Best Steam Locomotive

[favuprailroadfan]

Its poll time again. Lets who likes the old style railroading. Tell me what you think which railroad had the best steam loco's. Mine personally is the UP Big Boy. If you have ever saw one in person, you would probably think the same thing. These things are absolutly huge. How can you compare anything with there 1.2 million pound behemoth of an engine pulling a record freight up Sherman Hill. Tell me what yo think.
Your input is appreciated.

Thanks, Dru

[Anonymous]

My favorite steam locomotives were the Western Maryland Challengers and the Chesapeake and Ohio Alleghenies.-Tyler

[BRAKIE]

Well,I will start,for me the C&O G8/G9 2-8-0. Then the C&O 2-6-6-6.followed by the PRR K4s.Then the N&W 4-8-0.I know you ask for one but I couldn't contain myself.But, the best road would have to be the C&O for steam.

[Anonymous]

My favorite steam locomotives are the Western Maryland Challengers and the Chesapeake and Ohio Alleghanies.

[Saxman]

Nickel Plate Berkshires!

[thirdrail1]

It all depends on what you mean by "best". From an operating standpoint, Norfolk & Western had the "best", a "troika" of "A", "J", and Y6b", capable of doing every road haul job on the railroad at maximum efficiency and availability. From an engineering standpoint, the most modern, and most powerful in horsepower, was the PRR Q2 4-4-6-4 duplex. For looks, I'd vote for a PRR M1a with coast-to-coast tender and passenger paint with striping.

[BRAKIE]

Terry, How in the world did I miss my favorite engines? you are correct the NKP 2-8-4.some one is getting old.I would drive for miles to see the 765,when she was running!!!

[Anonymous]

I'd have to say the Challenger's, but I also like the Santa Fe and KCS texas type. The lines on the Challenger's just appeal to me, and they were good engines when built right.

[Anonymous]

Difficult subject. Maybe it should be "Favorite Steam Locomotive." At the top of my list are the Reading Railroad's T1 4-8-4 Northerns. These massive locomotives were among the most modern steam locomotives, and were constructed out of Baldwin 2-8-0's by the Reading Company's own locomotive shops. Having grown up in the Reading area, I have been able to see the 2102 pulling trains on the BM&R and even managed a cab ride in her. I was also on the ill-fated excursion to Jim Thorpe where the fire company filled the tender with foaming water, causing the locomotive to lose steam pressure. Anyone else on that trip? I believe it was September of 1986.

[favuprailroadfan]

Derak, How the heck have you been. Me and Tonya are no longer together so I haven't been able to be trackside up there. Are you ever going to take a Pratt to Dalhart run so maybe we can BS. They have jsut opened up a new CTC siding one mile west of Bucklin. Its 2 miles long, but the siding is on the north side of the tracks. It looks really weird especially since all the other sidings are on the south side. So have you had good runs lately. Or have you had them slow drags. Is the UP going to increase the volume through here anytime soon. I know that they took out the DTC and went to TWC ( which really sucks) I hate TWC, and I really like the DTC. But I guess they can put more trains in a closer area with TWC than with DTC. I just have one question. Did UP bring back the LBBPX and the BPLBX, I have seen these pair of trains running through here recently. They have CSXI containers, with no trailers behind. These trains are just containers. They also remind of how SP powered them. 4 to 5 units, usually 4 SD70M's or AC6000'S
on the lead. Thats all I was wondering, write me back when you can and let me know how you are doing. I miss running up to Herington to watch all the activity. So any help that you can give me I would appreciate it.


Laters, Dru

[Trainspotter]

"Best" or is it "Favourite?"

Some many engines, so little time. My top 10

- PRR T1 Duplex (prototypes; Like something from Mars)
- British Rail A4's (world steam speed record)
- C&0 M1's (600 tons of steam turbine but quite handsome)
- MR Class Hiawathas; beautiful streamlined design
- N&W J Class (Winston Link knew something about trains)
- NYC J3a (20th Century Ltd; the quintissential Art Deco locomotive design)
- UP "Big Boys" (Brute power; must have been an unbelievable sight)
- Chinese QJ Class (Beautiful and still in service)
- NYC Niagaras (Beautiful, compact design)
- CN U4a (The handsomest Canadian streamliners)

Comments, welcome.

[Anonymous]

My vote would go for N&W's 1218 and N&W's 611 Class J. I had a chance to see both operating on excursions before NS clamped down on them. They were a sight. The 611 had sleekness and style while the 1218 got you with sheer power.

[Anonymous]

My favorites are on the N&W. The J class are my favorite streamliners, sleek and efficient. Their mallets (class Y, the A doesn't quite have it for me) are beautiful in a brutish way, and also were supremely efficient.
And what about the Nickel Plate Berkshires? (I model that road). Fast, powerful, efficient... the last order was placed after testing with diesels showed them more powerful than a 3-unit while using the same ammount of fuel, and costing much less to purchase. (A four-unit trial was faster, thirstier, and even more to purchase).
No one mentioned my old favorite, the American 4-4-0? Classy lines, of course surpassed by more modern locos in pulling power. Along those same lines, Bachmann is comming out with a Baldwin 4-6-0, the Nickel Plate had class-R locos that looked great. I guess I like big drivers.
Why did no one mention the SP Daylight 4-8-4? Not my favorite, but I expected some support. Better in my opinion is the NYC Hudson streamliner, (someone said J-3a?) Being from Cleveland, my family dislikes NY due to the Yankees, othewise I might have rated it up with the N&W class J. Plus, the 20th Century Limited did not stop at Cleveland's Terminal Tower (due to the very late hour? Pretty odd to bypass such a major terminal.)
I never warmed up to any of the European locos.
Dean

[DenWoz]

Cabs forward of SP as well as many articulated locomotives. Railroads seemed to have varying traffic effort formulas from one articulated to another. Den

[Anonymous]

I would like to think that a railroad's best engines would be it's passenger locomotives. High speeds, smooth rides, sleek designs, excellent service, and comfortable interiors.

Up to this point it looks like I'm the only voting for Southern Pacific's GS-2s and GS-4s 4-8-4 Daylight. It may not compare to Big Boy because those engines served a different purpose and were good at hauling freight up mountains. The Daylights may not have been the fastest, biggest, or most powerful engines in the world, but they were the "most beautiful trains in the world." Daylight engine #4449 is still very popular today and I don't know of any other engine that is famous. It's truly a classic.

[Anonymous]

Norfolk & Western 1218.

[PaulWWoodring]

Not on that trip, but 2102 had another memorable trip in April, 1977 from Kent, OH to Greenville, PA on the former EL, shortly before the line was largly downgraded and abandoned. I thought the tender looked a little too empty at Greenville, and sure enough, we got back near the Ravenna Arsenal and RAN OUT OF COAL. Eventually, the steam pressure dropped low enough that the air pump couldn't keep up and the brakes applied. They tried burning old tie butts, but there aren't many BTU's in them. Eventually, a TV train came along behind us, and what would now be against many rules (such as pushing an occupied passenger train and not cutting away from their own train) the van train coupled onto the rear and shoved us back into Kent, where they were able to get enough coal loaded to take it to Warwick Jct. to wye it for the next day's trip. That was just the first mishap for a really bad time for Steam Tours, which then owned the engine. A few weeks later, while doubleheading up Horseshoe Curve with ex-GTW Mike #4070, 4070 threw and bent an eccentric rod, almost derailing, the subsequent emergency brake application breaking the train apart in three places. Needless to say, CR stayed away from steam excursions for some time after those experiences.

I'm glad that the '02 found a place to run in home territory, wi***he same had happened with 2100. Personal favorites - C&O Greenbriars, NKP Berks. Understand #765 will run again in 2002!

[Anonymous]

Its a shame the 2101 was in the big fire also. I understand the 2124 has a group of people looking to restore and operate it. I saw the '24 at Steamtown in mid-October. Asteticly, she looks pretty good, minus the fact that there are no main rods attached. Where is the 2100 currently? I think I heard that the '01 was converted to an oil burner, is that correct?

[Anonymous]

Hey Dru, Doing o.k. just busier than heck. Working all the time. How you been? Sorry to hear you guys split up. I can't work that Pratt to DH run, since the UP took over I only have seniority in Herington. Mostly slow drags, everythings been all backed up all over, might get to Waldec or White city and then just sit for hours waiting for congestion at Herington. Supposedly we are going to increase it even more, we've got 2 new auto-racks already, but I don't know when or what trains. They are talking about putting in 2 more tracks on the west side of the yard at Herington, and maybe hiring a few more carmen. No, no LBBPX or it's twin, must have been an ICHLB (westbound, almost all CSX cont's) and either an ILCIM (splits at Her. becomes ILCIM and IHNCH, mostly CSX cont's, usually has some pigs on it though) or ITIBP (likely, almost all CSX stuff). About that TWC, we didn't like it either, it's not too bad, but a lot more radio chatter, I don't know that they can get much more out of it than DTC, they just didn't have it set up right at Galva for DTC, everything else is pretty much similar, except it's easier to put an eastbound in the siding (used to be pretty rare for eastbounder's to take sidings because of the location of the block board). Just a little note, neither the siding at Bucklin or Galva are true CTC (yet) they are currently "poor man's" CTC, they are manual interlocings at the moment although supposedly a CTC gang is to come out this summer and start working west out of Herington. We'll see, they've said that before, also a rail gang next summer (we need that, a lot of that rail is pretty light (115 or 119 lb) and very old (like mid 40's and early 50's). Anyway, that's about all, hope your doing o.k.
Later,
Derek

[cprted]

Canadian Pacific streamlined Hudsons (H1-e) and Selkirks (T1-b).

[Anonymous]

From an operational AND engineering standpoint the N&W class "A" and "J" would run rings around the duplex-drive engines. If you consider a locomotive for untapped potential, the Lima "Alleghany" was the winner in terms of drawbar horsepower and ability to get over the road. It's a shame that ALL of them were totally misused in the wrong type of service! Given a raise in boiler pressure and, say, N&W's method of dieselized steam power efficiencies, they could bested them all!

[Anonymous]

I have stood on a UP "Big Boy", and you are right, thats one "awe inspiring" piece of machinery. As are the Challengers of the eastern roads.

But for reasons that include practicality, a spot in my heart, and physical as well as economic performance, those Lima Berkshires were hard to beat. Years ago, I was in a bar near a railroad track, and unknown to all of us, #765 was "resting" nearby, either in route to, or from some ceremonial excursion tour. Well, when they had raised steam, and started to depart, the pulse thundering through the ground, and up through the floor of the bar was incredible. Half the bar poured outside seeking the source, just in time to see a really beautiful sight. The power those things pound down is incredible....

It was the first time I had even seen 765 since the restoration, sure hope it was not the last..;)


For straight appearance, those Raymond Loewy Pennsy T-1's are hard to beat, but then anything Loewy did is pretty impressive...But I'd like to see a nice color feature on the T-1 in the magazine someday..

[Anonymous]

Those Pennsy T-1 's were a work of Art, I'll have to agree.....got any links to pics??

[Anonymous]

>>And what about the Nickel Plate Berkshires? (I model that road).
Those 700's would get my "best overall" vote, fer sure, fer sure

[Anonymous]

For sheer size, it has to be a 'Big Boy'.
For looks, then streamlined locos:
A4 Pacifics of the LNER
and since the look 'tidy':
The Daylight GS-4's of SP (early diesels couldn't keep the schedules!)
The 'Hi's' of MR (very fast times; not far off from the 'Mallard's record)
For 'quirkiness', things like:
The SP Cab Forwards (why no other railroad used them I don't know. Sensible not to have smoke in the cab!)
The PRR's T-1 and S-1 (need an article on these babes).

[Anonymous]

I agree, the Big Boy was the ultimate steam locomotive. They certainly had the most power and speed for heavy load weight trains. I don't see why someone or UP for that matter, doesn't take the initiative to get one running again. It would be worth the effort and the money.

[Anonymous]

There can't be an overall "best" locomotive. They were designed for different services which cannot be compared. If you are switching the docks at a seaport there is no way a Big Boy can do the job. It simply would not go around the curves necessary to get from the street to the docks. That is where 0-6-0s and 0-4-0s shined. Likewise I wouldn't sent a 100 car freight up Sherman Hill behind an 0-4-0. And I would use neither a switcher nor a Big Boy on a commuter train. The swither wouldn't have the power, and the Big Boy would use up far too much of the platform at the terminal!

So, there can't be an overall best. Now if you specify a particular service and operating area (mountainous vs plains for example).... then let's talk.

[Anonymous]

Having been a fireman on both steam and early
Diesel I have been on many engines over the three
years I went "Railroading". My pick for the best
is the Baldwin AC6, cab-forward, used by the SP
on the Donner Pass Route. I have seen it used in very tight areas as well as grades with many cars
in tow. Might be wrong, but it's my pick. Thanks
Frosty

[cbq9911a]

Service: Museum/Tourist Railroad, 5 miles (10 mi round trip). Shares route with other trains; usually 12 - 15 trips per day.

Operating Area: Midwest. Generally flat, but with some slight grades.

Best Steam Locomotive: A Russian Decapod. It's big enough to look "right"; small enough to not break the shop budget.

[CP5415]

CPR's 4-6-4's

Gordon