BaltACD Any one of them that doesn't create 'DRAMA' - between origin and destination.
Any one of them that doesn't create 'DRAMA' - between origin and destination.
AMEN!!!
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Steam? Union Pacific's Jabelmann Challengers, specifically 3985.
Diesel? I've always liked the F7s. Beautiful and hard to kill - take them off the main line and they'll just head to dinner train or a tourist railroad.
What are the parameters. Revenue or nostalgia?
For revenue: Either type of power - go big or go home.
For nostalgia: Diesel: RS-3 --- Steam: Any 2-8-0 Consolidation type.
Think branch line, or mixed train daily!
well let me see. the usual 4-8-8-4 or any steam really but interms of diesel im thinking gp-30
Before I retired, 10 yrs ago, I would answer for steam: a toss-up between Pennsy passenger engine running around under the three-note chime steam-whistle, or any engine with which, I was told, had a six chambered whistle....SP 2467's heard going away blowing for multiple crossings would not send chills to your spine; it would freeze your vertabrae.
I would answer for Diesel: whatever I was running at the time. From 1960 to June '02, if it was on or used by SP, I ran practically all of the types. The U50's and the C415's are stand-out misses. But
I did run the KM's, both of the "Krauts" hydraulics and the DH-640's, all the FM's, Baldwins above the VO's, GE's (rats; I did miss the 44-tonners, but from 70-tonners on up......) and Alco's from the SP's HH to the C-630 and DH-640.
What I'm repeating is that statement that "every trip is an adventure, let's begin it."
Let the adventure begin. Live by the previuos phrase.
"way out there," pioneer's son's.... "one more ride"
I'll second the GG1. I was on a troop train heading to NY, and happened to look out the window as we were going around a curve somewhere east of Harrisburg. We were being pulled by a nice, shiny GG1. I spent the rest of the trip in the vestibule looking out the Dutch door. (You could do that in 1955)
We fairly flew-I kept expecting to leave the ground. Went down the Main Line and through NJ. That left an impression on me that has lasted a lifetime.
Union Pacific Veranda turbine, rode in one in Evanston, WY. Union Pacific Challengers, rode the 3710 (on display now in North Platte with original number), 3712, 3715 and 3717 in Ogden.
My favorites are as follows. Steam, Frisco 1630 at Illinois railway museum, on my 30th b-day I was given a take the throttle certificate and i picked that!!!!, Diesel, EMD SD-90MAC followed by the Emd DD40,and for electric it would have to be the GG1 as I saw my first one at IRM back in 1977 on a school field trip. As a second steam favorite would be the SP 4449 as I was standing trackside in my hometown of Fox River Grove IL. when it came thru with the American Freedom Train in 1975-76.
PRR M1a #6755 4-8-2 Mountain Type Only survivor of 300 built. It served in Northumberland, PA here I live. It was towed to Strasburg, PA where it currently can be seen. I volunteered at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania as a doscent there.
That's a great photo, Mike. Patrick McGinnis is not exactly the greatest President the New Haven ever had but that NH logo was a success.
F40 on a passenger train
Just like God intended...
D&H653 My favorite locomotive is the D & H 653 (4-6-2) Passenger Engine. The strongest Pacific built without a booster. She would hook on to as many as 16 loaded Passenger cars in Troy or Albany and easily be doing over 60 north of Waterford NY. She was one of 2 D&H P2s that took the King & Queen of England from Albany to Montreal during WW2. Warren
My favorite locomotive is the D & H 653 (4-6-2) Passenger Engine. The strongest Pacific built without a booster. She would hook on to as many as 16 loaded Passenger cars in Troy or Albany and easily be doing over 60 north of Waterford NY. She was one of 2 D&H P2s that took the King & Queen of England from Albany to Montreal during WW2.
Warren
Hard to argue with that one. D&H had some excellent and beautiful locomotives, I think their Challengers were better looking than the UP's, and their Northerns were elegant. D&H should have been a lot more famous than it was but doesn't seem to ever gathered much attention. Wonder why?
I'm disappointed- no one mentioned that thoroughbred of the rails, the pride of Amtrak's fleet- the P30CH, aka the Pooch! What short memories some of us have. Tsk, tsk.
Firelock76Relax man, I'm not dissin' Sir Elton. He was good too, but those boots they put him in were ridiculous!
Oh, I was just talking about the music from the movie, and never meant anyone to take it that way. I do apologize for that. However, the boots WERE ridiculous.
I also played Pinball Wizard in the Towanda Marching Band, so I'm kinda partial to it.
Anyway, back to the topic of the thread. Again, I like 2089!
The Lehigh Valley Railroad, the Route of the Black Diamond Express, John Wilkes and Maple Leaf.
-Jake, modeling the Barclay, Towanda & Susquehanna.
Relax man, I'm not dissin' Sir Elton. He was good too, but those boots they put him in were ridiculous! I also liked the dream sequence with Tommy in the cockpit of a Lancaster with his RAF dad. That was kind of moving and sad.
Firelock76Have you ever seen the film version of The Who's rock opera "Tommy"? Kind of a lackluster film except for Tina Turners "Acid Queen", the only decent part of the film,
Are you saying that Elton John's Pinball Wizard wasn't that great?
Have to agree though, Tina did a good job.
However, those were the only parts that I really liked.
I personally like the DM&IR Yellowstones because they were just so huge, but like the LVRR 2089 more since it is streamlined.
My favorite locomotive was built in the late 1920s, by Baldwin, for a railroad you probably never heard of. It's a rear-tank 0-4-2T with a relatively huge wood bunker and (as rebuilt after WWII) an industrial cyclone stack bigger around than its boiler.
The railroad was the 762mm (2 foot 6 inch) gauge Kiso Forest Railway, which dieselized in 1960 with a grand collection of 4-wheel 'critters' and two eight-wheelers, one of which looked like a double rear end collision between two Volkswagen vans. The railroad closed in 1975, after roadbuilding made the woods accessible to self-loading trucks.
There is a much-butchered example in the collection of the California Railroad Museum - widened to 3 foot gauge, with a boiler tube pilot and class lights that the Kiso never used. It's like seeing the high school prom queen at the 50th class reunion...
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Steam is a little before my time, so I don't really have a favorite there.
When it comes to diesels, there are lots that I like. In the summer of 1988 I did a brief internship at a shortline railroad in south Louisiana. I got to spend a few days working with the train crews and was allowed to run a switcher on a run one afternoon. That was the highlight of my summer and the reason that my favorite is the EMD SW1200.
showPicture.aspx?id=1922971
Johnie
VGN 2-10-10-2 and H16-44
The GG1, hands down!
Steam: 4-6-0
Old Diesel: plain GP-7/9s, F or E units on passenger trains
Modern Diesel: AC44CW
Electric: Milwaukee road 'little joes'
Why: just like how they all look on a train!
Boy that's a hard question! Since I consider myself a Southern Gentleman I would probably say my favorite all time locomotive is the Southern Railway PS4 #1401. I can only imagine what it would have been like to see that beautiful lady in action pulling the Crescent Limited at speed down the same tracks I run on everyday!
Tim
Locomotive Engineer
Piedmont Division - NS
I'd have to go with E or F units, they were the engines that pulled the trains I rode with my parents or friends "back in the day".
For steam-I like Mike-because of #4960 or Mountain-because of #1522. But I do like #3985, and #765 too. #844 is a great engine, but I'm not a big fan of the "elephant ears".
I'ts too hard to pick one favorite diesel or steam loco, however, my favorite electric is the New Haven EP-5. Double-ended streamline car-body, no pony wheels needed, and the paint job didn't look bad either.
http://abpr.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi?june05/06-26-05/NYNH+H378in10_58MacOwenColl.jpg
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