Most Beautiful Electric Ever Made?

Timothy Sprague posted:

It's an eye of the beholder thing for sure. 

Gorgeous classic.

Both of you are wrong. Milwaukee Little Joes are the best.

Dick

Mike Wolf knows best:

Regards

Fred

sncf231e posted:

Mike Wolf knows best:

Regards

Fred

Fred,

Thanks.   That's awesome!  I recalled that MTH had catalogued this engine, and it's a real beauty.  Years ago, I dabbled with LGB for several years, and came dangerously close to buying the LGB crocodile.  Since this thread was started, I have tried in short bursts to find a good photo of this loco to post on this thread, but couldn't quickly find an attractive  photo that didn't have a copyright warning.  I really love this electric myself, and am glad that you posted the video.  

I vote for the dark green locomotive enamel (Brunswick green) GG-1 with the solid stripe and big herald as the most beautiful electric in America.

I would say there are two factors to be considered in rendering an opinion on this question. First would be the locomotive shape or streamlining. Second would be the paint scheme and colors. I consider the GG-1 to have the nicest streamline shape of any electric locomotive. I also recognize that some people prefer non-streamlined shapes such as a boxcab. To my knowledge, PRR #4829 was the only GG-1 to have an elegant five-stripe scheme in which the nose stripes converged into a single line in the mid-section of the locomotive. The colors on my MTH Premier model appear to be black (or maybe a dark Brunswick green) with silver stripes. PRR #4829 gets my vote for both its shape and paint scheme.

MELGAR

I had to come back out of lurking status for this one. I can't believe it took 3 pages for someone to nominate the Little Joe! There in you have my nomination as well. I've got to give a little bit of a bigger nudge to South Shore over Milwaukee, because there's nothing cooler than seeing one of those big (little) guys street running.  

OK, I agree about the Little Joe. I have three MTH scale Joe's. The motor being pulled out is one of my Little Joe's. They are big, heavy and powerful motors that all run on the overhead except when in the round house. Don

May be a streetcar, but they are electric and I enjoy operating them in OKC.  Just testing for now, but will be in revenue service mid December.  Oh, and the Milwaukee Road Bi-polar gets my vote.

Jesse   TCA   12-68275

Dennis GS-4 N & W No. 611 posted:

sncf231e posted:

Mike Wolf knows best:

Regards

Fred

Fred,

Thanks.   That's awesome!  I recalled that MTH had catalogued this engine, and it's a real beauty.  Years ago, I dabbled with LGB for several years, and came dangerously close to buying the LGB crocodile.  Since this thread was started, I have tried in short bursts to find a good photo of this loco to post on this thread, but couldn't quickly find an attractive  photo that didn't have a copyright warning.  I really love this electric myself, and am glad that you posted the video.  

The LGB crocodile is of course based on a narrow gauge prototype and thus different; it can be seen here:

Regards

Fred

Crocodile Shmockodile; those Euro-things don’t rate a mention in my book.

OliverCliffs posted:

 I can't believe it took 3 pages for someone to nominate the Little Joe! There in you have my nomination as well. I've got to give a little bit of a bigger nudge to South Shore over Milwaukee, because there's nothing cooler than seeing one of those big (little) guys street running.  

I remember the South Shore street runs in Northern Indiana and it was the height of cool to see these giants rumbling along amidst the Chevys and Fords and Chryslers of the day:

Actually, if we are going to allow electric street level passenger transport into this competition then the next most beautiful electrics are the South Shore’s gnarly old interurbans, which graced the streets for more decades than I can remember:

Fred, 

All seriousness aside, I have always confused crocodiles and alligators.    All kidding aside, thanks for the note and the nice video, which demonstrates my lack of study concerning European locomotives.  Those locos would be a lot of fun to learn more about, and, will make a good winter topic to explore as the mercury dips in the northern states.  The designs and coloration are very intriguing for many of the locos.  (Time to watch Dr. Zhivago again!)

Texastrain and others,

That Milwaukee Road Bi-polar is a show stopper.  Gorgeous!

There's a reason that across locomotive types, the EP-5 in the McGinnes paint scheme, the Milwaukee Road Bi-polar, and the Southern Pacific GS-4 in Daylight colors are among the favorites for many rail fans and model railroaders.  That palate of colors is exquisite on these behemoths.

Hancock52 posted:

...I remember the South Shore street runs in Northern Indiana and it was the height of cool to see these giants rumbling along amidst the Chevys and Fords and Chryslers of the day:

Actually, if we are going to allow electric street level passenger transport into this competition then the next most beautiful electrics are the South Shore’s gnarly old interurbans, which graced the streets for more decades than I can remember:

Great pics!  

(1)  Among the other visual treats, the cars and other period specifically details are wonderful, including the Raymond Loewy designed Studebaker,  3 photos above.  (2) The used car lot, 4 photos above appears, to picture two 1956 Oldsmobiles for sale. (3) The obscenely loaded Pontiac with the huge sun visor located three photos above looks similar to the Buicks from the same era.  Given the shortage of cars after WW II, many dealers were loading up cars with options to enhance profitability.  GM would make this body style for a while, and was caught napping when Ford introduced the ultra-modern 1949 Ford.  (4) Cycling back to the third photo above, the "Hotel Michigana" sign would be great to model, along with the hotel.

Hancock52 posted:

Crocodile Shmockodile; those Euro-things don’t rate a mention in my book.

OliverCliffs posted:

 I can't believe it took 3 pages for someone to nominate the Little Joe! There in you have my nomination as well. I've got to give a little bit of a bigger nudge to South Shore over Milwaukee, because there's nothing cooler than seeing one of those big (little) guys street running.  

I remember the South Shore street runs in Northern Indiana and it was the height of cool to see these giants rumbling along amidst the Chevys and Fords and Chryslers of the day:

Actually, if we are going to allow electric street level passenger transport into this competition then the next most beautiful electrics are the South Shore’s gnarly old interurbans, which graced the streets for more decades than I can remember:

Those are amazing photos! 

MELGAR posted:

I would say there are two factors to be considered in rendering an opinion on this question. First would be the locomotive shape or streamlining. Second would be the paint scheme and colors. I consider the GG-1 to have the nicest streamline shape of any electric locomotive. I also recognize that some people prefer non-streamlined shapes such as a boxcab. To my knowledge, PRR #4829 was the only GG-1 to have an elegant five-stripe scheme in which the nose stripes converged into a single line in the mid-section of the locomotive. The colors on my MTH Premier model appear to be black (or maybe a dark Brunswick green) with silver stripes. PRR #4829 gets my vote for both its shape and paint scheme.

MELGAR

Winner and still champion.......

pennsy484 posted:

Hancock52 posted:

I remember the South Shore street runs in Northern Indiana and it was the height of cool to see these giants rumbling along amidst the Chevys and Fords and Chryslers of the day:

Those are amazing photos! 

All the photos are from the internet; none of the ones I took back in the day with my Dad's old Polaroid Land Camera survive.

I didn't include any from what I could identify as later than the 60s but the interurbans went on running (and running and running) after that - exactly how long post-dates when I ceased to live in "The Region." I think that the Little Joes went on longer still but I have not checked.

scale rail posted:

OK, I agree about the Little Joe. I have three MTH scale Joe's. The motor being pulled out is one of my Little Joe's. They are big, heavy and powerful motors that all run on the overhead except when in the round house. Don

That's a heck of a picture!! That Plymouth with the Joe is perfect!

Those street running shots are awesome too! There's something about South Shore equipment even in the current day its utiltarian, but with style... I guess!

For street running vintage traction, the big red Pacific Electric cars would have to be near the top of the list! For US standard gauge electrics, my hierarchy would include in order: the GG1, the South Shore Little Joe's and the New Haven EP Series electrics in equal ranking, and finally the CMStP&P original bipolars. "A thing of beauty is a joy for ever" - john Keats, Endymion

Art,

That's a well placed list!  I should probably do some more reading about vintage traction.  Your post also had me looking up the meaning of "Standard Gauge", which I hadn't fully mastered, other than in the context of Tinplate, although I remembered that Joshua Cowen had adopted that term for his track.

I'll have to do some more reading about interurban traction, as the gorgeous photos in this thread are so enjoyable.  That's one of the great things about all of the wonderful books available to railroad hobbyists.  I also had to look up the excellent Latin saying by Seneca in your signature, as my three years of high school Latin only gave me the gist of its meaning: vita sine litteris mors est, "Life without literature is death."

And, since I often enjoy a certain "genre" of classic music (although not exclusively), I'll be starting the new book that the post office delivered today.   Although not very scholarly from an academic point of view, Thanks a Lot Mr. Kibblewhite,  should be a breezy read.  

It's by an English singer, now author: Roger Daltry. (Some might inquire, Who is Roger Daltry?  My jocular response would be: Exactly!!!)

pennsy484 posted:

I went to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania this past weekend and took some pictures (most of which I had already taken years ago as well and the same views are plentiful online but, I digress 😂)  but yeah, I agree GG1!

I remember going to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania about ten years ago.  What a delightful day! Thanks for the reminder as I'll have to get back.

Hancock52 posted:

Youse guys is ALL WRONG (so far). The most beautiful electrics that have ever been or ever will be are the Chicago South Shore & South Bend Little Joes. Below is #803 in its MTH PS3 version; above is the prototype as preserved at the Illinois Railway Museum. Plus some gritty in service scenes; I particularly like the last one with a rickety old South Shore interurban in the background (although that’s old 802 in the front):

Nice views of the Chicago South Shore & South Bend Little Joe's. I like picture number 4, check out all those Griswold Rotating Banner Signals up against the building, they would be worth a small fortune today!

Rusty

Only picture I've seen with all three Joe's in one shot. Don

This is what happened to many of the old electrics. Marin County electric line made into a trucking office. Don

Dennis: The broader translation of the Seneca quote is: "Life without knowledge is death." This is literally true with advancements in medical science, whose applications allow people to live longer, productive lives!

Milwaukee EF-3 Boxcabs by MTH, brutes in a beautiful sort of way.

   Bill T.

You either like em, or love em, I prefer the latter. Roo. 

Bill T. I guess I love all the big Milwaukee Road electrics. Here are four or five of mine running overhead on the old layout. Don

Thanks for posting!  That is easily among the most beautiful layouts I've ever seen.  And, the production quality of the video, the editing, and the sound track is simply superb. And, after reading your excellent bio, I see why the production is so exceptional.  WOW!!!

Thanks Dennis, this is a fun promo for the magazine I did right before I did the video. Don

SCALERAIL,

That was absolutely AMAZING!

That layout was beautiful.  The video was awesome!

scale rail posted:

Bill T. I guess I love all the big Milwaukee Road electrics. Here are four or five of mine running overhead on the old layout. Don

Don, everything about this video of your old layout and the layout itself is magnificent. They are works of art.

I particularly love it when gorgeous trains running through a beautiful layout are combined with soulful music. You have done that and done it masterfully.

It was such a treat for me to play your video. Thanks so much for sharing it. I think I will play it periodically, when I want to be in a peaceful, serene mood, and experience a little heaven.

Arnold 

Don,

Thanks for also posting the promo.  In addition to the beautiful layout, and great videography, I loved the humor!

Diverging Clear posted:

Hancock52 posted:

. ...The most beautiful electrics that have ever been or ever will be are the Chicago South Shore & South Bend Little Joes...

 

Nice views of the Chicago South Shore & South Bend Little Joe's....
Rusty

Those are definitely beautiful. There are sure a lot of choices of electrics in this thread that have significant or limited  orange coloration - even, in a sense the vermillion in the NH EP-5.  In addition to being attractive on many liveries, the orange is likely very helpful in promoting and increasing pedestrian safety for those nearby, given the significant visibility advantage, even on more overcast days.  The above electrics could certainly help brighten the spirits of those starting their early morning commute to work!

Don, A "Small Town In The Foot Hills Of The Cascade Mountains" with palm trees?  In 2010 I guess it was a preview of things to come.

Dennis GS-4 N & W No. 611 posted:

Great pics!  

(1)  Among the other visual treats, the cars and other period specifically details are wonderful, including the Raymond Loewy designed Studebaker,  3 photos above.  (2) The used car lot, 4 photos above appears, to picture two 1956 Oldsmobiles for sale. (3) The obscenely loaded Pontiac with the huge sun visor located three photos above looks similar to the Buicks from the same era.  Given the shortage of cars after WW II, many dealers were loading up cars with options to enhance profitability.  GM would make this body style for a while, and was caught napping when Ford introduced the ultra-modern 1949 Ford.  (4) Cycling back to the third photo above, the "Hotel Michigana" sign would be great to model, along with the hotel.

I think I am reading the sign correctly and from a fairly good memory of seeing it it was the "Michiana" Hotel - no "g" in there. Even at the time I thought it was a slightly hokey name but it certainly stuck in my mind! Yes, I would model it and the building too - if I could remember anything about it. 

Nowadays there's a whole area called "Michiana Shores" right on the State Line but I've never been there. The hotel was in downtown Michigan City, which is further south. I certainly saw the CSS&SB Little Joes traversing the streets of Michigan City and they shook the road when they did. Quite fearsome beasts!

MTN posted:

My grandparents lived a couple houses over from the South Shore's mainline through Gary, IN (Pierce Street to be precise). It was a highlight of visits to hear the crossing signals when they started ringing and the overhead wire getting energized - I usually saw passenger trains buzz by, but occasionally got to see a freight lugged by 800s or 700s (it was a sad day when the former C&O Geeps showed up).

I'll say! I can't recall exactly when that was but no beauty or intrinsic interest whatsoever in those engines (pardon my prejudice). 

Our old family homestead was on the west side of Gary, a few blocks from the Clark Street flag stop. Thanks for the memories. 

GG1

PAUL ROMANO posted:

GG1

Ditto

Hancock52 posted:

Dennis GS-4 N & W No. 611 posted:

... (4) Cycling back to the third photo above, the "Hotel Michigana" sign would be great to model, along with the hotel.

I think I am reading the sign correctly and from a fairly good memory of seeing it it was the "Michiana" Hotel - no "g" in there.Michigana is incorrect

Thanks Hancock52!  

       No question about it, that was a typo -- likely from living in Michigan so long.  Michiana (which my spellchecker again tried to change by adding a "g"!...) is a region that is at least informally part of both southern Lower Michigan and the adjacent part of Northern Indiana.

        I lived near South Bend, IN for 3 years, and the region was often referred to as Michiana - with, for example, "The biggest Chevy dealer in the Michiana area", etc.  The regions were intricately connected.  Friends and family would sometimes take the train to Niles, MI from Detroit, and, I would drive the roughly 8 Miles to pick them up.  Pleasant memories.