While waiting on the very last few small Millennium Falcon greeblies, I decided to try my hand at the Conveyex 20-T transport monorail engines to complement the Falcon SeaLand container freight load. There are a few artist pictures on the internet that are sufficiently detailed. Lower locomotive has most of its armor on with detailed fittings to follow. Side gun turrets are a mock-up to figure out rotation and elevation. Same with the front wheel. A Centurion tank model supplied the correct width of tread, sprocket, & idler wheels. S gauge American Flyer track with rail car truck wheels bellow permit free friction movement of the tread. Plan is for a train motor for movement or obtaining more tread installed with a battery operated micro motor and drive gear like my Falcon uses for its operating features.
Some challenges for operation remain. Top and bottom mono rail design will use I-beam or side channels on both sides of track like the Star Wars mono rail design. Bottom engine and its “box car” will have to be hung statically for display. No practical method there. Top locomotive can move easily. It is very top heavy, but it and its transport car tilting is restrained by the right angle fittings that slide in the side channel groves. Top and bottom monorail tracks can be supported by cantilever posts off of a wall similar the Vandor mountains in the movie. Below are a couple of initial construction pictures.
Some challenges for operation remain. Top and bottom mono rail design will use I-beam or side channels on both sides of track like the Star Wars mono rail design. Bottom engine and its “box car” will have to be hung statically for display. No practical method there. Top locomotive can move easily. It is very top heavy, but it and its transport car tilting is restrained by the right angle fittings that slide in the side channel groves. Top and bottom monorail tracks can be supported by cantilever posts off of a wall similar the Vandor mountains in the movie. Below are a couple of initial construction pictures.
