but the BR250 has immensely long bogies and I couldn't get the concept out in a stable version. So that the long bogies in Lego® work, the third axle is a movable drag axle.
Otherwise I tried to include all relevant and striking details. The pantographs are not movable. I couldn't manage it either, so it looks aesthetically good and there are no overhead lines in Lego® anyway.
I build the driver cabin in the front and rear but there are no other interiors. The long grille at the sides and the roof were more important for me than the interior and both – roof and grille – need some advanced supporting structures to get them where they are.
Video:
I provide a detailed step-by-step building instruction. At the end of it, you find an overview of all needed parts.
A print-ready sticker sheet is available too (in case the model contains stickers). I provide it in the widely used PDF-format in high-resolution and print-ready.
Furthermore, I provide the parts list in Excel format. This makes it easy to filter out needed parts and create order lists.
Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any damages or injury on parts and humans happen while following my instructions. Everything you do is your responsibility and under your personal risk.
Link to the instruction and sticker files:
Link to more pictures of the model:
Note:
I re-designed the model already, because this one was too short in comparison to other locomotives. I still keep it here, because the model has a the better length when it come to the tight R40 radii. The re-designed longer version of the BR250 (version 2) can pass R40 as well, but it looks a bit weird due to the huge overhang in the curves.
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