CSSHEGEWISCHA Centipede that ran perfectly!? That would be like a T1 that never slipped.
Not really all that difficult to get either one (not absolutely, of course, but well within the failure rate of contemporary competition).
The real problems with Centipedes (in particular, compared to certain other Baldwins that might best remain nameless) were detail-design issues. Some of these, like traction motor blower ports that didn't line up on curves, were amenable to fixing; others, like All Those Brakeshoes Having To Be Replaced Regularly, were much less so. Part of the problem was the somewhat contradictory nature of the design: a legitimate 120mph undercarriage carrying decidedly non-120-mph prime movers. I do have to wonder whether the 1947 ICC order mandating ATC controls might not have nipped much of the appeal of the Centipede approach early.
There is of course the Centipede that ran much more effectively - the Essl modular prototype. Assume for the moment that the difficulties with coordinating slip control and traction on the sets and axles 'under power' at a given moment were solved (as they could easily be with late-'40s technology) or that you had some kind of common bus arrangement from combinations of gensets to arrangements of TMs in appropriate transitionable configurations. If you had uses that justified the higher overall unit cost, and of course more reasonable marketing, financing, and service resources, you had both the high-horsepower single-unit locomotive and the use of relatively high-speed smaller engines right there at the dawn of the effective first-generation era.
Too many people think of the Centipede as a rumbling dinosaur when it was designed to be anything but.
(And yes, I know how to do T1s that never slip worse than 'the competition', and that recover from any slip with positive action and aplomb... and I know how to develop training programs to use them effectively.)
A Centipede that ran perfectly!? That would be like a T1 that never slipped.
Yes but...not the movie itself! Christmas and steam will always be synonymous, ditto small towns, rural scenes and the like.
I'm sure RME and others could make a Polar Express movie with a Diesel and they and a handful of others would think it's great.
I would go with back to back Centipedes burbling away but omit the oil leaks, electrical shorts and all the other numerous problems.
It is fiction after all.
Miningman My kind of folks! Can you imagine doing the Polar Express movie with a Diesel? Not gonna happen. Ever.
My kind of folks! Can you imagine doing the Polar Express movie with a Diesel? Not gonna happen. Ever.
Well, there are rail museums that do a "Polar Express" with a diesel, but that's probably because they don't have a steamer handy. Given the choice, however...
I've seen bits of the "Polar Express" movie, and quite honestly I found the computer animation a bit creepy. I would have liked it better live-action.
I did enjoy the book however. The ending always chokes me up a bit.
Well this should make you happy, there's a rail preservation group up in New Jersey working on an ex-New Jersey Transit U34CH even as we speak. Operation of the same is a goal. Here 'ya go, www.urhs.org
And in miningman's "Diesel suck!" vein...
Back in the 80's my friend Shotgun Charlie went to a computer industry conference in Atlanta with some co-workers and colleagues from New Jersey. The folks who organized the conference had a special treat in store for them, a rail excursion around Atlanta. Power for the trip was their choice, a diesel or Savannah and Atlanta 4-6-2 #750.
The Jersey madmen lead the crowd, "WE WANT STEAM! #%&# THE DIESEL!"
"Uh, OK," said the organizers, "We get the message, steam it is!"
Those characters I typed in represent a nasty word considerably stronger than "darn."
The Yankees, Mets, Giants and Jets aren't the only things Jersey Guys get passionate about!
I'd personally prefer the diesel, especially an F40PH or U34CH, it would definitely be a RIDE.
Well now Miningman may be on to something. It's been said collect a consist of passenger cars, put a diesel on the head end, and you've got transportation.
Put a steam engine on the head of the consist and you've got a RIDE!
Certainly we can't live in the past, but we sure can have a rip-roaring visit!
Miningman Diesels suck, always did , always will. No charm, no romance, no nothing. Bring on modern day steam!
Diesels suck, always did , always will. No charm, no romance, no nothing. Bring on modern day steam!
A serious steam powered line that in everyday use that connects with the main of other railroads...something Dave Klepper states could be a reality one day over here...and the people would love it. Except that guy in the Chicago suburb with some dust on his BBQ.
Reason why this could come about...Diesels suck, always did , always will. No charm, no romance, no nothing. Bring on modern day steam!
Welcome aboard, Otto! We have a lot of fun here and really learn from each other, well, most of the time!
You may want to check the website of "Trains" sister publication "Classic Trains," it's fun and very informative as well. You can find it under "trains.com sites" on the top of this webpage.
Depending how far your interests go, "Classic Toy Trains" and "Model Railroader" are worth a look as well.
Good old Lynton and Barnstaple! Railfans everywhere should support them. They are making not just a heritage line, but a viable STEAM POWERED network that may someday connect with British Rail! I've been a trust member since late last year. Do consider joining.
Interesting story about Fire Queen Island Man! It makes me wonder what you'd find if it were possible to pick up portions of the British Isles, turn them over and shake them, and see what falls out!
There's some old places here in the US I'd like to do that to.
Firelock76 As far as the missing "Lew" is concerned, has anyone asked Colin Garrett? He's been all over South America looking for steam, maybe he's seen it somewhere?
As far as the missing "Lew" is concerned, has anyone asked Colin Garrett? He's been all over South America looking for steam, maybe he's seen it somewhere?
I think we can safely assume that Ambrose Bierce, Glenn Miller and Amelia Earhart are not going to be found alive, unless alien abduction was the cause of their disappearance!
It IS just about feasible however that "Lew" might be lying forgotten in a shed somewhere out on a coffee plantation. In case this sounds far-fetched, the treasure below was discovered walled-up in a building in a quarry in North Wales (UK), having been out of use for about 80 years:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_Queen
http://www.irsociety.co.uk/Archives/29/Fire_Queen.htm
What a fantastic piece of work!
Even though it's going to be painted as a Lynton and Barnstaple engine it's a dead-ringer for the Badwin trench locomotives of World War One. It would look great with a train full of Tommies or Doughboys!
Replica of the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway (England) Baldwin 2-4-2 (appears in steam after about 1 minute):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSwSc2cQc1c
The company which built the loco specialises in building and restoring NG equipment. This link gives a gallery of some of their work (including the restoration of another Baldwin NG loco):
http://www.alankeef.co.uk/gallery/heritage-and-restoration/?site=alankeef.co.uk
The Lynton and Barnstaple railway has been resurrected as a heritage line.
The original line closed in September 1935, and all but one of the locomotives were scrapped shortly afterwards.
The literary world has Ambrose Bierce; music, Glenn Miller; aviation, Amelia Earhart. For British railfans, the most famous mysterious disappearance is the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway locomotive 'Lew':
http://www.lynton-rail.co.uk/page/mystery-lew
- if you have any information, contact the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway!
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