To be honest, what's inside a train really doesn't count since 90% of the time your first impression is what's hauling those passenger cars: the engine. Of course, in the case of the DMU/EMU, this is all one in the same. On top of that, you have to balance form with function -- or how beautiful it is in the context of what it's hauling. Yeah, the engine may be as ugly as a pug but if it's hauling freight, you forgive it.
So you have a range (with examples): beautiful (FL-9), meh (GP series), ugly (modded GP9's), so ugly it's beautiful (steam engines), and OMG PUT IT OUT OF IT'S MISERY (that Scotrail Class 385).
And thus my takes:
So you have a range (with examples): beautiful (FL-9), meh (GP series), ugly (modded GP9's), so ugly it's beautiful (steam engines), and OMG PUT IT OUT OF IT'S MISERY (that Scotrail Class 385).
And thus my takes:
- Scotrail Class 385: No, Jimmy "Schnozzola" Durante or even Jamie Farr are beautiful in comparison with this EMU set. Even if you EMU'ed the Bombardier MultiLevel that MARC/NJT use would be better than this mess.
- Chop-nozed GP9: Oh gawd, what happened? They took something ugly and made it uglier. I wouldn't want this even as a road switcher.
- SD40-2 on an SD45T-2 frame: Ugly. Needs viagra.
- CP1152: Almost as bad as the chop-nozed GP9. Going on a diet via a chainsaw would be better. This is a GP9 to GP20 to specialty equipment conversion... and it looks "Why?"
- ALCO RS2M: Meh. Kinda like the GP40's.
- RRPX 2001 (modded GP9): Ugly. Forgivable if it was a road switcher but everywhere else makes you wonder.
- RPI RP15BDF: Meh.
- NRVE 5007: Meh. It's a BART utility vehicle.
- SC-44's: Beautiful, but on the low end.
- Stadler FLIRT: Also beautiful, on the low end.
- Stadler NJT RiverLINE DMU: Ugly.
- MTA Maryland Light Rail: Ugly.
- BritRail Class 745: Straddles the line between beautiful and ugly. A Brit would think otherwise.
- Talgo 350: It looks like a comic book duck. Ugly.
- Taglo Avril: It looks like a duck in a wind tunnel near a black hole. Slighly less ugly than the 350, but still ugly.
- Acela Avelia Liberty: Meh. Not ugly, but not beautiful. Better than the Taglo's!
- BQ23-7: Freight. Meh.
- BritRail 785/196: Oh so THAT's where that came from. I'd rather look at the 196 (which is meh) than the BOMBARDIER AVENTRA (785) (right inside ugly) and the 385 (WTF?!?)
- UPP 403: That's a power unit. SKIP.
- Caf/Sunsundegui 2700: Meh.