3rd Rail Rock Island Rocket

I've been wanting to do this for a while. Quickly after 3rd Rail announced this project back in September 2016, I jumped on board and provided the consulting and research all the way to the final days of production. For this opportunity I'll be forever grateful to Scott. Suffice it to say, this was a dream project for me as well as a dream set for many. I can't go through it all, but I'll try to capture the level of depth we were able to reach with this project. It was a lot, and I don't think it'll ever be matched in our scale. The added complexity of the project came from the fact that the TA is an obscure and unique engine, and that 3rd Rail would be importing the entire Rocket trains. Each train was assigned a TA engine and each had a unique string of cars with individual names and numbers. This was all imported correctly. Yes, the star of the show is the TA engine. Completely made of brass, the engine reflects some of the most intricate and unique details of the prototype. Some counter-intuitive historical details include a single builders plate on the engineer side, asymmetrical and operational roof vents, correctly placed emblem screws, correctly placed body frame bars behind windows, correct TA skirt height slightly higher than the Budd car's skirt, correct yellow Rock Island emblem, separately applied speed trimming with correct screw size and spacing, and many more.

The cars feature correct plans and an extremely well done finish for extruded aluminum technology... I should document them...

Some images with my Key E6 Rocket, also a perfect match for the cars....

Oddly enough there were more discrepancies with the Key model, but Key doesn't seem to get as much criticism on this forum as other importers. It is what it is and I love them both, for similar and different reasons.

Below, my Key E1 and her cousin 3rd rail TA rest for some beauty shots.... A fine homage to Knickerbocker's genius.