I know its partially off Topic, but has anyone ever seen or heard of the Japanese Cartoon "The Galaxy Railways"?
The reason why I ask is that I should point out something very interesting. The series is about a Galactic Railroad system, and is protected by the SDF. There are 3 Trains that the SDF has. 2 of them are futuristic, however, I found it quit fascinating that the 3rd one, the main one in the series, is an AMERICAN steam locomotive....
"Big One" as it is called in the show is nothing more a Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 Big Boy! Sure, they modified it to a small scale, raising one of the two exhaust stacks, removal of the number boards and Bell and replacing them with a 2nd headlight in their location, and the additional railing on the pilot in front of the headlight. There are no UP Markings though. I did some very close study's of image stills of the Anime Engine with photos of the prototype, and other than the modifications that I listed, it is indeed a very accurate representation of a Union Pacific Big Boy
I wonder if the creator of this series got UP's approval to use the big boy in the show!
I came across this show while surfing hulu.com and was blown away. The animation is superb and all three trains look beautiful.
It hadn't occurred to me that the Big One might be based on a Union Pacific Big Boy, but now that you point it out, I can see the resemblance.
It's nice to know there's someone else out there who has seen this show.
Matt
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