For me, SP 4449, MILW 261, UP 3985 & UP 844. Others that are "stuffed and mounted" are interesting, but those four are live, working big steam.
edit: Somehow I neglected to mention CP 2816. I saw that one in LaCrosse last summer, and it is a beautiful machine.
ML
14 years ago I was given a Take the Throttle certificate for my 30th b-day.I chose Frisco 1630 a 2-10-0 at Illinois Railway Museum. All I can say is I still remember that day like it was yesterday,the engineer was the late C Kevin McCabe who basically showed me how everything works and what to do as we pulled out of Union Station onto the IRM mainline to steam to the end.On the way back to Union the fire man asked me if I wanted to throw coal into the firebox and proceeded to show me how it was done. That experience will stay with me the rest of my life.It gave me a newfound respect for what the engine crews jobs were like back in the steam era. My second favorite is the NW 2050 2-8-8-2 y,I remember seeing it as a 4th grader at IRM.
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that one
Modeling the N&W freelanced at the height of their steam era in HO.
Daniel G.
Without a doubt, my favorite of all the Iron Horses is,the beautiful, the almighty,the Green Mikado Southern Railroad #4501. She has all physical atributes that catch my eye. Her stack domes and cab are just the right size for me, and I love how her boiler starts out small and gradually gets bigger as it nears her cab. She is definetly the "Southern Belle" of all the steam locomotives. Her valvegear moves majestically as steam poors out her cylinders like clouds of a dream that I prey that I would have. And her whistle sounds perfect, triumphent, and unstoppable as she thunders down the old rusted over rails of 88 years ago. That Southern green Mikado will always thunder, and whistle across the rails in the soft spot in my heart. Rest in peace 4501, and maybe, I would dream of being at your throttle so we will highball into glory on rails of gold.
Give me steam locomotives or give me DEATH!
Berkshire Junction, bringing fourth the cry of the Iron Horse since 1900.
My favorite locos are the three geared steamers- Shay, Climax, and Heisler. All those pistons and driveshafts make them interesting to watch. I've actually ridden in front of one of only three operational Climaxes left in the world in NH when I was 8- it was a push-pull tourist ride in open passenger cars. I stayed in the car closest to the loco so I could look at the gearing at work. There was also a static Shay and Heisler at the same place.
For rod locos, I like the K-29s (also interesting to watch) and the British Class 9F 2-10-0s. I don't usually care for British steam, but for whatever reason I find the 9F stunning, especially the 'Evening Star' in dark green passenger colors.
NKP 765 (2-8-4)
NKP 587 (2-8-2)
Any Shay
Any surviving Sierra Steamer
Any Articulated ( Favorite: DM&IR YELLOWSTONE!!)
- Luke
Modeling the Southern Pacific in the 1960's-1980's
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N&W 611
(Warning! Thread Resurrection)
Well thats simple... ANY Freight locomotive. Streamliners are nice (like the N&W 'J') but make make mine Black and sooty. Yeah, Yeah your streamliners get all the glamour and girls but when there is a job to be done you better park your pretty boy self in the siding and watch how the real juggernauts knock it out (grin)!
To pick one Freight locomotive is tough but im picking the unsung hero of the rails. Because like it or not those cars, Freight and Passenger, wouldnt get anywhere unless someone built the train to begin with. So my vote is for the USRA 0-8-0 and in particular the last of the N&W Steam Products those short and squat S-1a 's. A beautiful brute of a yard stump puller if there ever was one. Check her out in all her Fresh coat of paint and off the shop floor glory:
Thats the last time she will look that good, but hey its a forged hammer of a switcher and not a mainline beauty queen. So give it up for the steamers who built this country... One train at a time.
NC
SR 4501
unforunelty never saw her in steam, much too young
saw her static when I was six
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