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Ugliest locomotive?


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Steam "dummies" were commonplace on North American city streets around the turn of the 20th century and its first two decades as a replacement for horse-drawn trams (aka streetcars). They were small steam engines disguised as tram cars and the connecting rods and valve gear were frequently hidden under wooden skirts according to the idea that the motion frightened the horses that they shared the street with.

 

I'm not sure why New York's 11th Avenue had such a fearsome reputation at a time when, as you say, street running of even main lines was common practice in N. America. I think it may have been the large number of freight trains - possibly not air braked at that time- running every few minutes on a crowded street in a densely populated part of New York. It still goes on of course and I believe the busiest nowadays- unless it's been separated in the past couple of years- is Union Pacific's double track main line down Embarcadero Street in downtown Oakland California. That also carries Amtrak passenger trains so looks well worth seeing.

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I would like to nominate the SNCF 150 hp railcars of X5500 etc class here http://trainpolygonal.free.fr/AutorSNCF.htm. Note the wheel arrangement and the unattractive blank nose, due to the driver being up on the roof. Hasn't stopped me ordering one, though, in the original ruby red and pearl grey livery, from Rail87!

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I would like to nominate the SNCF 150 hp railcars of X5500 etc class here http://trainpolygona...r/AutorSNCF.htm. Note the wheel arrangement and the unattractive blank nose, due to the driver being up on the roof. Hasn't stopped me ordering one, though, in the original ruby red and pearl grey livery, from Rail87!

 

Yes, that is ugly. I take it there were no tunnels/bridges over the line - the driver would have to duck to avoid icicles.

 

:sungum:

 

Kevin Martin

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I would like to nominate the SNCF 150 hp railcars of X5500 etc class here http://trainpolygona...r/AutorSNCF.htm. Note the wheel arrangement and the unattractive blank nose, due to the driver being up on the roof. Hasn't stopped me ordering one, though, in the original ruby red and pearl grey livery, from Rail87!

 

Good grief, that is hideous!! Kind of a caravanette for (French) railway drivers! Oooh, la-la - NON! It certainly DOES have that je ne sais quoi!!!

 

Jeff

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Guest Natalie Graham

I would like to nominate the SNCF 150 hp railcars of X5500 etc class here http://trainpolygona...r/AutorSNCF.htm. Note the wheel arrangement and the unattractive blank nose, due to the driver being up on the roof. Hasn't stopped me ordering one, though, in the original ruby red and pearl grey livery, from Rail87!

 

I like that one, it's like a little face on the front. It looks quite friendly. I think it would be quite upset to have people calling it ugly.

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Has to be the EMD BL2

 

BAR54.JPG

 

 

 

Closely followed by this. Ex Santa Fe F unit rebuild.

 

6000334585_59a84b71ce_z.jpg

 

These would frighten a police horse !!

 

Brit15

How can you not like the BL2? It looks like a sad dog, you have to feel sorry for it.

I'll grant you the BAR circus colours didn't do much for it, but it was pretty sharp in the original scheme

post-277-0-30037800-1337741541_thumb.jpg

Pay no attention to the ties in the foreground, bit of whimsical trackwork at Northern Maine Jct.

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Came across this monster in 2009 in a capital city in europe...

 

Its a lot more awful in real life!

Some of these were in a red and dull grey - they, at least looked a little better.

 

Kev.

post-12815-0-70649500-1338207924_thumb.jpg

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Seems that the "new" Class 70 is winning on the diesel front, but the choice of livery may be part of the problem. Freightliner use a livery of flowing curves on a locomotive with straight lines and sharp angles. If a livery (even with the same colours) more sympathetic to the shape had been used it may have improved the looks.....

 

 

...check out the difference in looks of a 90 or 86 in the same livery

 

Look at CJMs fantasy Freightliner livery on a Mehano Blue Tiger. If that had been used on the 70 the results may not have been so bad

 

es Grüßt Euch

PC

 

http://cjmmodels.co....als_mehano.html

 

Nope, still looks ugly.

 

 

Kevin Martin

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Hi All,

 

I love the silver monstrosity posted by Kev there in post 152. I think it must have happened like this:

 

The designer, stuck for inspiration, walked into the Natural History Museum looking for styling cues and got lost on his way to the birds section where he was intending to go. In his increasingly futile wanderings, he ended up in dinosaurs. Getting ever more lost, he suddenly came face to face with the skull of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. It was here, in a moment of shock and awe, that he had his eureka moment...

 

All the best,

 

Castle

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