Locomotive aesthetics

Call me shallow, but aesthetics is a big part of the appeal of railroads and modelling. I've studied my own reactions to locomotives particularly - almost have it down to a science. Unfortunately, that means that I can't summarize them. It would take a small book. Maybe I'll post some of that when I have more time.

Anyway, it's been a couple years since this forum's seen a comparable thread, so...

Which locomotives are attractive or just "look right" to you? And which are completely the opposite? And why? Ignore paint schemes if you can.

F-units and E-units have a great look..
and everyone will say "Alco PA" so I might as well get it started!

IMO one of the classic outlines is the EMD SD40-2.
just something special about it..the long, low stance, trucks sticking out both ends,
the "porches"..it just all comes togther into a classic package, one of my all-time favorites:

http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/4 ... 007480.jpg

The Alco C420 was IMO the best looking of all the Centurys..
sleek and simple, and the long nose really brought it all together:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 44&nseq=23

On the other end of the scale, all the new gensets are just awful:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 05&nseq=28

no sense of style at all.


Scot

The gensets have taken the concept of "form follows function" to a whole new level. To say that they are utilitarian in appearance is an understatement.

The SD70M / SD70MAC was, in my opinion, the last nice-looking locomotive that EMD built.
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=299277
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=823873

With the introduction of the SD70ACe and SD70M-2, EMD has eliminated every curve and every rounded edge from the locomotive. I'm not saying the new design is ugly, per se, but I just don't think it's as sleek or smooth looking as what it replaced. I understand why they did what they did -- curves are more expensive than sharp angles -- but still, the old design looked nice and I miss it.

I always liked the forward thrust lower nose of EMD's E-6 and prior models. I'm a big fan of the "streamliner era" in locomotive design, as to me, it invokes a suggestion of speed and probably more importantly, the raw power of the locomotive. To stand next to such a unit, even sitting in idle rumbling away, one can not help but to be awe inspired by it's power and grace.

3rdrail wrote:I always liked the forward thrust lower nose of EMD's E-6 and prior models. I'm a big fan of the "streamliner era" in locomotive design, as to me, it invokes a suggestion of speed and probably more importantly, the raw power of the locomotive. To stand next to such a unit, even sitting in idle rumbling away, one can not help but to be awe inspired by it's power and grace.

Agreed. Those were the best looking passenger units EMD ever built, in my opinion. The F units, and the later E units, were nice looking as well... but the early E units just looked amazing.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... ?id=557970

Everything about this locomotive is dramatic... I don't know how else to describe it: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=1462686

You'd be hard pressed to find a more handsome locomotive than that Burlington chrome-plated EMD E-5A. Also, in my opinion, with this locomotive, they got it right by keeping the headlight housing on an upward slant consistant with the nose angle. It's just perfect !

The vent grills are the only negative in this design. They stand out against the streamlined effect. Sadly, they were also a necessary evil in the design. Sadly, the only Es or Fs that I remember the vents blending into were the black PennCentral units. Full-on side views are what makes these vents stand out, they blend in better in a 3/4 view.

I would take any E or F Uniy over many of the more recent passenger ?designs?. Road-switchers look better than these boxes with an end sliced off! No amount of paint helps these uglymotives!

Probably the engines most pleasing to the eye were; The F units and the E units. The FA and PA units; for the newer models, the F-59PHI, and the MP-36

scottychaos wrote:F-units and E-units have a great look..
and everyone will say "Alco PA" so I might as well get it started!

IMO one of the classic outlines is the EMD SD40-2.
just something special about it..the long, low stance, trucks sticking out both ends,
the "porches"..it just all comes togther into a classic package, one of my all-time favorites:

http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/4 ... 007480.jpg

The Alco C420 was IMO the best looking of all the Centurys..
sleek and simple, and the long nose really brought it all together:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 44&nseq=23

Scott - I agree with all your picks! But I must add one more classic: the RS3. To me it's a locomotive that just "looks right".

And an A-B-B-A lashup of EMD F units is also "right" - not just visually, but also aurally when working hard.

...FB

Just remember...

This doesn't have to be only about diesels, or America.

F7s are the nicest EMD units for me. But also I just find a great appeal in the high nose GP7. GE I like the AC6000CW.

Triplex wrote:Just remember...

This doesn't have to be only about diesels, or America.

Ok, best steam for me has to be a SP GS-4.
And foreign, I would have to say British Deltics.

Triplex wrote:Call me shallow, but aesthetics is a big part of the appeal of railroads and modelling. I've studied my own reactions to locomotives particularly - almost have it down to a science. Unfortunately, that means that I can't summarize them. It would take a small book. Maybe I'll post some of that when I have more time.

Anyway, it's been a couple years since this forum's seen a comparable thread, so...

Which locomotives are attractive or just "look right" to you? And which are completely the opposite? And why? Ignore paint schemes if you can.

It seems to me that aesthetics are the complete opposite of science...I mean, what is more subjective than that? Still, I too have my likes and dislikes though I find sometimes that these kinds of discussions get reduced to the absurd (particularly in discussing modern safety cab locomotives)

I guess it would be safe to say we all liked Raymond Loewy's ideas of how to decorate, build, and make a locomotive esthetically attractive. No one has mentioned the ubiquitous GG-1, in Tuscan Red with gold cat's whiskers yet, but that was his triumph. I have two F-7's so decorated in HO gauge, and they are magnificent.

By "science", I meant that I can systematize my preferences and make predictions about them.

I'm one of the few people who finds the GG-1 seriously overrated. Art Deco streamlining looks bad more often than it looks good.

For sheer beauty I also will add to the chorus about the Alco PA and FA, my two all time favorites.
For the "look right" catagory:
A-B-A EMD F7 unit set in the classic warbonnet scheme (I know we're supposed to ignore paint, but in my opinion this scheme was the absolute perfect scheme to show off the "look right" aspects of the engines).
Also, The GG1 (I love 1930s Art Deco), ALCO RS-3 and C420 (Hi or short hood), Baldwin RF-16 Sharks.
And for the "look right" as in "get out of my way I've got work to do" look:
The EMD SD-45, EMD SD-24 (hi short hood), ALCO C636, FM H-24-66 Train Master, and GE C39-8.