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favorite locomotive

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Posted by Paul Milenkovic on Sunday, October 7, 2012 8:56 PM

This thread is what this forum will look like, once the moderators, assisted by the more earnest forum participants, purge this forum of any and all topics of any controversy.

"My favorite locomotive is the Pennsy T1."

"Oh, yeah, my favorite locomotive is the EMD E7."

 "My favorite locomotive is the AEM-7."

"Well, my favorite locomotive is Thomas the Tank Engine, so there!"

 "My favorite locomotive is a red one."

"Oh, yeah, my favorite locomotive is blue."

Actually, my favorite locomotive is Thomas the Tank Engine.  In the Atrium of Engineering Hall not far from my office is a television lounge, where students and others can watch a limited selection of cable channels between classes.  Lately and in the afternoon, it is tuned to Martin Bashir telling us one political side has it right and the other political side is completely stupid.  A couple years ago, we were seeing Glenn Beck, doing pretty much the same thing only the political sides were reversed.

Some mornings, the TV is tuned to a PBS station showing Thomas and Friends.  Yes, Thomas and the other locomotives are anthropomorphic and they have various adventures that are morality tales to indoctrinate young children into altruistic behavior.

But the train watching on that show is as good as outside the glass window-wall towards 1410 Engineering Drive in the direction of the Wisconsin and Southern tracks, only you don't have to wait as long for the train to go by.  The train action on whatever kind of computer animation they do is also as interesting as anything exhibited at the Mad City Model Railroad Show.  Thomas and the other locomotives, in the course of their adventures and resolving their personal "issues", actually engage in interesting train operations of distinctive rolling stock (Thomas is an 0-6-0 inside connected tank steam engine, a type once very common in England?).

If GM "killed the electric car", what am I doing standing next to an EV-1, a half a block from the WSOR tracks?

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Posted by Firelock76 on Sunday, October 7, 2012 2:17 PM

Hi Juniatha!  As per your suggestion I checked out Steamin' Tina's "Simply the Best".  Oh yeah, no-one did it better.  Have 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, although Keith Moons  "Uncle Ernie"  had me laughing so hard I almost choked!

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Posted by Juniatha on Saturday, October 6, 2012 5:31 PM

Hi Firelock

The Best of the best ?

Well , let Tina the Turner sing it out loud :

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xh20h_tina-turner-simply-the-best_music

( never mind Celine Dion's version :

brave effort , yet there is only one who sings this way and that's Tina )

Regards

Juniatha

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Posted by caldreamer on Saturday, October 6, 2012 5:26 PM

I was in the cabs of the H24-66's too many times to count on both the commutr runs from San Jose to San Francisco and on freight runx at night.  The would litterally pull the perverbial "tar paper off the wall" and we did 80 MPH on the commuter runs.

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Posted by Firelock76 on Saturday, October 6, 2012 8:48 AM

Favorite locomotive?  Hands-down, it's Norfolk and Western's Class J #611.  We rode behind it several times during the NS steam program years.  I have other steam favorites but Lady Firestorm and I will never love another like we love 611.  The best of the best.

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Posted by K4sPRR on Friday, October 5, 2012 7:24 AM

gsrrman

The H24-66 Train Master for its speed in commuter service and pulling power in freight service and the H12-44 for shear pulling power.  I watched while one pulled 150 cars out of a bowl yard, stopped on the main line and then pushed them back into the yard on another track.  That little engine huffed and smoked but did not have any wheel slip.

Good choice!  I watched the '66s when they were used as helpers on the mountain between Johnstown and Altoona, those beasts would make the house shake when going by.

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Posted by caldreamer on Thursday, October 4, 2012 7:52 PM

The H24-66 Train Master for its speed in commuter service and pulling power in freight service and the H12-44 for shear pulling power.  I watched while one pulled 150 cars out of a bowl yard, stopped on the main line and then pushed them back into the yard on another track.  That little engine huffed and smoked but did not have any wheel slip.

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Posted by Juniatha on Thursday, October 4, 2012 3:26 PM

The Niagaras / the Duplexii

- just why ?

   oh , my ...

            = J =

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Posted by K4sPRR on Thursday, October 4, 2012 10:00 AM

Diesel, E and F units...a sound I will always remember, second generation SD40-2.  Steam, K4s of the PRR is my favorite, it tops my list of many that were all special.

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Posted by Ulrich on Thursday, October 4, 2012 7:54 AM

Diesel..the SD40-2... I like the look and sound. Steam: CN Mikes... beautiful locomotives...

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favorite locomotive
Posted by blade on Thursday, October 4, 2012 7:43 AM

what is your favorite locomotive of all time diesel or steam and why?

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