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What is the tightest scheme on a PA?
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[quote]QUOTE: <i>Originally posted by andrechapelon</i> <br /><br />[quote]QUOTE: <i>Originally posted by cjm89</i> <br /><br />..... <br /> <br />And Andre, <br />The Pennsy would appear on one of my top lists, it'd get first place on "over-rated and over produced roadnames"! <br />[/quote] <br /> <br />Funny you should mention that. I was thinking about BLI's upcoming Pennsy K4 this very afternoon and trying to figure out what it is about the Pennsy that I don't like (apart from the fact that Slobbering Pennsy Freaks get more than their fair share of model railroad goodies). It finally came to me. The Pennsy had absolutely no esthetic sense whatsoever. <br /> <br />The K4 is at root a good looking engine, even with that ridiculous chicken coop they call a cab hanging off the backhead. Pennsy's problem is that (as far as locomotives go), they would take an intrinsically good looking design and give it a few whacks with the corporate ugly stick. First off, that huge barrel of a headlight hanging off the top of the smokebox front. Good lord, that's like taking Claudia Schiffer and giving her horn rimmed glasses from the 50's. Then there's the matter of that atrocious slatted pilot. Could anything be more gauche? That cab leaves a lot to be desired, but then it's not so bad it can't be worked around. Even Lauren Hutton had a gap between her front teeth. <br /> <br />Then came the late 40's when the cast (pressed?) steel pilots replaced the slatted ones. You'd think that Pennsy had started to get right by then, but then they showed their incredible bad taste by putting the headlight on top of the smoke box and hanging the generator off the top of the smokebox front. They then compounded that fashion faux pas by hanging this enormous dance floor off the smokebox front so some poor slob could service the generator (or so it appears anyhow). <br /> <br />In the <b>MR Cyclopedia</b>, on a page whose number I forgot and don't have access to anyhow because my copy's in California, there's a picture of a K4 from the postwar era. This particular engine has one thing that sets it off from most K4's I've ever seen. It has BoxPok main drivers. I was looking at this thing one day and it suddenly occurred to me how to undo Pennsy's ugly stick assault. And it's not that hard. Picture this on a post-war K4: The generator is moved back to a small platform just aft and to the left of the steam dome. That incredible ballroom floor is removed from the smokebox front. The headlight is centered and replaced by a Pyle or Sunbeam (your choice) and the bell is mounted where the generator used to be. The cast steel pilot is still there and the main driver is BoxPok or some disc variant. Now you've got yourself a good looking engine with all other Pennsy identifying characteristics intact. <br /> <br />OTOH, it might not be a good idea to mention this kind of stuff to Pennsy fans. An acquaintance of mine brought a BLI Pennsy M1b to the club. He got a mite excited when I gave him some friendly (and helpful) advice on how to make that engine really look good. Fortunately, a Honda Odyssey will outrun a Nissan Sentra. [:D] <br /> <br />I''l never understand why Pennsy abused thousands of helpless steam locomotives in the senseless fashion they did. It would have taken so little to enhance their looks. 'Course, of late, locomotive builders GE and GM seem to have gotten their design philosophy if not their designs from the Pennsy. Man that SD70ACe, is UGLY! <br /> <br />Next week we'll take up the topic of (YECCCCCCHHHHH) Tuscan Red and its use on almost everything. <br /> <br />Andre <br />[/quote] <br /> <br />LOL! <br /> <br />Tuscan Red, Armour Yellow, they're all UGLY! <br /> <br />BTW, I like the looks of steamers with ALL BoxPok drivers, not just the main ones. <br />And the BLI K-4s was also what set me off as an avid anti-Pennsy-ist![:p][}:)][;)] Why in all of God's green earth couldn't of BLI produced either a CB&Q O-1A or O-5??? <br />But yes it's true, never, EVER criticize anyone's all-time favorite road when your right in front of them! (NOT a lesson I learned the hard way!)[:p][:)][:D]
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