Starting the Reading : Rigging the G-1sa

 The main goal of a train is to move passengers or freight. My goal on October 10th, 2021, was to get my G-1sa steam locomotive able to move in Roblox. In Roblox, you have a series of constraints you can use to link together moving parts. These include but are not limited to Hinge, Ball and Socket, and Ropes/Rods. I began by researching what type of valve gear, or how the rods worked, on the G-1sa. 

I found that the G-1sa used Walschaerts Valve Gear, a common type of valve gear for this type of steam locomotive. 

(Walschaerts Valve Gear in action)

I began with using hinges to connect the wheels to the axles, and the main rod to the three driving wheels. I then connected the connecting rod (the rod that goes to the crosshead) to the crosshead (the part that pushes into the main piston.) This was the outcome (the white on the wheels is a guide so I know the center of the wheel.) 

(Starting Valve Gear)

Since this worked, I continued with creating the rest of the valve gear. This was the final outcome of it, which worked perfectly. 

(Final Valve Gear)

The next step in the process would be to get the locomotive itself moving, which was a very easy task as I already had a system for it that I scripted. This used a force built into Roblox to propel the locomotive forward, as the wheels used friction to drag across the ground and move themselves. This was the outcome of putting the system onto the locomotive.

(Valve Gear + Moving System in action)

The overall "base" of the G-1sa was complete at this point, and all that was left to do was to do the scripting for functions of the steam locomotive. However, this will come later, as it is not that important at the moment. The next thing to do was to create rollingstock, or things the locomotive could pull, such as coaches.