Best Steam Locomotive

[UPTRAIN]

Just wondering what were some peoples' most favorite steamers. I vote for Frisco 4-8-2 1522, love the shiny black paint and gold letters and trim. Also any UP steam loco (3985, 844 etc.).

[Anonymous]

The Hudson 4-6-4.

Particularily the Royal Hudson 2860.

Also got to see the CP Hudson 2816 in action, awsome locomotive.

[espeefoamer]

The best steamer running today is the ex SP 4449[:p]!!!

[miniwyo]

3982 and 844 all the way

[Anonymous]

N&W's J's

[tree68]

Any Berk.

[Anonymous]

For steam the 4 8 4 proved to be an excellent all around workhorse.

There were many good diesels locos produced by EMD and Alco, actually too many to list here. It seems that GE has finally produced a somewhat decent loco. Only they still don't seem to last as long as the better locos of EMD or Alco.

GP 38-2
SD 40-2 (The most popular diesel of all time: EMD#8217;s SD40-2! Nearly 4000 units were sold, and most are still in service)
SD 45-2
Alco RSD-15
Alco Century line

These were all some good locos and dependable.

[UPTRAIN]

I should change this title to "Favorite Locomotive"

[JoeKoh]

matt and I also saw the 2816 come through town but alas my heart belongs to the N&W 611-J
stay safe
Joe

[tree68]

The problem with "best locomotive" is that we all have a favorite, which usually translates to "best." It's also based what we've experienced, which is why 4-8-4's will always be high in the running.

Add to that the fact that "best" us usually "latest," meaning that the last steam locomotives were generally also the best, since the technology logically matured. Again, the 4-8-4 comes in as the winner.

As I write this, though, another question comes to mind: does the 4-8-4 represent the pinnacle of steam locomotive development? We can't disregard further improvements in materials used to build the locos, but in terms of size, wheel arrangement, weight, functionality, usability, would we be looking at mostly Northerns (and similar "Super Power" designs) today if steam was still the power of choice?

Consider that the 5000 HP +/- C-C diesel-electric is becoming the standard. In both realms, there were a number of variations enroute, many of them becoming standard for certain applications. Where would we be today?

[kschmidt]

Greetings,

I would have to say that I only it running once, but the Norfolk & Western J #611 was and still is a beauty. The sounds of the #611, especially the whistle were awesome.

As far as operating locomotive I would have to say my heart goes to a "hometown" boy the Milwaukee Road #261. The #261 is a good looker and quite a workhorse.

[Randy Stahl]

In my opinion the best steam locomotives would be the smaller to medium sized engines. The SOO 2-8-2 1003 is a good example. I wouldn't worry about that engine busting up my railroad like the a 4-8-4 would. A mike is a nice go anywhere locomotive.
Randy

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

Robert LeMassena wrote an article in TRAINS some years back comparing the various 4-8-4's built for North American railroads. The unwritten implication was that the well-designed 4-8-4 was indeed the pinnacle of steam design.

A medium to light 2-8-2 may well have been a useful go-anywhere locomotive but definitely would have had problems keeping schedule on a redball freight like those run on Nickel Plate or Cotton Belt.

[Anonymous]

i have to go with the beatiful 4449, I was able to take a trip on it on memorial day a few years ago over Stampede pass, that was an amazing trip. I just wi***hat I would have been able to go on the trip to Bend, Oregon. I hope that they are able to do those trips again, they were great fun!
Brad

[Anonymous]

The NYC's Hudson to me is the best steam loco

[tree68]

QUOTE: Originally posted by CSSHEGEWISCH

Robert LeMassena wrote an article in TRAINS some years back comparing the various 4-8-4's built for North American railroads. The unwritten implication was that the well-designed 4-8-4 was indeed the pinnacle of steam design.

A medium to light 2-8-2 may well have been a useful go-anywhere locomotive but definitely would have had problems keeping schedule on a redball freight like those run on Nickel Plate or Cotton Belt.

So we have the 4-8-4 as a theoretical equivelent to today's C-Cs, with the Mike in at the GP38? Perhaps the Berkshire fits in with the high horsepower B-Bs (GP40, et al). Not drawing 1 for 1 comparisons - it's the application that counts here.

[jockellis]

G'Day, Y'all,
A Light Mikado (Mike lite?) might have a hard time with a redball freight, but a 611 would have a REAL hard time on some of the branch line tracks the railroads have. Remember the 611 falling off the track in the Dismal Swamp, ending steam excursion service on the Norfolk Southern. I saw a video of a 2-10-0 in the early '50 and although such engines didn't have very large drivers, this one was rocking. I don't think it had any problem keeping on the advertised. Mark Hemphill noted on some thread how demanding it was to run 10,000 tons at the speeds modern diesels are capable of and of the nerve it took to do it. I guess the best engine is one which give the engineer confidence. The fastest I ever went was in an F-40 at the head end of an Auto Train. I was doing a story on the engineer who was a member of the Georgia Legislature and he asked me not to put in my story how fast he was going. But it was a l ittle over 85 as I recall.
Jock Ellis

[Anonymous]

PRR K4's and Reading T1's.

[Anonymous]

sp 4449 4-8-4

[Anonymous]

LV Wyomings.... For you Non-LV'ers thats a Northern.

For prettiest, CNJ's G3 pacific, known as "the blue comet"

[locomutt]

I've got to go with C & Os 2-8-0s & 2-8-2s
The 'Berks were great,but the 'Little Guys' did most of the
work. There's also the 0-8-0s & 0-10-0s.

[Anonymous]

611 j class and c & o 614. roller bearings!!!!! great engines along with the rest mentioned above. i got to ride in the cab of the sp 786 mike on the austin, tx steam train. my wife somehow arranged this, i believe along with a small donation, for my birthday. of course, now the insurance companies rule the world and that would be no longer possible. the ultimate thrill of a lifetime for me. anyone know whats going on with the engine? its has had a cracked cylinder saddle for awhile now. last i heard, they were trying to raise money to repair it.

[Anonymous]

First i would say SP 4449 and second would eb ATSF 3751 both great engines! [:p][:p][:p][:p][:p][:p][:p][:p][:p][:p]

[jokestre]

IMO....ATSF #3751
SP 4449....and Cab Fowards...love those
ANY DRGW 3700 series articulateds....simply beautiful :-)

[jockellis]

G'Day, Y'all,
Happy New Year, everyone. Re: insurance companies, I spoke with someone from the Hartford a few years ago about an idea I had and the agent, who was quite familiar with the Southeastern Railway Museum and NS steam program head Bill Perdie, indicated that Hartford was quite willing to insure steam at a good price. It is the idiots who don't know how to keep boilers safe that the insurance company is wary of.
Jock Ellis

[Anonymous]

Quoth jockellis:

"Remember the 611 falling off the track in the Dismal Swamp, ending steam excursion service on the Norfolk Southern?"

jock, the 611 didn't fall off the track in the Dismal Swamp, but some of the cars in its train did. And the accident didn't end steam excursion service on the Norfolk Southern, although it did result in the subsequent imposition of a 40MPH speed limit on NS excursion trains.

611 is one of my personal favorites; I rode it from Bluefield to Roanoke on its last run (an excursion from Roanoke to Williamson and return) before it was put in the Park in Roanoke in 1959.

I also rode some of those 2-10-0s you mention on the Gainesville Midland in the late 1950s, and got to run one of them a bit.

The question of the best steam locomotive is too broad for this forum, so I guess the readers here will just vote for their personal favorites. They may or may not be the best, considering all the factors. There may not be a best, nor even a best wheel arrangement.

Old Timer

[arbfbe]

Fit the locomotive to the job. I don't think a Class C Shay on the Overland Limited on Sherman Hill would win any awards for service. I doubt one of the 3900 Challengers would see much use in the woods at Toulomne either.

There is never one "best" , there is too much in life to enjoy without trying to pyramid the pleasures.

Alan