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Ugliest Locomotive Modifications

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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Tuesday, January 29, 2013 7:11 AM

Dokrich
Hard pick between BQ23-7 and Pilbara cabs on the Australian Alcos. What a way to ruin a beatiful locomotive with forward slanted windows and a door in the middle!

Except for the door in the middle, Pilbara cabs and variants are fairly standard on late model Australian locomotives.  Also consider that Australian engine drivers preferred to operate their World Locomotives from the cab on the flat end since visibility was better from that cab.

The daily commute is part of everyday life but I get two rides a day out of it. Paul
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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Tuesday, January 29, 2013 7:33 AM

Factory-built and most shop-modified hood-unit boosters, with the possible exception of the GP30B, weren't bad at all.  The GP30, both cab and booster, was not particularly well-styled.

The daily commute is part of everyday life but I get two rides a day out of it. Paul
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Ugliest loco modification
Posted by GTCN on Tuesday, January 29, 2013 8:46 AM

All modifications, both plating and painting over cab windows which turned locomotives built with operating cabs into booster units. Include also the factory modified units, such as GP-9B's, GP-60B's, and particularly the GP-30B. None were as aesthecically pleasing as the units with cabs. 

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Posted by tree68 on Tuesday, January 29, 2013 8:46 AM

We're over here with this topic:  http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/214120.aspx

The GP30 was in part designed by GM's automotive folks, so I've heard...

LarryWhistling
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Posted by AntonioFP45 on Tuesday, February 26, 2013 5:03 AM

Overmod,

On one of the versions of "The Odyssey" the giant cyclops had an eye that glowed and didn't blink.  When it fell asleep, the eye's light simply grew dim. This may be the version of the creature Deggesty is referring to.

But regarding this subject..........I still think that, while mechanically efficient, those Paducah "frog eyed" Geeps were hideous!  Ick!

Overmod

Deggesty
Well, the cyclops, which is mentioned in the Odyssey, had only one eye--in the middle of its forehead. That the one who had captured Odysseus and his men when they was on their way back to Greece from Troy had only one eye made it much easier for Odysseus to blind him and make it possible for them to escape--Odyseus had to stab only one eye. Greek mythology tells us that one of the gods took pity on this blinded cyclops and gave him two good eyes (I don't think that they were frogeyes, though)--after Odysseus and his men had made good their escape

But you don't answer why you think a Cyclops (which in Greek means round eye, not single eye) is supposed to give light, or why you asked if a Paducah frogeye gave more light...

"I like my Pullman Standards & Budds in Stainless Steel flavors, thank you!"

 


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