Worlds most beautiful locomotive

That's the one I would pick (after deliberating over an F-series in the same livery).

What, me worry?

While General Motors had a winner with the F series, I think Alco outdid them with the PAs.

Diesels are nice but I gotta go with this one. Norfolk & Western 4-8-4 Class J Northern.

Dan Padova posted:

While General Motors had a winner with the F series, I think Alco outdid them with the PAs.

Certainly NOT with reliability!

How a person can consider that diesel more beautiful than the GS4  Daylight is a bit hard to swallow.  But nice try.  Just sayin... 

Beauty may indeed be in the eye of the beholder, but the engine in that pic isn’t even shiny.  And that PA design looks dorky compared to an F series.  At least to my eyes.

Once the GE aircraft turbo was replaced with a water-cooled Alco turbo and nickel in the crankshaft metal they ran well into the into late "60s. SP and AT&SF ran them. The pulling power and dynamic was their plus side. Santa Fe used them in freight service in Texas. How many E's pulled freight?

In addition to the Daylight GS class steam locomotives, I always thought that the NYC streamlined art deco Hudsons were beautiful.  Another contender is the NH I-5 Hudson.

NH Joe

As you say, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.    A Pennsy I1 Decapod lugging up a mountain is a thing of beautry to me!    And 2 are even better.

Sorry boys...

Rusty

Baldwin hired industrial designer Raymond Loewy for the shark nose design.   Pennsy BP20's by Weaver Models.

Tough call for me between these two:

This is how a locomotive should look:

Regards

Fred

It's a no brainer: Here ya go

New York Central hudson, best by far

Since we are in the duh category ...

GG-1 4877 WINS.

Marty Fitzhenry posted:

GG-1 4877 WINS.

I prefer the five stripe to the single, but I've always loved that larger keystone.

MartyF,

   I agree 100% nothing tops the GG1

PCRR/Dave

Rusty Traque posted:

Sorry boys...

Rusty

I thought of numerous locomotives that I could propose. But, I do agree with Rusty on this one.

MELGAR

The GG1 certainly has an almost ageless design to it but to be fair I believe that we have classify the most beautiful electric, diesel and steam engines  in their respective categories. My opinion: electric GG1, Diesel E and F series, Steam NYC Hudson.

I say that comparing steam to diesel and electric is like comparing fish to birds. In the steam category, the GS-4 Daylight gets my vote, with the Dreyfuss Hudson a close second. In diesel, the F3/F7 cab units. And in the Electric category, what else but the GG-1 !

IMO, they are the two icons of Lionel:

1. Santa Fe F3 Warbonnet A-B-A

A. NYC Hudson 4-6-4

They are equally impressive.

Another vote for the Queen...

I will admit this. All of the streamlined steamers appeal to me. It's a slippery-slope to hold back and focus only on N&W.

So many good choices here . . . it's a truly personal preference.

Couldn’t decide...

On the real side, I like every locomotive shown.

 How about this one Marty?  CNW "Crandall" Cab Units. Just kidding.........................ugh. 

How bout the Aerotrain locomotive??

How about this,

I am always struck by this one:

I submit!

You're all wrong..

Too many to choose just one.

They are all beautiful locomotives. My favorites are the S1, the T1 and the GG1

AmeenTrainGuy posted:

PRRronbh posted:

I submit!

 

 

Can you name those locomotives the look very nice!

Left to right:

1) PRR Steam Turbine, 6-8-6.

2) C&O Steam turbine-electric.

3) N&W experimental steam turbine-electric. 

AmeenTrainGuy posted:

Thanks, HotWater! So is any manufacturer offering the last two locomotives right now? Or have they been offered a long time ago, and not available anymore? 

I don't know about the manufacturer of the PRR 6-8-6 Steam Turbine, as many different companies have made those models, including small "non-scale" versions by Lionel. 

The C&O steam turbine-electric is an MTH model, but I don't recall how many times they offered it (I know that some are still available on the 'used market').

The N&W steam turbine-electric is a Sunset/3rd Rail model, and is relatively recent (within the last two years?). They were offered in both 3-Rail and 2-Rail.

William 1 posted:

but the engine in that pic isn’t even shiny.  

Number 90 posted:

So many good choices here . . . it's a truly personal preference.

With a significant regional influence.  

If we're talking about the "World's" most beautiful loco then i would say the SP Black Widow or the SF Kodak paint scheme.  Otherwise, i agree with the other entries.

From my layout:

MTH RailKing 4-6-4 Imperial Streamlined Hudson Steam Engine

Full Scale: C&O Yellowbelly Stream Lined Hudson Steam Engine

Gary

12 monkeys posted:

I am always struck by this one:

Stay off the track, and it won't happen again.

What, me worry?

My pick........Don

Would this count?

Maybe this

Or this....

And now for something completely different

Home made Party mix

aussteve posted:

If we're talking about the World's most beautiful loco then i would say the SP Black Widow or the SF Kodak paint scheme.  Otherwise, i agree with the other entries.

Check the topic heading.  It's the Wordls most beautiful locomotive, not the World's.  And did you mean these, really?

Just pulling your leg.  They're be ... bea ... beau ... okay.

What, me worry?

yankspride4 posted:

Tough call for me between these two:

Yup - too close to call, but I may see a little ESE edge...unless you bring in a Niagara, in which case I'll just have to go home.

-------------

Photo from JHZ563, above -

Honorable mention; got to be some Niagara DNA in the Red Devil:

AmeenTrainGuy posted:

Thanks, HotWater! So is any manufacturer offering the last two locomotives right now? Or have they been offered a long time ago, and not available anymore? 

I believe the PRR S2 6200 is a Lionel piece. It was first offered as 6-18010. This was a Mike Wolf project. I have one that was built by Sunset Models (3rd Rail) and has been upgraded to PS-2.

The C&O M1 is MTH, and has been offered twice. Cab 500 was PS-1, Cab 501 was PS-2.

The N&W TE-1 2300 was built by Sunset Models (3rd Rail). It is brass.

Just checked eBay for these. This pickings are pretty slim right now. 

I don't have them in O but these are my two favorite in HO (and 1:1)

The Berkshire runs a close third.

Bob

I don't have a picture at the moment, but my old, treasured 671 Turbine that was used and abused, and just kept running, very much a dear old friend that despite the dents and dings and such, is a beautiful thing to me

"It's a beautiful tank, it has righteous waves coming out of it"

"It's a piece of junk! It leaks gas all over the place and is falling apart"

"There you go again with the negative waves, Moriarty"

Personally, I think the N&W Class J is the most beautiful locomotive in the US. But worldwide, for me, it's the LNER Class A Flying Scotsman. Just a gorgeous locomotive.

Alfred E Neuman posted:

aussteve posted:

If we're talking about the World's most beautiful loco then i would say the SP Black Widow or the SF Kodak paint scheme.  Otherwise, i agree with the other entries.

Check the topic heading.  It's the Wordls most beautiful locomotive, not the World's.  And did you mean these, really?

 

Just pulling your leg.  They're be ... bea ... beau ... okay.

What, me worry?

That is the Bloody Nose scheme (I call it bloody awful).

The Black Widow is one of my favorites.

For locomotive design the only thing that tops the Alco PAs are these often overlooked beauties, the FM Erie-Builts.

SouthernMike posted:

That is the Bloody Nose scheme (I call it bloody awful).

The Black Widow is one of my favorites.

 Of course, you're right.  What was I thinking?  Perhaps stumbled across a pic of a Bloody Nose SP PA-1, the likes of which I never recalled seeing, and forgot what it was all about.  Would you believe I also posted a pic of a Daylight SP PA-1 before I realized that mistake.  Maybe I should just log off for the day.

What, me worry?

The C&O yellow steam turbine electric made by MTH was a poor performer.  It has too many wheels so your track had to be perfectly level.  Several years back we used to joke about them making a good door stop.  The C&O prototype was experimental and they only had two of them made.   The design didn't pass muster either.

Dennis

Nothing like a High Wheeled 4-4-0!  The NYC 999 is also a great choice.

I like the high-steppers myself; a couple of contenders here:

Caledonian Railway 'Cardean'

....and CB&Q #590 2-4-2

Firewood posted:

I like the high-steppers myself; a couple of contenders here:

....and CB&Q #590 4-4-2

 

That looks more like a 2-4-2 to me.

  It was probably an 1800s loco with a Prussian Blue boiler treatment, brass, and some real guilding.

This Hiawatha and Daylight are up there, the Aeolus and Commodore Vanderbilt too, but this strikes me as... saintly  

I like the SF #5018 SD40

For a locomotive to be a true beauty she has to have plenty of Brute...

...and be Sleek...

...and can show off her Speed.

But if we are talking about the real Glamour Girl #1....than it has all three.

Carbodys: All downhill after the first. Some paint might top top this; but not the lines.

SouthernMike posted:

For locomotive design the only thing that tops the Alco PAs are these often overlooked beauties, the FM Erie-Builts.

Gets my vote, but by a fraction...........

Dennis posted:

The C&O yellow steam turbine electric made by MTH was a poor performer.  It has too many wheels so your track had to be perfectly level.  Several years back we used to joke about them making a good door stop.  The C&O prototype was experimental and they only had two of them made.   The design didn't pass muster either.

Dennis

Actually the C&O ordered three M-1's and Baldwin delivered three M-1's.  M-1 #500 delivered in 1947 and #'s 501 and 502 delivered in 1948.

These were ordered and built to pull Robert R. Young's 5-star inspiration "The Chessie."  C&O also ordered 46 passenger cars from Bud for "The Chessie."  Three complete consist plus a few extra.  All 46 were delivered August 1948.

All three M-1's were retired in 1950.

Ron

1892 Chicago World's Fair, B&O. This is the sister to the Vauclain Compound "Director General"

How does it get more elegant than this?

While we're at it, about the L&N "Big Emma" 2-8-4, surely the most graceful of the Berkshires?

The B&O P7d "Cincinnatian" 4-6-2

The PRR "Jeffersonian" shrouded K-4. If one must hide the lines of the classic K-4, this was how it had to be done.....

Dennis posted:

The C&O yellow steam turbine electric made by MTH was a poor performer.  It has too many wheels so your track had to be perfectly level.  Several years back we used to joke about them making a good door stop.  The C&O prototype was experimental and they only had two of them made.   The design didn't pass muster either.

Dennis

The actual prototype was very problematic, too - so much so that the railroad men called them "sacred cows" because the C&O kept operating them.

Nick

Dennis posted:

The C&O yellow steam turbine electric made by MTH was a poor performer.  It has too many wheels so your track had to be perfectly level.  

Dennis

Dennis, I forgot the address this in original reply.

There is a fix for this tracking issue.  As I recall a fellow forum member posted the solution here a while back.  It related to modifying how the front tuck tracked.  Somewhere have this info but no idea where at moment.

Be great if original poster on fix would re-enlighten us here.

Ron

AmeenTrainGuy posted:

These are the real beauties. 😀

You got the right idea!

Gary Graves posted:

AmeenTrainGuy posted:

These are the real beauties. 😀

You got the right idea!

Amen, Brother Gary ! Got my Lionel Champion F3s  too !

Hot Water posted:

Firewood posted:

I like the high-steppers myself; a couple of contenders here:

....and CB&Q #590 4-4-2 

That looks more like a 2-4-2 to me.

Hot Water gets the Hawkeye award for today - thanks! Typo corrected 

I think someone mentioned the NYC Niagara, but no picture.   Its a contender in my view:

Even though these are not my photos, and I'm surprised it was only mentioned once near the beginning of this topic, but SP 4449 or any Daylight color GS series to me the most beautiful steam locomotive made. As to the 4449, I prefer the large Southern Pacific on the tender then the small Southern Pacific Lines. As to a 2nd, 3rd & 4th favorite for me, is the NYC Hudson, Empire State Express Streamline Hudson & Niagara.

And for added bonus for a diesel, these 3 in order are my favorite below for beauty in my opinion for color, not counting engine style or body. All 3 photos below, I took myself.

Plus this below, which I took this photo, to add for a final bonus.

I am partial to the Challenger!:

if only Ed was......

Williams Scale 611 now with Proto 2/3 

Ken-Oscale posted:

I am partial to the Challenger!:

My favorite BIG STEAM loco !

Ken-Oscale posted:

I think someone mentioned the NYC Niagara, but no picture.   Its a contender in my view:

I almost agree. Lovely proportions, but done in with that brutally flat face

This one looked good in her youth, but old age caught up with her.

                                     not the same engine, but clean & shiny one...

milwrd posted:

It's a no brainer: Here ya go

Given that this is how she started out her life, it seems a tragedy this is how she looked at the end.

Personally I like this iteration of the Hawatha

And she will always look young and beautiful on the Blueboard Central Division of American Flyer Lines

Enjoying the World's Greatest Hobby

Northwoods Flyer

Greg

OKHIKER posted:

Diesels are nice but I gotta go with this one. Norfolk & Western 4-8-4 Class J Northern.

Gilly@N&W posted:

Another vote for the Queen...

I will admit this. All of the streamlined steamers appeal to me. It's a slippery-slope to hold back and focus only on N&W.

I'm with OKHiker and Gilly!!

Lionelbill posted:

Williams Scale 611 now with Proto 2/3 

 

Add to my choice LionelBill's great model of the J.

rex desilets posted:

Ken-Oscale posted:

I think someone mentioned the NYC Niagara, but no picture.   Its a contender in my view:

I almost agree. Lovely proportions, but done in with that brutally flat face

I'm one of those above who mentioned the Niagara - and I love the "flat face" (brutal? nah) of this loco. The whole machine has a modern, industrial tool look about it that I love - making those silly whitewalls look even sillier. Thankfully those whitewalls were not part of the production package.

Soo Nut posted:

This one looked good in her youth, but old age caught up with her.

Oh, I don't know - dirty can be beautiful:

Finnish State Railways Dr12 one of my favourite. 

Dr12:

Here's another one of my favorite locos.

I always have liked the looks of the A5 0-4-0. I didn't know until recently the 3891 was an actual A5 seen here taken in 1935 Lancaster, PA.

My Lionchief plus version shown below is a great runner. Unlike the earlier K-line tmcc versions, Lionel put the correct headlight and steam generator on it.

This one.

Chris Sheldon

          Chris, that engine is AWESOME !!!

^Agreed, where do I get one?

First off, I don't own this model, just want it.

Here is a video of the model in O Scale https://www.youtube.com/embed/PyOAa963jKs

I don't know what the O Scale model costs but the 1 Gauge model I found is $ 25,000.00 which is about $ 24,000.00 over my budget.

Enjoy the video.

Chris Sheldon

Where was this picture taken?

I found someone who had posted a pic of their 1 gauge model sitting on their dining room table. They had many more models like this in their collection.  And my wife thinks I spend a lot on trains!

You could sell a couple of these and buy a house or sell just one and buy a nice car.  I guess I can dream.

Chris Sheldon

I go with the NYC Hudson's but the N&W Js were lookers too.

Interesting how many of the choices were streamlined steam locomotives. In the steam era, suspect few votes would have gone to them - overturned bathtubs, etc.   Tastes change over time. Additionally there were only a handful of them - so scarcity probably contributed.

No citing of the very handsome conventional 4-8-4's; my choices: NP A2/A3/A4/A5, D&RGW M68, MoPac 2200, CNR U2e, CPR K1a, Soo Line O20.  Some outliers, but among my favorites: CB&Q O5 and WM Potomac.

Oh, wait. Forgot the Pennsy T1 !

One of my favorites, D&H Alco built Class K-62 Northern 4-8-4s 

The Comet!

Just love these diesels.

Eureka & Palisade #4

Jeff C

French influenced American design and built.

Regards

Fred

Such an enjoyable thread! I lost count of how many "Likes" I sent participants for the photos of beautiful locomotives presented for consideration.

However, and I cannot speak for "the world" and its choice for "most beautiful" locomotive, but I have a theory about that. When we plunk-down our hard-earned money to purchase a locomotive, haven't we cast our vote, by "putting our money where our mouth is" ? Maaaaaybeee. But probably not. Why?

I'll bet many, many , many of us have bought more than one locomotive (!)

So, what to do? I say, keep on suggesting the most beautiful, having our enjoyable conversation about the, alleged, best ONE, and enjoy the ride.

Selecting the world's best is a little bit like trying to say which flower is the most beautiful. Roses one day; Orchids the next. Violets? Iris? Tulips? You get the idea. They - the locomotives and the flowers - are all "most beautiful" and satisfying in their own special and particular way(s).

FranKM

P.S. Have I just said absolutely nothing here?

No Frank.  I think it is closer to saying you have said everything!!

Excellent photographs of your "favorite" on your wonderful layout!

I'm always a sucker for any steamer with elephant ears...

Jeff C

well then Jeff.....

Coal Cracker posted:

One of my favorites, D&H Alco built Class K-62 Northern 4-8-4s 

Always loved these...

Jeff C

4877 in Tuscan!

E7 for TEXAS SPECIAL.   The TS looks better than the ATSF passenger trains!

Steam-- Milwaukee 261

diesel-- Milwaukee SDL39

But  then I am partial to Milwaukee.

Dick

Here are a couple of mine

Gotta love them Kroks, cool poster too.  I use a G Scale version to pull my Orient Express.

Chris Sheldon

My favorite has always been UPs 49er.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW6ovQqreQE

I, personally believe that the most beautiful engine in modern times is the SD70ACe style cab locomotives (SD70ACE, SD70ACU, SD70ACC, SD70M-2). For some reason, I just think these locomotives are beautiful. For the Steam era, I love the GG1, and of course NW 611.

The Alco Century 636

Moonson posted:

Such an enjoyable thread! I lost count of how many "Likes" I sent participants for the photos of beautiful locomotives presented for consideration.

However, and I cannot speak for "the world" and its choice for "most beautiful" locomotive, but I have a theory about that. When we plunk-down our hard-earned money to purchase a locomotive, haven't we cast our vote, by "putting our money where our mouth is" ? Maaaaaybeee. But probably not. Why?

I'll bet many, many , many of us have bought more than one locomotive (!)

So, what to do? I say, keep on suggesting the most beautiful, having our enjoyable conversation about the, alleged, best ONE, and enjoy the ride.

Selecting the world's best is a little bit like trying to say which flower is the most beautiful. Roses one day; Orchids the next. Violets? Iris? Tulips? You get the idea. They - the locomotives and the flowers - are all "most beautiful" and satisfying in their own special and particular way(s).

FranKM

P.S. Have I just said absolutely nothing here?

Frank, your prose is as magnificent as your trains, structures,  scenery and layout!

Arnold

mikey posted:

Here are a couple of mine

Mikey, the Krocks are great!  F-units aren't bad either!  

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, obvious here. I think some the earliest E's, in their circa 1940 livery, such as the Rock Island's, were rolling art work.  For me, nothing tops steam, but some shrouded steam, like the streamlined autos of their era, are just plain ugly. That does not include the C&O Mikado and Pacific, not shrouded, which top my list, with Elescos, flying pumps, and Vanderbilts.  And this with my favorite roads far to the west.

Most of the shrouded steam that MR produced was attractive, but their first kick at the cat was a hands down winner in my books.  The combined expertise of designer and builder expanded on an ancient high speed configuration to produce the class A.  Throwing together just the right amounts of form following function in perfect time with simplicity and flash wasn't common place in shrouded steam.  Few examples were totally new loco s from the ground up like the Milwaukee Road class A Atlantic.

Bruce

brwebster posted:

Most of the shrouded steam that MR produced was attractive, but their first kick at the cat was a hands down winner in my books.  The combined expertise of designer and builder expanded on an ancient high speed configuration to produce the class A.  Throwing together just the right amounts of form following function in perfect time with simplicity and flash wasn't common place in shrouded steam.  Few examples were totally new loco s from the ground up like the Milwaukee Road class A Atlantic.

Bruce

.....and here all the time I was sure you were talking about the N&W Class A

Ok, maybe not.  But it would be if I had an O scale MTH or Lionel model of this D&SL 2-6-6-0 sitting on my desk with me right now!

But this REALLY is the most beautiful locomotive.

rex desilets posted:

brwebster posted:

Most of the shrouded steam that MR produced was attractive, but their first kick at the cat was a hands down winner in my books.  The combined expertise of designer and builder expanded on an ancient high speed configuration to produce the class A.  Throwing together just the right amounts of form following function in perfect time with simplicity and flash wasn't common place in shrouded steam.  Few examples were totally new loco s from the ground up like the Milwaukee Road class A Atlantic.

Bruce

.....and here all the time I was sure you were talking about the N&W Class A

Nah!  Get back to me when we start talking Y3-Y6.  

Bruce

Hands down- an EMD F7, in ATSF War Bonnet livery.

HI Mike Wyatt, I never actually saw photos of the real ones. In fact, I may have always thought, as a boy, that they were made up by Lionel just for fun. It is a real treat (pun intended) seeing them as they actually were. Thank You!

FrankM

P.S, The coolest boy in my neighborhood had an A-B-B-B-A of the Santa fe, and we thought it was the best locomotive ever.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

To me it's like a Corvette with a big block and a 4 speed.   Pure all-American muscle. 

The Beauty is a Beast.  

OR  

Should that be the Beast is a Beauty!

Ron

My favorites are the NYC Hudsons, but I have to give an ‘Honorable Mention’ to the Wabash P-1’s. That Wabash blue, white with red pin stripe is striking in my opinion. 

I just had to do it

Tom

Tom Densel posted:

I just had to do it

Tom

SACRILEGE!

Butt A-Tipacle for Lionel!

is there a reason we cant get our EMD F7's to ride LOW like the real ones? 

stevin posted:

is there a reason we cant get our EMD F7's to ride LOW like the real ones? 

The models do in 2-Rail SCALE, since they do not have to allow for those large "pizza cutter" wheel flanges, nor swinging pilots for sharp curves. Also, I believe the Atlas and Sunset/3rd Rail models of EMD F Units, ride much lower.

yankspride4 posted:

Tough call for me between these two:

Yeah; I’m far more of a PRR than an NYC fan but; the Dreyfus Hudson’s just scream the romance and elegance of premium rail travel.  Plus; I’ve always had a soft spot for Art Deco styling anyhow.

Curt

PS: Definitely the version shown in the bottom photo!  👍

Santa Fe isn’t really one of my roads, but it’s hard to argue against the Warbonnet scheme on either a F3 or a PA-1.

Jeff C

Hot Water posted:

stevin posted:

is there a reason we cant get our EMD F7's to ride LOW like the real ones? 

The models do in 2-Rail SCALE, since they do not have to allow for those large "pizza cutter" wheel flanges, nor swinging pilots for sharp curves. Also, I believe the Atlas and Sunset/3rd Rail models of EMD F Units, ride much lower.

If running a min o-72 curves shouldn't it be possible? I know Lionel has started using the semi swinging pilot and some atlas models have the option of installing the non-swiveling pilot. Can we run scale wheels with larger curves?

I like several beautiful locomotives but here's one at the other end of the appearance spectrum and it is in operation today in the Orlando area ......

Bill

The Pennsy T-1 although there are a lot of nice ones.

I nominate the PRR S1.

These next two images don't have all the streamlining but it's still a nice engine

I haven't seen a bad one yet.  A few not as pretty, but all contenders.

Alan