What will The Ultimate Steam Engine Model Have To Be?

A SAR Beyer-Garratt

jackson
CEO of the Not-So-Great-Eastern R.R. aka the Never Done Lines
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...&feature=channel

My vote is for the 3rd Rail N&W 2300 Jawn Henry. In 1:1 it was intended to be the ultimate in steam....

One that works out of the box.  All joking aside I would like to see a full scale Hudson with all the bells and whistles. Not the 700E, not the vision line model but what a scale Hudson should look like. 

Hi Bob, it's nice to see your posts again.

The Erie 2-8-8-8-2 Triplex would be among my top picks for the ultimate model electric train, with its smoke units in the traditional location on the front of the boiler and on the tender, and three sets of drivers, this machine was the ultimate mechanical masterpiece. I never liked the Russian blue color MTH did though. Should Lionel make this model in black color with Legacy, I would buy it. With whistle steam effect, it would be an awesome engine to watch moving around any pike.

FOREIGN: East African Railways Class 59 4-8-2 + 2-8-4 Beyer-Garratt

AMERICAN: Baldwin "boomer" 3-cylinder compound 4-10-2 No. 60000 in The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia. Complete with original Baldwin paint scheme, now "crackle black"

Easy to use quilling whistle with steam effect, steam chest cylinder steam effect, realistic blow down effect, different level of intensity chuff sound coming from the front of the engine, realistic coupling and hose details between locomotive and tender with wireless tether, two scale-sized electro couplers, and a swinging bell with a lanyard back to the engineer’s swinging arm.

hello guys and gals............

I would say the VGN railroad 2-10-10-2 monster.

the woman who loves the S.F.#5021

Tiffany

I would like to see somthing like reading t1 or another large pennsy.

 new feature would be nice to see the enginear waving at you. that might be cool.

 seen all outher smoke, bell,blow down ect.  

There will never be one.  Quite seriously, there will always be:

--- a faster car,

--- a bigger house,

--- a longer yacht,

--- a more expensive watch,

--- a more nearly perfect wine,

--- and a model locomotive with more detail and more features . . . 

than the one you own.

For me, today, the ultimate would be a scale ATSF 2900 Northern with great detail, whistle steam, moving bell, realistic sound, and animated figures in the cab.  But once that came out . . . there would be something grander on the horizon . . . .

I always thought an engine should include a way for your voice to be the engineer in the various chatter and engineer communications

Now that my primary NYC desires - except for the K-5 Pacific and 2-6-6-2 - are pretty much fulfilled, I'd have to say:

The stream-styled NC&StL J-2 Dixie (4-8-4), in both the "Stripe" and "Yellow Jacket" versions. I would order one of each.

Lee is correct, in the model train industry, to use a football analogy, the goal line keeps moving.

How about something technically challenging like a Michigan California Shay with accurate sound and steam effects?

Pete

Live steam, radio controlled from an exact scale replica of the engine cab, with all gauges and valves functional, and the engineer's 360° view sent from hi-res 3d color video cameras to a large HD3D hemispherical screen surrounding the cab.

Pete

A couple of other guys have suggested a SAR Garratt.

This Australian one in even nicer, the AD60 class Beyer Garratt.

Pete, your answer to Bob C’s original question, the ultimate model steam loco’s features, is much better than mine.  Your thoughts have us driving the engine from a virtual engine cab– that’s great.

Ron

Oh Gosh!  

• A Michigan California shay!
• An AD 60 Beyer Garrett!

Please, whatever the ultimate model loco is, it can't be an ugly locomotive.  If those locomotives had mothers, even they couldn't love them!

Im on board with the Shay. There's something about the rugged non polished look. There was a job to be done and no engines could handle it. Then came the Shay. Great little engines with torque to spare. 

The Shay is way too ugly, that Australian engine is just ugly and the Jawn Henry is a box on wheels. Come on guys and ladys lets get some good looking steam engines on the list. 

EXACTLY!!

How about:

1) NYC K5 Pacific

2) DL&W Hudson

3) Western Maryland 4-8-4

4) NYC H10a/b 2-8-2

5) ANY USRA heavy 2-8-2

6) USRA heavy 2-10-2

7) C&O K3a 2-8-2

8) CB&Q heavy 2-8-2

I could go for one of these.  I'm always amazed she was so overlooked when running:

Rusty

One that works out of the box with a lifetime part & labor warranty.

I want a Command Control fireman in any coal steamer.

What would you expect him to be doing? Modern coal burning steam locomotives have stokers, so the Fireman just sits on his seat-box, like an Engineer.

Exactly why some of us don't consider modern steam locomotives the "ultimate" model. The fewer visible working appliances, valve gear, or in this case figures, the less interesting the model. One reason diesels are so boring.

Pete

Seems to me that a "modern" steam locomotive has more visible working appliances than a circa 1900 steam locomotive which would likely have inside Stephenson valve gear, no power reverse, no mechanical lubricator, no Elesco, Worthington or Coffin feedwater heaters, maybe not even a turbo generator.  Heck, if it had a crosshead water pump it wouldn't even have injectors.

Plus, a modern steam locomotive needed the same crew count as the earlier steam locomotives.

Rusty

Build the best one ever and some on this forum would find something wrong with it. So the old saying still stands. If you like it, then that's the one you should buy.

It had been several years of purchases and upgrades. In general small steam models seem to do better on my layout.  (4) main drives seems to be a limit on O-54 and smaller, so the really big steam isn't the greatest for operation on my layout. Some of the small locomotives like the Shay pictures already posted can be fascinating.
This MTH Russian Decapod is a surprising runner on a small radius layout.


0-6-0 also work well.


Larger locomotives start to develope "klunk and bang" as you move through switches or around curves.
This Lionel K4 (and 1/2) works well.

I also have luck running several Weaver mid-size locomotives on the smaller curves.
Weaver L1S, M1a, and H10 All have been upgraded to EOB drive systems.


I guess it depends on whether you like to see them set on a shelf or operated relatively trouble free.

So you have never seen an MTH or Sunset/3rd Rail model of the Union Pacific 9000 class 4-12-2 three cylinder locomotive with working valve gear for the center cylinder?

Recently purchased a Sunset/3rd Rail 4-4-2 E6 Pennsy The detail is good for an older model and the size fits the layout.

We're just kicking tires here. Most of the steam engines I like are considered ugly by many because they have so much "junk" attached to exterior. SP AM-2s, B-1s are among my favorites. That's just me.

Pete

How about live steam with all the bells & whistles!

Hornby did it 00 taking the power from the track to heat the water so in O with more room,mix in a few real sounds aswell.

James

Ok guy I got it!!  I would like to see Lionel and williams MTH make a unskirted PRR  S1 duplex and also have Lionel and williams make a PRR Q2.. On the features,,lets go all out on thse two engines!!  Have live steam from whisle,steam chest,from lines .. Have engineire and fireman moving.. also have the coal in the tender move,like have the load going down. On the Q2 have a man in the tender doghouse and have that lightup too..These guys are doing most of these stuff.. Lionel got there ideas from these guys.http://www.jdslimitedproductions.com/They are alittle pricey..but if you paying to me over $1000.00 for a train it better have all these features..

And Hornby doesn't make them anymore. 

Apparently, it didn't work all that well, people weren't adding a drop of steam oil to the water in order to lubricate the cylinders and the locomotives would sieze up.

Plus, sound doesn't scale down.

Rusty

DL&W 4-4-0 #952

DL&W 2-8-2 #2134

DL&W 4-8-2 #1454

DL&W 4-6-2 #1121

DL&W 2-8-2 #1256

DL&W 4-8-2 #2222

DL&W 4-6-4 #1153

How about the time locomotive from Back to the Future: Part III?

As far as prototypical steam, how about some locomotives with more exotic features such as (and yes, these were real locomotives):

-Franco-Crosti Boiler (Italian class 743 2-8-0)

-Petiet Boiler, especially the one with an 0-2-6-2-0 wheel arrangement (that is, 0 pilot wheels, 2 driving wheels, 6 additional carrying wheels, 2 more driving wheels, 0 trailing wheels)

-The Fontaine locomotive, a 4-4-2 with the driving axles stacked one on top of the other

-Flaman Triple-Boilers (namely a bizarre-looking Belgian 2-4-2)

-Maybe even some steam monorails, such as the Lartigue or Meigs system.

Aaron

The ultimate model steam locomotive would be a nicely detailed, good running. reliable C&NW R1 4-6-0 or a Milwaukee Road G6 4-6-0 in three rail O gauge.    Odd-d

My Ultimate Steam Loco would be the most detailed, best electronics and sound on Lima's Finest, a C&O Allegheny.

It's gonna be Pennsy....sorry you guys.   And the chooch will be....

A)  A totally correct PRR J1 2-10-4.   The recent Key 2 rail is not bad

but has issues inherited from the Sam HO scale Key version.  The

current Lionel, MTH, and Sunset models all have serious flaws.

B)  Never done before....Hopefully in brass...A PRR T1 4-4-4-4

#5500  Rotary Franklin poppet gear as operated by the Penn from 1948

to 1953.   It's been done by Key in HO scale and is one spectacular piece.

C)   A totally accurate E6s with all accurate detail, and dimentionally on

the money...all  the way around.