How to Draw Diesel Engines in 7 Steps

Diesel engines thunder down the track on railroads throughout the world. Learn to draw these workhorse engines using the step-by-step instructions on this page.

In this section, we'll show you how to draw the above diesel engine. Either draw it freehand while looking at your computer monitor or print out this page to get a closer look at each step.

Follow the red lines in each illustration to learn exactly what to draw in that step. The lines drawn in previous steps are shown in gray. Here, we'll show you an illustration of each step and then give you a description of how to draw it.

Ready to get started? Check out the next page for the first step.

Contents

Draw the Body and Wheels
Draw the Wheel Guards
Add Detail to the Body
Draw Windows for the Cab
Add a Door and More Windows
Draw a Ladder and Upper Windows
Add the Final Touches

1. Draw the Body and Wheels

Draw a long, rounded train shape for the main body of the engine. Add six wheels, four toward the front and two toward the back.

On the next page, we'll add the wheel guards.

2. Draw the Wheel Guards

Sketch a slanted rectangle with an angled shape below it to create the wheel guard at the front of the car. Create the rear bottom part of the car with an angular form by the back wheels.

We'll work on adding detail to the body on the next page.

3. Add Detail to the Body

Draw a big, fat lightning bolt along the length of the car. Add some stacked long, thin rectangles for the windows.

Up next, we'll work on drawing the windows for the cab.

4. Draw Windows for the Cab

Draw three square shapes for the main cab windows. Add geometric shapes such as the ones shown along the lower edge of the cab. These shapes should partly cover the wheels.

On the next page, we'll add a door and more windows.

5. Add a Door and More Windows

Draw four round windows on the side of the car. Add a door in the center and a couple small rectangular hatches near the front. Sketch a fat, squatty cylinder for a light on the hood.

Next, we'll add a ladder and upper windows.

6. Draw a Ladder and Upper Windows

Use rectangles and straight vertical lines to create the two upper windows. Sketch a large ladder in the center door. Draw lines on the front of the train and a small oval in the hatch to add detail. Add a coupling hook (shaped like the end of a wrench) to the back of the engine.

Up next we'll find out how to add the final touches.

7. Add the Final Touches

Trace the pencil lines you want to keep with a felt-tip pen. Erase any extra lines. All aboard! Now that you've mastered our train-drawing techniques, you can draw any train configurations your imagination can dream up.

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