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Best looking locomotive


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steam= Peckett works No 2150 "Mardy Monster" (elsecar heritage railway)

 

OQ Peckett,ungainly long body, for a 0-6-0T, on a short wheelbase, spent a time at Swanage where it was tried out a couple of times, and picked up a bad name as a track smasher, either because it 'rocked & rolled' all over the place, or the crews just didn't know how to handle it (?), so it was side-lined to sell on.

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Steam - I'm another Castle fan. Simple lines and no extra pipes needed that look like they were added on after the engine had been built.

Diesel - Its really close between 33, Western and Hymek, but for me the Hymek gets it just because it was the first engine I ever owned as a kid.

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GWR Castle get my vote.

A Castle..... is there any point in going on with this thread? :D

Great Western 4-6-0s : a wonderful outline with that tapered boiler, particularly the Halls, Granges and Castles, which I'd wager are better proportioned overall than the Manors and Kings.

Castle for me

Steam - I'm another Castle fan. Simple lines and no extra pipes needed that look like they were added on after the engine had been built.

Churchward's 4-6-0 designs set the standard 'look' for British express steam locomotives. The Collett-designed Castle (just to make sure no one is confused about which Castle ;) ) is the pinnacle of this design ethos.

 

I do have to confess a fondness for the industrial design aspect of streamliners, including the semi-streamliners. I've had plenty of opportunity to see this one up close and personal (it is magnificent even if you don't like red and orange) and I love the art deco look of this one.

 

The late 1930s where whole trains, including locomotives were designed as a coherent entity with streamlining is my ideal as "best looking". A short list of examples includes:

  • LNER Coronation
  • LMSR Coronation Scot
  • NYC 20th Century Limited
  • VR Sprit of Progress
  • SP Daylight

Edited by Ozexpatriate
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WD 2-8-0 and 2-10-0. !00% functional and no frills. Mick.

 

No.90733 (Ex MOS [Austerity] WD 2-8-0), Keighley, KWVR, 6.10.2006

post-7286-0-72491900-1335806350_thumb.jpg

 

I'm glad somebody spoke up for the "Austerities" (Riddles's name for them). Haresnape commented: "The appearance of the 'Austerity' design was surprisingly neat and did not offend the eye, despite the complete lack of ornamentation..." No apologies for the three-quarter rear view - I rather like the occasional shot of this kind; it seems to give a certain poise to an engine raring to go.

Edited by bluebottle
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My vote goes to the HST, power car or full train. Either of the 3 BR liveries will do. Unfortunatly, the companies who still use them seem hell bent on wrecking the front end by fitting those horrid lights

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No.90733 (Ex MOS [Austerity] WD 2-8-0), Keighley, KWVR, 6.10.2006

post-7286-0-72491900-1335806350_thumb.jpg

 

I'm glad somebody spoke up for the "Austerities" (Riddles's name for them). Haresnape commented: "The appearance of the 'Austerity' design was surprisingly neat and did not offend the eye, despite the complete lack of ornamentation..." No apologies for the three-quarter rear view - I rather like the occasional shot of this kind; it seems to give a certain poise to an engine raring to go.

Yes indeed an "Austerity" I was unsure of the spelling, so I went for "WD", certainly "Austerity" was the name used by all local engine and railwaymen.

Wonderfull picture, apart from the number almost timeless. Mick.

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Is there a criteria for beauty, I wonder? Many people would agree Mona Lisa - the subject of the famous painting - is not necessarily beautiful, but the careful, detailed brush strokes which make up the whole, are.

 

The WD, for instance, strikes me as handsome because it has a certain elegance in its austerity. Clean, clear lines throughout. But is it beautiful?

 

What is the criteria for beauty?

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Is there a criteria for beauty, I wonder? Many people would agree Mona Lisa - the subject of the famous painting - is not necessarily beautiful, but the careful, detailed brush strokes which make up the whole, are.

 

The WD, for instance, strikes me as handsome because it has a certain elegance in its austerity. Clean, clear lines throughout. But is it beautiful?

 

What is the criteria for beauty?

 

But the thread is best looking not most beautiful.

I think the Q1 is among the best looking loco's, but certainly not beautiful. Anyway, what about Andre Chapelon's 242 A1 ?

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I would drive down to my local mainline station to see :- LNER Thompson A2/2 or A2/3 Pacific. NER D20 4-4-0. LNWR 'Prince of Wales' 4-6-0. LMS Compound. LMS parallel boiler 'Royal Scot'. Fowler 7F 0-8-0. LMS Beyer-Garratt. Any of the large green passenger GCR Robinson 4-6-0's.

 

But I would be encouraged to travel to a preserved branchline to see:- Fowler 3MT 2-6-2T. LYR 3F 'A' class 0-6-0. MR Johnson 0-4-4T. LNWR 5' 6" 2-4-2T. And yes, I do consider all these to be best looking.

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I was always drawn as a child to what was described in a book(I think an OS Nock book called Railways, the years of pre-eminence) as "Golsdorf's masterpiece", a 2-6-4 tender engine built for the Austrian Imperial railwway. A quick scout on google bought up class 310 as a better description.

 

I've always thought the Schools Class had a certain power and impressiveness about them - especially before being fitted with smoke deflectors.

 

EDIT: typo

Edited by The Lurker
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I don't think many loco crews would vote for the WD.

 

Dreadful to work on and very bad riders when due for shopping.

 

Most loco men I know (outside of the SR, ER and WR) loved the Black 5's.

 

Jack

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It would be intresting to see one of these painted in mid-crome green.

Regards 81C

 

Why would anyone want a heavy freight locomotive green of any shade? OK 92220 was done so for special reasons, but by the nature of their work, they weren't going the attention required to keep clean.

 

 

Kevin Martin

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Why would anyone want a heavy freight locomotive green of any shade? OK 92220 was done so for special reasons, but by the nature of their work, they weren't going the attention required to keep clean.

 

 

Kevin Martin

 

In fairness, the 47xx class had full lined green and the late BR emblem in their later years. I understand they took over some portions of express traffic in addition to their traditional heavy freight role.

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post-9016-0-62415000-1335764511_thumb.jpg

 

Pennsylvania T1 (yet again).

Non-articulated duplex.

 

The spirit of "SUPERMAN" in steam.....

.... how about this from 1914, a Pennsy K4 Pacific?

berkprint10.jpg

 

Ignoring the differences due to size of loading gauge and size of host country, if you remove the sand dome, pilot ("cow catcher") and the feedwater heater, it is not a lot different, really, is it - a Belpaire firebox, taper boiler 2-cylinder pacifc.

For diesels, the PRR Baldwins were quite nice:

 

http://en.wikipedia....5_Sharknose.jpg

If we're going Pennsy (and I do like those choices, particularly the T1), surely the GG1 has to get an honourable mention?

 

They look fast and powerful, and they were exactly that.

 

But most importantly they were unstoppable and had a service life spanning 48 years.

 

Here's Lowey himself in a publicity shot with a new GG1.

Edited by Ozexpatriate
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I just love 'em all, (except boxes). As long as steam comes out of the chimney I think they're beautiful, but if push came to shove, there's nothing like success to prove the point, so my vote goes to 'Mallard'.

 

JE

Edited by Belgian
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If we're going Pennsy (and I do like those choices, particularly the T1), surely the GG1 has to get an honourable mention?

 

They look fast and powerful, and they were exactly that.

 

But most importantly they were unstoppable and had a service life spanning 48 years.

 

The only exception to them being 'unstoppable' was the year that they found the 'wrong type of snow' would get through the filters and into the electrics...

 

They were a very elegant loco in brunswick green (PRR's take on this was almost black) with the five gold stripes. It set off a rake of tuscan (or two-tone Fleet of Modernism tuscan) coaches very well. The E7s and E8s in the same livery were similarly elegant. The later liveries were not so nice, although the tuscan 5-stripe GG1s went well with the stainless coaches of the clockers (hourly New York to Washington trains).

 

Adrian

Edited by Adrian Wintle
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I just love 'em all, (except boxes). As long as steam comes out of the chimney I think they're beautiful, but if push came to shove, there's nothing like success to prove the point, so my vote goes to 'Mallard'.

 

JE

 

If you want success then the aforementioned PRR K4 has to be up there, 425 built from 1914, with some still in revenue service at the end of steam in 1957.

 

Adrian

Edited by Adrian Wintle
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In line with the fact that I have never had an original thought in my life (60 and counting) then it is almost pointless for me to respond but here they are (UK only):

 

Steam: Original Gresley P2 2-8-2, Original Bulleid Merchant Navy (i.e. as built 1941 condition) and Riddles Britannia

 

Diesel: Western, Warship and Hymek. All in original liveries (GSYE/MSYE) and definitely, absolutely and totally no full yellow end.

 

David

Edited by DavidLong
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