What is are fascination with large enginies?

[RedLeader]

Engines are like candy bars, the bigger the better, and you just can't have enough of them. My largest engine is an old noisy C-628, I rarely run her, 'cause my layout is to small and she doesn't fit well. The largest I run are a couple of SD-40-2 snoots... those brauds are just gorgeous. I've had dreams with Loewy's 6-4-4-6, a real monster. Eventualy I'll have a layout big enough for some of those beautifull steam giants.

[chutton01]

Never mind.

[chutton01]

I'm not that fascinated with large engines - I tend toward smaller power such as SW1500 or GP38-2 (and a SEPTA AEM-7 - still small). Indeed I am following the Green Goat with some interest, as it's been a while since any (North American) switchers have been built in any numbers (EMD seems to have given up on it's GP15D/GP20D models).
Since I am interested in modern day NE US shortlines, this works well.

Of course, I have one large steam favorite, and that's the 2-6-6-2 (Bachmann latest release will do nicely). Just need to wait till I find it at a price I'm willing to pay

[skir4d]

You wouldn't have to ask the question if you've ever walked up to a Challenger that is still hot after its last run and put your hand on the running gear while you talked to the engineer. Once you've been that close to the sound and smell of a steam locomotive the only way it can get better is if it's bigger.

Jack W

[Anonymous]

I love my Dash 9 (MORE POWER) but it's horrible on my small layout![xx(]

[the-big-blow]

HORSEPOWER BABY HORSEPOWER!!!!!!!

[dharmon]

Largest engine is either the SDF40-2/FP45 or SD50. Large locomotives are neat. Plain and simple. The smaller ones are neat also but larger is the American (and Australian) way. It's like SUVs.

Now I have to admit that the area that I model (Maine/NE) is not a natural playground for the big six axle units. But there are a few that I just like and therefore will be there.

But then again..I also want a GG1 and an FEF3. Maybe only as guests though.



Dan

[brothaslide]

QUOTE:
I have an afinity for Mountains but only three by Mehano. But back to the question of why we like BIG. My wife says it's a male thing, there's no explaining it.

Well DuHhh!!

Mark please forgive me it was more power (what was I thinking[V])

Why does your amplifier go to 11 - most amplifiers go to 10? Well. . . 11 is one more than 10, ya-know, it's more power. . . . .From Spinal Tap

[Fergmiester]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tomwatkins

Fergie,
I love the Tim the Tool Man quote. It's very appropriate for big steam. Everything is right out there in front of you so you can see it working. They are totally cool, even if not terribly efficient by more modern standards.

My biggest locomotives are several 4-8-2 Light Mountains. They are actually considerably larger than the Southern and the L&N ran throught the area I'm modeling, but I can live with that inaccuaracy. They are to me, at least ,very beautiful locomotives. They also fit my mountainous terrain and will look great pulling a string of heavyweight passenger cars.

Have Fun,
Tom Watkins

I have an afinity for Mountains but only three by Mehano. But back to the question of why we like BIG. My wife says it's a male thing, there's no explaining it.

Well DuHhh!!

Mark please forgive me it was more power (what was I thinking[V])

[brothaslide]

I think it's in our nature to like the biggest and the baddest. Look at all the SUVs on the streets. I'm not some anti SUV environmentalist but how many people really need that Yukon Denali with a lift kit and the 23" spinner wheels?[:0]

I have to admit, I always eye the Kato SD90Mac when I go over to my LHS.

[Anonymous]

Railroading Brit: You might be surprised by modern power. SD90MAC's and C60AC's are just shy of 80' long, not much shorter than a DD40, U50 or Big Blow turbine, and in the same HP range, even the smaller ~4400HP units are over 70' long. The era of big power is back, to stay this time.

[Anonymous]

I like big engines because they're the biggest of the big. To me, asking why a person likes big engines is like asking why we like trains in general. They are massive pieces of machinery that man put together. When under their own power, they almost seem alive.

[ndbprr]

My biggest engines are a couple of PRRI-1 2-10-0's. Am building a layout with 48" radius curves in HO so they look better.

[Jetrock]

When I volunteer at the CSRM, lots of folks spend a lot of time around the big SP cab-forward, but personally I get as big a kick showing people around the 3-foot gauge 0-4-0 logging engines in the roundhouse. They capture all the charm of steam, complete with smoke, soot, lots of wiggly valve action when it moves, etcetera, in a lot smaller package--I think you could fit one of those logging engines neatly inside the cab-forward's boiler!

[lupo]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Fergmiester


Tim the Tool Man would have summed it up simply by saying......

Raw Power Arghhh Arghhh Arghhhhhhhh

can't be big enough, 5 Bigboys, 2 Challengers,2 FEF's,1 Verandah turbine, they are all [#welcome] in Lupo's engine and maintenance shop!
BIGGER IS BETTER!

[Anonymous]

My largest engine is my Rivarossi FEF-3. Heck, my motto is, "If it goes around a 26" curves, I want it!". [:D]

[orsonroy]

I love superpower steam, especially Berkshires and Northerns. I think this has a lot to do with the fact that so many of them have run over the past few decades in fantrip service. When I think of steam, I don't think of 0-6-0s or 2-6-0s, many of which see lots of service on tourist roads. I think of 765, 4449, 844, 611, or 1225. Of course, my favorite steamers are the USRA Mikados, which are still pretty big, but pre-superpower.

This has affected my modeling. I have almost no diesels, and the bulk of my steam fleet (over 125 engines) are made up of 2-8-2s and 2-8-4s. I have more Berkshires than switchers!

Of course, my layout does have 30" mainline curves, and only industrial switches (where big steam doesn't tread) are #5. I planned my layout around the largest regularly operated steam. If I couldn't get 30" curves in my layout space, I would have either changed the scope of the layout, or changed scales!

[Anonymous]

I like the thought of a large steam engine rolling through a small town and people just stepping back in awe. I'm not a big steam modeler and have had very little personal experience with the real thing until I went to Straussenberg, PA and the the railroad muesum (sorry if this information is slightly incorrect, but I know it was in Amish country).

To stand next to some those engine and imagine what those monsters looked like when they rolled down the track would have scared me half to death. My 8 year son wouldn't even stand next to one for a picture because it looked so huge! I had no idea that one drive wheel alone was taller than a single story house!

[Eriediamond]

Andrew. I model the Erie RR 1940's era so steam is my thing for locomotives. The largest engine in my collection is a 4-6-2 Pacific class and a 2-8-2 Mike. Smallest is an 0-6-0 switcher. Generally speaking, I'm not into diesels much and to be honest, there are very few that I could identify correctly. I'm not against large engines (articulateds in steam) or the larger diesels. If a layout is large enough to have the large radius curves, and able to accomodate the long trains, then they are fine, but they just don't look right pulling 15 car trains through tight curves. Thats my main reasons for not modeling the "super power". Have a great day y'all, Ken

[Jetrock]

But what makes "big" better? People are listing their largest engine, but that isn't the question--the question is, why do you like big engines?

[Anonymous]

Fergie, Wasn't Tim the tool man's quote "MORE POWER"? Same differance, I guess. Although I like big power, my 22 inch radius curves limit me to four coupled max. engines.

Our interest in "big" is our understanding that "Big is Better"!

[nslakediv]

Like george745 I run modern day NS trains. They range from SD80's to GP15's and even some old ALCO's for the low budget shortline. Awesome site when the 80's meet the EI&O Green Alco's(formerly Penn Central Green) in Bellevue yard. Randy

[Anonymous]

My largest single unit is an Athearn DD40. I think part of the draw of these locos is the sheer size of them - even in HO this thing is fairly massive and pretty heavy. Certainly I think part of the appeal is their rarity - there are few massive locos operating today except on railtours, etc. For those of us in Europe, the fact that we have nothing of these dimensions running in our own countries (even an SW7 makes normal British locos look small - the largest over here is the EMD-built class 66 which is basically an EMD SD-series loco crammed into the British loading gauge) is I suspect a big factor.

I run the DD40 as part of my museum line's fleet - there are a few non-operational preserved examples out there, mine's an operational one!. Admittedly two or three car trains don't stress this monster, but it does look kinda cool!

[tomwatkins]

Fergie,
I love the Tim the Tool Man quote. It's very appropriate for big steam. Everything is right out there in front of you so you can see it working. They are totally cool, even if not terribly efficient by more modern standards.

My biggest locomotives are several 4-8-2 Light Mountains. They are actually considerably larger than the Southern and the L&N ran throught the area I'm modeling, but I can live with that inaccuaracy. They are to me, at least ,very beautiful locomotives. They also fit my mountainous terrain and will look great pulling a string of heavyweight passenger cars.

Have Fun,
Tom Watkins

[Anonymous]

My largest engine is an old brass PRR J1. I have always liked these engines especially the curved windows on the sides of the cabs. If I wasn't on such a tight budget, I'd be getting the new release from Broadway Limited. Sigh....

[Fergmiester]

Though the largest I have is the Big Boy, My Allegheny, FEF-3 and Kanawha give me the greatest pleasure.

Why?

Because the have lots of moving parts and to me represent poetry in motion.

To me the Allegheny epitomizes the ultimate in steam technology (easily argued I know) but the engineering required to put it all together for me is awe inspiring.

Tim the Tool Man would have summed it up simply by saying......

Raw Power Arghhh Arghhh Arghhhhhhhh

[IRONROOSTER]

My largest engine is the GG1. It doesn't fit in with the rest of my layout, but I like it anyway. Otherwise, I like small steam - 2-6-0, 4-4-0, 4-6-0, and 2-8-0's; with maybe some 4-6-2 and 2-8-2's. No particular reason - just like the smaller power.
Enjoy
Paul

[Jetrock]

My largest engines are a GP-7 and an F-3A. I got a UP 4-6-2 in the boxes of stuff I bought last weekend but I'm probably not keeping it--it certainly won't track on my 12" radius curves!

[Anonymous]

As jetrock stated in the "Trying to use loong engines on 15", 18" and 22" radius?" What is our fascination with large engines. Why are we as modellers drawn to the big boys and dd40a's? So tell us about your large engine and why you choose to run it on your layout.
If you don't model large loco's tell us why you choose not to.

Personally my largest engine is a Ac4400 I choose this one because I model the moderen day CSX and it is a mainstay for todays modern class 1's so to leave this one out, I feel, would be losing an aspect of what runs through the mainline in my town.


On the other side I run an sw1500 ini switching duties. I like the look of a sw1500 switching while an AC4400 and a sd40-2 pull a long conists of cars by the sw1500
Andrew Miller