What was your favorite steam and/or diesel locomotive(s) in the 40s and 50s

[Trainnut484]

This topic is not meant for starting "builders wars" or "my favorite is better than your favorite" bickering. Favorite locomotives can be from the same railroad.

My votes go to AT&SF's 2900 class Northerns (steam), and the ALCO DL109/110 and PAs (diesels)

I also admire the Pennsy's T1s. They looked very impressive with their shark noses.

What's your favorite[?]

Take care,

Russell

[passengerfan]

I'll go along with you on the PA in Santa Fe Warbonnet but the DL-109-DL-110 were nightmares to keep operating. I think only the New Haven had any luck with these.
As for stem I like the Challengers they were excellent pullers and could be found operating in both freight and Passenger service on the UP and all railroads that operated them got good service from them.
The Northerns were great engines but it was like everyone had them or almost everyone.
Another popular diesel with me during this period was the EMD E7A and B units most popular selling A-1-A trucked passenger units. Still liked the look of the PA whether it was AT&SF warbonnet or SP Daylight colored.

[Gunns]

Put another one in for the 2900s <G>
Gunns

[Anonymous]

Hands down the RS3. Go anywhere do anything.

[wjstix]

I have to admit a fondness for the C&NW yellow/green streamlined pacifics they used on the "Minnesota 400'" in the forties to very early fifties. Not too many people know about them (many more know the all dark-green streamlined CNW engines) but coupled to a string of then brand-new streamlined passenger cars it made quite a train !!

[cnw4001]

N & W J and their other streamlined steam engines in and out of Cincinnati and the passenger E units on all the railroads in and out of CUT.

[MudHen_462]

The Great Northern 4-8-4..... seeing that locomotive as a kid "hooked" me on trains !!!

Bob

[Anonymous]

Steam-SP Gs4
Deisel-EMD E Series

[TrainFreak409]

Let's see, my favorite steam locomotive? I have three, Pennsylvania's S2 6-8-6 steam turbine (1944), C & O's M1 steam turbine (1946-47), and N & W's Jawn Henry (1954).

My favorite diesel was the Baldwin Centipede of 1945.

~[8]~ TrainFreak409 ~[8]~

[ragnar]

G.N Class M2 2-6-8-0...Class N3 2-8-8-0

[Anonymous]

Hands down any Alco. They built some of the best steam and had darn good diesels too. I would have to vote for the UP 4-8-4 FEF3's ( debated to be the best passenger steam loco in the world). I'm an Alco-haul-ic.
James[C):-)]

[Anonymous]

I agree that the UP Challengers were great.
I love the N&W class A locomotives. Of course, they started building those in the 30s. Other favorites are N&W class Y6 and, of course, the NYC Niagaras.
European engines: the Chapelon-built (or rather improved) 242 A1 4-8-4 was magnificent. The former Czechslovakian "Albatros" engines, 4-8-2 class 498 were also among the most modern and best looking engines. You can see for yourself:
http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/cz/steam/498/pix.html
and
http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/sk/steam/498/pix.html

[espeefoamer]

Steam. SP GS4 Daylight 4-8-4.
Diesel SP FP7.

[Anonymous]

Hmmmm....

Steam:

N&W "J" 4-8-4
~Clinchfield~ Challengers. [;)]

Diesel:

FP7s.

[Anonymous]

Several MoPac engines -

Steam -

P-73 Pacifics (4-6-2)
(T&P) I-4 Texas (2-10-4)
MK-63 Mikados (2-8-2)

(in black, of course)

Diesel -

EMD E3 & E6
EMD FT & F3
EMD GP7 GP9
ALCO RS1

(all in Route of the Eagles blue, gold, & gray)

[TrainFreak409]

I also have a fancy for Pennsy duplexes, gotta love 'em.

[PennsyHoosier]

Steam:

Pennsy T1 (can I also sneak in K4s?--I know it's old by this time, but I love those engines).

http://www.toltecimages.com/trains/later%20images/0656.jpg

Diesel:

Pere Marquette E7A

http://www.pmhistsoc.org/diesrost.shtml

[davews]

UP Northerns. We called them "ghost trains" because of that mournful whistle in the night. Check the streaming video of 844 today over on the Railroads forum
Also the handful of 3200 series Harriman Pacifics that UP ran across the Kansas Division at the end of steam.
And, over on the late, lamented ATSF, the Alco PA's.

[METRO]

For diesel I've got to go with the multi-talented Alco RS-series, specifically the RS2 which I think was the best looking diesel ever.

For steam, it's nothing but the Canadian Pacific passenger locomotives. From the Royal Hudsons to their monster ten driver streamliners (the biggest streamlined steamers on earth) those were beautiful trains.

[TomDiehl]

For steam, I'd have to say the Nickel Plate Berkshire. I rode behind the 759 in the late '60's between NYC (actually electrics took us to Hariman) and Niagra Falls.

For diesels, the Baldwin RF-16 shark nose. Especially in Delaware and Hudson paint.

[tmcc man]

QUOTE: Originally posted by rdganthracite

Hands down the RS3. Go anywhere do anything.

Yep i absoultley love that engine, as well as the C-420, GP7 and 9, RS1and the F3s for diesel

Steam the K4s, T1s, N&W J.

[tmcc man]

Forgot to add the VO 1000 switcher, the PA's, and the Sharknose units

[PBenham]

Well then on that basis permit me to nominate the ENTIRE Lehigh Valley diesel roster 1941-59. They almost all looked reasonably good (even the bombers-F units to non-Valley types). Granted, by 1959, even the queens of the fleet,the 14 Alco PA1s had begun to look a bit down on their luck. But whoever it was at EMD/GM styling group that applied that scheme for the first time to the FTA/Bs,perhaps unwittingly, created a classic. The striping appeared on B&M,MEC ,D&RGW and perhaps others. But the almost impossible to describe formula for Cornell Red, no matter how the Sayre alchemists arrived at the results , it was special. PBenham [;)]

[tmcc man]

QUOTE: Originally posted by PBenham

Well then on that basis permit me to nominate the ENTIRE Lehigh Valley diesel roster 1941-59. They almost all looked reasonably good (even the bombers-F units to non-Valley types). Granted, by 1959, even the queens of the fleet,the 14 Alco PA1s had begun to look a bit down on their luck. But whoever it was at EMD/GM styling group that applied that scheme for the first time to the FTA/Bs,perhaps unwittingly, created a classic. The striping appeared on B&M,MEC ,D&RGW and perhaps others. But the almost impossible to describe formula for Cornell Red, no matter how the Sayre alchemists arrived at the results , it was special. PBenham [;)]

I am a Valley fan as well it comes second behind Pennsy here is my order 1)PRR, 2)LV, 3)RDG, 4)N&W, 5)Chessie ,6) NYC, 7)B&O,

[PBenham]

Well tmcc man must be a pennsy fan. But- beyond the world class 5-stripe "brunswick" green or tuscan red schemes good ol' PRR's roster was dominated by an army of "brunswick" green dip jobs. As an example consider all those GP9s. The valley only had 300 and 301 but they looked great in all the paint schemes they wore,prior to the paint fading,or falling off. Now if a PRR enthusiast at the shop in Juniata can manage to talk management into doing it,how about an EV40DC with "brunswick " green and keystones on each end,and on the sides 3' from each end! I'd go after that. (To placate EMD fans, an SD70/2 wouldn't look bad,either. PMB.

[Anonymous]

Mine was the B&O E series passenger diesels. I actually believe as a very young kid that I may have seen an E6 on the point of a B&O passenger train as it stopped at the Oakley (Ohio) station during WWII, they were beautiful.[:D]

[Anonymous]

My favorites are NYC's hudson and F7's

[daveklepper]

All three N&W modern classes, the A's, Y's, and J's best for their uses of any steam power ever built. The N&W J's, the New Haven I-5's, and the SP Daylight GS-4's were the best looking streamlined steam. The best looking non-streamlined Hudson was not in my opinion the NYC's J's, although I like them, but the Lackawanna and similar Nickel Plate Hudsons. Overseas, although shovel nose steam really didn't turn me on in the USA (Commodor Vanderbuilt, Aeoleus, Hiawathas), I liked the Gresley A-4, and it was also the best steam passenger engine in the UK for performance.

Most beautiful diesel CB&Q E-5. Most beautiful train anywhere for me today is the Nebraska Zephyr with its E-5 at IRM in Union. (Although the Electroliner is a very close second.)

The best electric locomotive in my opnion was not the GG-1 but the very similar (mechannically) but even more powerful New Haven EF-3 when boiler equipped for passenger as well as freight service. I certainly liked GG-1's though.

The K4 had a particular charm and got my admiration for essentially doing a job as well as much younger locomotives. The proportions of the E-6 made it better looking.

And to think that I actually did ride behind a Jersey Central camelback 4-6-0 on a fan trip in 1947 at the age of 15.

[jlampke]

SP GS-4's and GS-5's in daylight colors...... Sure is sad more weren't preserved.

[Trainnut484]

This thread is doing great [tup]

I'll toss in another favorite, ALCO's RSD15s (gators). They were unique in looks, and the stacks of smoke they generated..WHOOOEEEEE.

Russell