@DeVOID, thanks for good opinion. Regarding the tender, there is actually one designed for this locomotive (or more precisely its arted-up version) by Baron Bradders: https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1622205046 .

This has to be one of my favourite designs, I love the no frills attitude of this loco.
No big cow catcher, no fancy funnels or spark arrestors, not even a tender (though I probably should use one).
Simple, powerful, and probably as few mods as possible.
Also I was having issues with not being able to haul heavy loads up any kind of grade, until I figured out how to weight the loco. Now I'm managing to haul a whopping 500t (total consist weight) up a 6% grade! That's still only about 120t of actual stone, but I can't complain.
Nice work mate!

Blueprint updated to 0.7

Ok, comment again when you done (notification will show up).

I am planning to update it over the weekend. Unfortunately it is an old (for a rail construction in ME) model and requires quite a few upgrades.

It is possible to you update blueprint? because game don't allowing it to paste in world.

Update: added protection of the wheels by external rope eye plates, which allows to safely use the suspension rope stabilization and increases the maximal speed to about 70km/h.

@AIXS: This is actually a creative copy of my survival world. At present it is a mess, with a lot of unfinished constructions and rail lines built half way and leading to nowhere. I would need to clean it up a bit and tidy up lines before eventual upload.

Updated the blueprint adding the hooks for rope stabilization of the suspension. It reduces a jumping practically to a shaking but causes an extreme wear on the wheels, thus it should be used with extreme caution (or not at all - it is ok to leave the hooks not connected).

@Baron: Just use a browser. I have also not installed any specific app for the discord yet.

@onca77
Sadly I cannot get discord for this PC (I am trying to though)
I have tried to create a steam group chat though with all 4 of us plus I have uploaded the blueprints for the design; I hope you like it! :D

Hey, do you have the world which you made the pictures in? Could you maybe upload it to the workshop?

@Baron: As Johnbeere advised, maybe the discord will be the best place to share ideas? Also, if you altered the blueprint significantly feel free to post it.

Upgraded the suspension adding a cpuple more catch blocks to prevent the bogie pitching when the locomotive is fully weighted down (100T) for hauling cargo over 220T. This also decreases jumping a bit (while it does not eliminate it it makes it comparable to what you may experience in real life on not so well maintanied local lines).

@onca77 Of course! I mean I have no idea how I'd show you on this discussion but I mean if I can add you as a friend, I'm sure I can send you images via the chat. Or even better; I could just let you join my map and see it for yourself. :)
(I personally believe that the changes I made to it makes it just look that bit more like a real loco! :D )

@FifthPegasus: Honestly, I was not using any particular model. It was difficult enough for me to get some design working under the constraints imposed by the performance and size requirements and by the limitations of what one can do with SE blocks (even with mods). Modelling it after a specific real life locomotive would be too much for me. I've just looked up J611 in wiki and wish SE/ME offered possibility to even remotely approach the beauty of this machine.

@Johnbeere: WOW I am amazed (and grateful to both Peaceman and you)! It is very nice of Peaceman that he agreed to expand his mod just so we can 'bastardize' parts of his bombard for crazy rail contraptions :) BTW, my entire adventure with these designs started because one day he decided to nerf his propellers :D

@Baron: Great! I am curious as to what the changes were. Are you going to post it? As to a tender: sure, but as far as ME engineering is concerned it would be just another wagon. In Johnbeere's designs it was an integral part of the locomotive because it was a way to 'hide' a rear guiding bogie. This is not needed here.

@Xaerthus: The reason for why I wanted to keep under 10 block's width is that, if the train fits comfortably within 1 large block gap it is possible to build the entire train station just of the large blocks (by using half block mod). This helps greatly in keeping block count in check when designing large stations and allows to avoid the risk of small grids coming loose (which unfortunately happens from time to time).

@Xaerthus: As for this blueprint, I will either look up the new wheels or make a combined design doubling just half of the wheels (probably external) so I can keep transmission inside. I understand that you are testing the big wheels? In that case I suppose that one pair (axle) per engine would be a prudent choice (in my earlier tests the small engines were not even able to move the big wheels).

@Xaerthus: I agree that 10 is pretty OK for rail. IRL even the 'narrow' designs are more than 2.5 wide. I may decide to post a separate 'wide' blueprint if the testing shows really significant improvement of performance. Using big wheels (or the new ones) may be a good idea. Larger diameter means at least higher speed. The challenge is to fit the engine in the gap remaining and not make the design too high. Feel free to take from my design whatever you consider useful, especially that I 'borrowed' quite a few ideas from yours. I am curious of what you will design. I also plan to look up the new wheels (also the large ones) but most likely not much will be done before the weekend.

So, he's added the wheel sizes. Check them out when you get a chance.

You would not have modeld this after the J611 Steam Locomotive would you?

Also, if you're not in the Keen Discord, you should consider joining it. I post everything I design there and that's the best place to communicate with me.

@onca77 @Xaerthus I'm having Peaceman add more bombard cannon wheel sizes, they should be useful for locomotives. I'll also have thin variants of the largest wheels made.

@onca77, @Xaerthus and @Johnbeere;
Honestly? I think all three of you need to team up on a server and make the steam revolution; you'd be unstoppable!!! :D

@onca77,
I love this design; it's big, powerful and it just looks the part!
I have made SOME alterations to it but only aesthetic stuff so it looks even better :P
Mechanically the only thing I don't like about it is that it bounces about a little which is an issue for me but from reading the comments, I kinda understand why.
Oh; also it needs a tender; don't care, it needs one :P

@onca77 In my personal opinion, wide is not bad. The tracks are 10 blocks wide and there is plenty more room in trenches. The only reason I did the wheels so close together in my design is for them to appear as driving on the tracks.

For a long time I have thought about using the big wheels from the bombard mod (that was even my original plan, I just later changed to the middle ones for appearance). They are wider and bigger, so it should theoretically increase traction and possible max speed. May I try doing some testing on ur design? I like the suspension and overall design very much :)

@Xaerthus, thank you for your kind words but not yet. For example I just realised that the only way of getting rid of this crazy jumping at high speed is to double up on wheels, which unfortunately would make the loco almost 10 blocks wide. Anyway this was an incremental work using many of your desing elements, thus (I feel) this desing is in not insignificant part yours.

You said one time, that coming up with a better design than mine would be a challenge. Well, I have to admit happily, that you have mastered that challenge ;)

@Johnbeere, it mas mostly a 'child of necessity' as I ended up with too steep lines on some 'scenic' mountain pass lines and did not want to spend hours redoing the tunnels. BTW, very clever idea of hiding a rear guiding bogie as a tender in your design.

Very nice, a shame that you can't get it to look reasonably good at the proper size, or else I would've made a 4-8-4 already.

rails and inovation!