Engines with a face only a mother could love

Japanese tilting DMU

Don't like the looks but love it. Don

Good basic functionality without frills or weirdness. The later models had the nicely rounded Twinkie contours. 

Did some of those old Alco switchers have hardwood floors??

Quack quack.

Well the bottom of the barrel has officially been scraped.....sweet mother....

For some reason Dolly Parton comes to mind when I see this front end.   It's a 'stretch', I know...

This train, so I'm told, took it's GM styling cues from their city bus design...the basis for the trains' cars.  Of course, there were other car stylists who had...visions...of grandeur, too.   This one comes to mind...  ('Hey, I know what let's do...let's turn the snorkel from horizontal to vertical!!')

It was equally 'stunning' coming...

or going....

Those of you old enough may remember Ernie Kovacs, the comedian?  I remember his description of Ford's nightmare as "The front end is looking for it, the back end found it!"

Lucas Gudinov

I still don't understand why everyone finds it necessary to pile on about the Edsel.  It just ain't that ugly.  The only real problem with it is that it was just a Ford/Mercury dressed up in new clothes.

I also think the Japanese Mag-Lev train is very cool looking.  Anyway, to me all trains are beautiful.

Pete

This isn't a forum about autos, but much of the hostility toward the Edsel's styling

comes from Ford always designing boxes, and the Edsel deviated from that.  Ford

deviated a few other times (1937-38...really ugly cars), 1960 (not successful and

they went back to boxes), and the current 2013 Fusion which does not look like a

Ford, and they are selling! Box buyers were upset with the Edsel.  Pete is, of course right in that it was nothing different mechanically, and the final 1960 Edsel version is difficult to distinguish from a Ford, in appearance or mechanically.  I like the styling of the 1958 (only) Edsel, but mechanically...big zero.  Ford did not go

bankrupt with that experiment, and while that make is gone, so are Pontiac,

Oldsmobile, and Saturn much more recently for similar reasons (lack of mechanical

difference, and conversely, lack of reliability in significant mechanical changes,

4-6-8 and diesel engines in Olds).

Ace, I don't know about the Alco switchers, but at least some of the Baldwin switcher did have wooden floors.

This has been one of the mnore interesting threads on the forum.

The Delhi Metro trains are homely looking. They could use a make-over like the "Big Lips" BL2 shown previously. 

Polish Armoured Train

General Electric's "U Boat" series (ex: U30C) are pretty ugly in my opinion. 

The only ugly locomotive is the absence of a locomotive.

I like them all.

Some more than others.

This must be some kind of geared locomotive.  I don't see any drive rods.

Earl

Hi Earl!

I believe it is an "inside cylinder" 0-6-0.  The pistons are the two circles underneath the smokebox door.  There are some clever cranks mounted in-between the wheels that drive the outside rods.

Superpower: You're right! That thing looks like an old caterpillar ride from an amusement park. What is it and where did it come from?

Originally Posted by N.Q.D.Y.:

 

This must be some kind of geared locomotive.  I don't see any drive rods.

 

Earl

Many English steam locomotives had inside cylinders, particularly smaller or older units. 4-4-0 "City of Truro" is an express passenger engine built 1903 with inside cylinders, preserved and still operable, claimed to be the first steam loco to exceed 100mph, in 1904 (disputing the earlier claim of NYC 999).

Maybe looks odd to American steam fans?

Originally Posted by Ace:

Originally Posted by EIS:

Originally Posted by N.Q.D.Y.:

 

What are the boxes between the drive wheels?  I originally thought the boxes housed the gear drives.

Earl

What are the boxes between the drive wheels?  I originally thought the boxes housed the gear drives. 

Earl

Earl, It looks like these Q1 locos have plate steel frames instead of cast frames, which block the view of the cylinders and rods in there.

Originally Posted by EIS:

Originally Posted by Ace:

Originally Posted by EIS:

Originally Posted by N.Q.D.Y.:

 

What are the boxes between the drive wheels?  I originally thought the boxes housed the gear drives.

 

Earl

Hi Earl,

I think that the boxes that you are enquiring about are the sand boxes.  The cylinders are located between the frames, and drive a cranked axle on the centre pair of drivers. The valve gear is also internal and is of a modified Stephenson type.

Originally Posted by N.Q.D.Y.:

Earl, I think they are sand boxes

Kieffer

As well as his more well known designs for the Southern, Bulleid also designed the 'Leader' class of 0-6-6-0T locomotives. These were a rather radical design, especially for a steam engine, and sadly did not develop past the testing stage.

Here is some film of the first one under construction.

This link will show more of his designs.  

http://www.bulleidlocos.org.uk/(S(bvy0twe32pyqczln2htklhka))/_ldr/ldrClass.aspx

You guys sure do know the ugly trains and there appear to be no shortage of examples.  To paraphrase from Saving Private Ryan some of these trains took a dive from tthe top of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down!  That Dutch train even took a swipe at the elegant Thalys TGV!  I'm just happy no one put the M10000 on the catwalk of train ugliness - great thread!

Maybe more ugly would be to paint the BL-2 in FEC red!

Lee W, very good job at touch up on the BL-2.

Lee F.

Now we know that "BL-2" stands for "Big Lips" 2.

I used to think the M10000 was kind of bizarre but it has grown on me - now that I have a vintage Marx version. Some items have to be appreciated in their own historical context.

Some trains run butt first half the time.

Couldn't they put a better face on it?

Ive always hated the look of the GP-60M.. Yuck.. Ill never run one of these on my layout..

if this one could speak I think it would say: I feel unhappy myself.

Belgian Railways 08 EMU series.

Kieffer

I've always loved the look of the SR Q1, I think it oozes an authority and no-nonsense usefulness.

-Lionel's Phantom

-Eurostar

-English streamlined steam

-Genset switchers

Chinese DF7G

British Rail Class D3

Not even a contender compared to some of these...and I sure miss the warbonnet paint. Even faded out it still looks better than the pumpkin schemes.

Jeff C

The N&W even had one....

Gilly

Ugly times three.

I half expect Ultraman to make an appearance!

Jerry

How about this gem from the VERY short lived 1979 NBC T.V. show

SUPERTRAIN........

The BL-2 is probably one of the more interesting locos but not the ugliest. 

Now this is the ugliest train I have ever seen.