4-8-8-4 Big Boy Locomotive

thingiverse

The mammoth 4-8-8-4 Big Boy model, an iconic American steam locomotive of Union Pacific Railroad from the '40s to the '60s, was a special project by MakerBot testing 3D print boundaries. Skillfully crafted and assembled by Paul Fischer, this intricate masterpiece took around 1700 hours in total - 700-800 for design and another 1000 for printing on a MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer. The completed locomotive measures an impressive six feet in length. Undeniably, this isn't a project for the faint-hearted or those pressed for time! For assembly instructions, refer to the "Big Boy' Assembly" guide found under the Files section. It should be noted that sanding will be necessary to fit pieces together, depending on how many shells you use in MakerWare. The parts were intentionally designed without tolerances, thus requiring sanding for a perfect fit. Additionally, it is likely that pieces may need re-plating in MakerWare prior to printing.