This is something new BMR is piloting, interviews with builders of exceptional MOCs. Provided there are enough new builds, we hope to have several of these every month.

The builder for our first interview is 19-year-old Zach Reynolds.

BMR: Tell us a little more about the build. How long did it take? Estimated piece count?

Zach: The Spirit of the Union Pacific is the 16th commemorative locomotive that Union Pacific has released. This MOC is 60 studs long and 8 studs wide. I worked on it in my spare time for about 5 months. I’m not really sure on the piece count, as there were a lot of small pieces used on it.

It’s currently a project on LEGO Ideas, titled “Spirit of the Union Pacific”. You can see more pictures here: https://ideas.lego.com/projects/a09ac4b2-cf3e-4476-8b13-b9324d3f82a2

You can also follow Zach on Twitter Instagram or Facebook

BMR: What inspired you to build this particular locomotive?

Zach: My brother came across a picture of this locomotive and the minute I saw it, I knew I had to build it. I was intrigued with the color scheme and wanted to include as much detail as possible, including the brick-built camo and stripes.

BMR: Is it powered?

Zach: Yes. It has two LEGO train motors and the receiver is hidden behind the windows in the cab.

BMR: What is your build process? Do you use some form of digital design program?

Zach: My building process is pretty much trial and error. I never use any design programs in my MOCs. I tried it once and didn’t care for the fact that I couldn’t get a feel for how the bricks interact with each other in real life. Normally I build my trains from the front to the back, but since I wasn’t quite sure how I’d do the stripes, I decided to start at the back for this locomotive.

BMR: What was the hardest bit to get right?

Zach: By far, the camo on the back was the hardest. Since it was built like a mosaic, it took longer than I expected. I worked on the camo for about a month or so, until I was happy with the end result. I was meticulous in wanting to get this part of the design as close as possible to the pattern on the actual train.

BMR: What’s your favorite detail that other people might not notice?

Zach: Some may not notice that the red, white and blue stripes are mostly brick-built.

BMR: What’s next?

Zach: I may make a couple of complimentary train cars for exhibiting at shows with my LUG, WamaLTC. I’m also working on a Virginia Tech MOC that I’ll soon be posting on LEGO Ideas.

BMR: What’s best? Steam or diesel?

Zach: That would be like choosing a favorite child. I love them both. I typically build diesel because they come more naturally to me and are easier to build. However, I love the history behind steam engines, the way they look, and the challenge of building them. (Ed: I’m pretty sure this whole paragraph is a typo and Zach meant to wholeheartadly elect diesel, but I’m going to leave it in).