Overrated/Underrated

[RudyRockvilleMD]

The January, 2004 issue of Trains contained the opinions of what was overrated or underrated in railroading. Opinions of what is overrated or underrated can be subjective, objective, or based on personal
experience.

When the opinions are subjective there are no experts. For example, diesel looks are always highly subjective, and contrary to Ed King, no diesel cab unit is overrated. I like them all regardless who built them.
Train watching spots can also be subjective, but since I have never been to Bill, WY I don’t know whether it is overrated or underrated. Nevertheless I agree with David Ingles the Midwest has many underrated train watching locations - especially in the upper Mississippi Valley. There was a photograph of Granddad Bluff in LaCrosse, WI in his article; I have been there, but I don’t think it is a good place to watch or photograph trains since you can’t see the tracks or the trains for the trees.

The opinions of experts can be objective when their judgments are based on meeting set criteria; some examples. Fred Frailey’s evaluation of John Snow’s performance as a railroad CEO was objective in that he
pointed out some of his bad financial decisions although the article seemed to be somewhat of a personal attack or a hatchet job on John Snow. But, what Fred Frailey didn’t mention was the FRA was highly critical of CSX‘s safety record during John Snow’s watch, and John Snow was not aware of the existence of any safety concerns. However, John Snow has plenty of runners-up for the title of overrated railroad CEO’s in some of the presidents of Amtrak.

F.H. Howard’s evaluation of steam locomotives was objective in the sense he rated them on their ability to perform; he found the Erie’s Triplexes were overrated because size not withstanding, their performance did
not live up to expectations; but after reading about their lack of performance you have to wonder why the Erie’s Triplexes lasted so long. The Pennsylvania’s T1’s were more contemporary examples of highly
overrated steam locomotives.

Considering railroad innovation the streamliner may not be as overrated as Jim McClellan claims although I agree in this age of heavier trains welded rail is an underrated innovation of which the public may
not normally be aware because track is something they take for granted. However, one still cannot dismiss the streamliner as an overrated innovation because it was the impetus for the more widespread use of diesel
locomotives, which not only made train travel more attractive, it paved the way for the use of a more productive form of motive power. But as Don Phillips pointed out in evaluating trains it is also necessary to consider the era when evaluating anything.

Ratings can be based on personal experience, and when that happens even the so called experts can be wrong. For example, based on my experiences with both the railroads in Great Britain and France Ed Ellis is
wrong. My experiences with the train operating companies in Great Britain - in 2000 and 2002 - makes me believe their privatization so far is a colossal failure. I experienced overcrowded trains, late trains, and stations where the staff didn’t know which trains were running. Railroad stations in Great Britain frequently serve morethan one train operating company, and if it is staffed by one train operating company, the staff may only know about the trains of their own operating company and nothing about the trains of the other train operating
companies,

This was a first ever overrated/underrated survey in Trains, and if it is repeated, the Trains editorial staff should select the items for evaluation, and the readers should be asked whether those items are overrated or
underrated.

[Anonymous]

I agree they should ask us first

DOGGY

[Anonymous]

I have problems with a lot of these comparisons of steam locomotives. Steam was custom built for very specific applications. The Erie Triplexes lasted so long because they were very successful at the job for which they were designed. That is being the helper engine on a steep but relatively short grade. No, they didn't have the steam for a 100 mile run, but they didn't need it. Erie wanted a locomotive with a lot of tractive effort for short periods of time. They got exactly that in the Triplex. Erie kept them running because they worked.

And who is to say that the Big Boy was a better locomotive than the B&O dockside. Sure the dockside cannot pull a 100+ car train up Sherman Hill, but neither can the Big Boy travel around a 100 foot radius curve and safely go out on the docks. Does that mean that both were failures? Were both were "Overrated"? Hardly, they were each very successful in different applications.

[Anonymous]

If it's flanges are anywhere from 2ft apart to 4ft8.5inches apart and couples with other various cars by means of a big metal coupler.... IT'S O.K. IN MY BOOK!! who cares what "so called" experts think!!

[METRO]

I love the so-called ugly locomotives, P40s, the GMD1, U boats, and the BL2 are some of my favorite units! I say who cares who likes what? To each their own and may they enjoy it.

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

The fact that overrated/underrated is so subjective is what makes it so enjoyable. All of the opinions that were stated in TRAINS were supported by various data so I learned a few things along the way.

At the risk of going out on a limb, I would venture to say that the problem with some steam locomotive designs wasn't so much bad design as misuse. The example most commonly stated in this case is the C&O Allegheny but I'm sure that there were others.

[espeefoamer]

[;)]Cajon Pass is overrated.It couln't be that great.SP didn't operate over the pass until 1967![;)][;)][;)]