Worlds most beautiful locomotive

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......