# The ugliest American Steam Loco



## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

I have no knowledge about this loco, but I saved the pics because .... well I doubt a mother could love this... because I thought all y'all might like it.

And the winner is;










Where are we going with this? One could well wonder, but The Delaware and Hudson are the beaming parents.










Fresh from the shops. Can't you feel the power?










Now wearing her name proudly. So streamlined and modern looking.










What's not to love? Reminds me of a seashell of some sort or Darth Vader of Steam!
Luke I am your ....









Horatio Allen is included in the pics titles.

Can you top this? I think Dwight's beauty is cute in comparrison!

John


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

I think the Oregon Pony is as bad , maybe worse


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

Just about any camelback or "mother hubbard" is uglier. There's just nothing to like about a camelback except uniqueness. Ugly, dangerous and unpleasant to work on...


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

I saw this topic title and figured I'd be mentioned in it somewhere. hehehe Nice to see #21 got an Honerable Mention.


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## Spule 4 (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Mik on 23 May 2010 01:22 PM 
I think the Oregon Pony is as bad , maybe worse 







How long till you make one Mik?


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Spule 4 on 23 May 2010 03:01 PM 
Posted By Mik on 23 May 2010 01:22 PM 
I think the Oregon Pony is as bad , maybe worse 







How long till you make one Mik?









When you send me a Lehmann Porter power brick?


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## Scottychaos (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By lownote on 23 May 2010 01:30 PM 
Just about any camelback or "mother hubbard" is uglier. There's just nothing to like about a camelback except uniqueness. Ugly, dangerous and unpleasant to work on... 





I agree *most* camelbacks were not great beautys..
but a few of them could certainty could hold their own..at least a runner-up for homecoming queen! 











Scot


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## Spule 4 (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Mik on 23 May 2010 06:44 PM 
Posted By Spule 4 on 23 May 2010 03:01 PM 
Posted By Mik on 23 May 2010 01:22 PM 
I think the Oregon Pony is as bad , maybe worse 







How long till you make one Mik?









When you send me a Lehmann Porter power brick?


What is funny, is when I first saw this, I thought that the Lehmann rail truck would be a great match for the wheels!

http://gbdb.info/details.php?image_...;l=english


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## tmtrainz (Feb 9, 2010)

Here's a link to a website that explains the locomotives (note the plural) in the original post. This site is most likely where the pictures came from. 

Regards, 
Tom 

http://www.dself.dsl.pipex.com/MUSEUM/LOCOLOCO/USAhp/USAhp.htm


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

I think she needs a mollusk or two.


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Mik on 23 May 2010 06:44 PM 
Posted By Spule 4 on 23 May 2010 03:01 PM 
Posted By Mik on 23 May 2010 01:22 PM 
I think the Oregon Pony is as bad , maybe worse 







How long till you make one Mik?









When you send me a Lehmann Porter power brick?


Heresy! Tiss a thing of beauty!

Now for UGLY, try the Fontaine Fiasco









Or the Holman Horror:


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## msimpson (Jan 5, 2009)

So the piston drives the jackstaff under the smokebox on the Oregon Pony? I see nothing odd or unattractive about this loco, except that the guy who assembled the kit got the stack and bell positions reversed. Lookin' good! 

Regards, Mike


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

I'm a little surprised Vic hasn't already built one of those.


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

All fine specimins of creative efforts, but still no Horatio Allen!


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Torby on 24 May 2010 01:23 PM 
I'm a little surprised Vic hasn't already built one of those.


I did, kind of, sort of, almost....


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Any engine with a shroud by Lowey or Drefuss! 

(OUCH! Stop throwing things at me!!!!)


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## stevedenver (Jan 6, 2008)

you know when i was a very young boy-like 6 or so -'odd' or unusual locos were ugly 
even european locos seemed less familiar-odd smoke boxes and strange headlight placement-rounded cab windows 

as a kid 
camel backs always threw me-even tank locos- 
locos should look like a fine ten wheeler or American 

it wasnt long tho after many books on locos of the world as well as all the amazing US types 

i have come full circle and 
now i find almost all locos-of any type from any place-interesting 

still put off by locos with vertical boilers just a bit tho 
all have something -its the differences in designs and engineering that are so cool


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## Madman (Jan 5, 2008)

What a beautiful collection of ugliness







.


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## CJGRR (Jan 2, 2008)

...call me wierd...I love all three.... As a matter of fact, I'd probably buy a model of any of those if they were available. So much character.


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## markoles (Jan 2, 2008)

Ugly. ALmost as bad as an Erie Triplex.


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## jmill24 (Jan 11, 2008)

Mark, thems fighten words. You are just jealous because it has more driver wheels than you whole railroad put together.......................Jim


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By vsmith on 25 May 2010 01:53 PM 
Posted By Torby on 24 May 2010 01:23 PM 
I'm a little surprised Vic hasn't already built one of those.


I did, kind of, sort of, almost....










Got a lot closer to the Oregon Pony with this one:


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## ralphbrades (Jan 3, 2008)

*D*o. *N*ot. *T*emp *T*he. *D*evil... 

regards 

ralph


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Uh oh! Don't go picking on the MTH guys! 

Greg


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

errrr....OK who's insulting MTH? 

The Erie Triplex was a REAL engine and not a pretty one at that, so Marks vote is OK to me... 



Was this supposed to be who made the ugliest G scale engine??? 

Well thats a horse of a different color, dont get me started


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By vsmith on 24 May 2010 08:00 AM 
Now for UGLY, try the Fontaine Fiasco












Or the Holman Horror:













i still stand by my two entries...eeeewwww!


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## ralphbrades (Jan 3, 2008)

You. Were. Warned... 

[url]http://www.cabbagepatchrailway.co.uk/mls/ugly/[/b][/url]

regards

ralph


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## markoles (Jan 2, 2008)

Jim,

An ugly locomotive is an ugly locomotive!! Sure, it is a neat design, but that doesn't make it pretty!! I'd even say that the prototype Berkshire on the B&A was pretty ugly, too. The C&O 'Yellowbelly" hudson locomotive is pretty bad, and not in the good way. 

Greg, not talking about G-scale models, but nice try!! In all honesty, for G-scale models, I have to give the booby prize to the Hartland Big John. Woof!


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

"Greg, not talking about G-scale models, but nice try!! In all honesty, for G-scale models, I have to give the booby prize to the Hartland Big John. Woof!"

Mark;

No arguments from me about that EXCEPT when it comes to pulling power, the Big John is drop-dead beautiful. I actually pitted my own Big John against my Bachmann Heisler (set for NMRA polarity). The Big John dragged the Heisler backwards (it was kicking and screaming all the way). I have since sold the Heisler. I decided that I will not try a logging theme, and besides, the Heisler is a wuss!

Hey, Zugmeister Hans doesn't look too bad in his element.


















Best wishes,
David Meashey


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## Steve Stockham (Jan 2, 2008)

Gentlemen,
Far be it from me to disparage anybody's interpretation of beauty (or lack thereof) but might I point out that, "ugly" as some of these designs indeed may seem, they each have one redeeming value: they are all _steam engines!_ Even the ugliest steam engine has character! Take that pony one for example, it's so butt ugly that it crossed over to being "cute!" (God help us...) Now, nobody can ever reasonably claim the "horror" or the "fiasco" as being cute but they_ are_ fascinating! So many moving parts... it begins to remind one of a Rube-Goldberg device!) 
For what it's worth, in my opinion, the ugliest steam engine is also one of the most beautiful! How can this be? Well, I am referring to the CP Huntington (Southern Pacific #1) which is the logo engine for the California State Railroad Museum. As it is today, it is arguably one of the prettiest but before it was restored by the SP shops, it was living out it's remaining days being used as a weed burner and looking nothing like the jewel that she is! I have a picture of it in a book and I have been trying to find it on the web but have so far been unsuccessful. Perhaps it's for the best as what was done to that lady was _hideous!_


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## markoles (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks, Dave. I just threw up in my mouth, a little.


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## ralphbrades (Jan 3, 2008)

The problem I have is the fact that you have limited it to only *American* built locomotives.... The US builders especially were a very conservative lot. This limits the application of ugliness and renders it to me more "stylistic" appeal. Elsewhere in the world they were not limited to such needs and the CME of Railway Companies could indulge their own perculier fancies and design passions. Some like the Nord under Petiet are instantly recognisable (I often wonder if the crews hid their faces when admitting to driving them). The Golsdorf Designs are of the "Errrr Why?" type. European based designers were not really market driven and since no-one could tell the CME otherwise (except the Board of Directors) -they got away with MURDER!!! 

Now what I am about to tell you is TRUE. (Mark get a bucket and good supply of mouth wash ready....) 

When all the children are sitting comfy I will begin. 

Once upon a time there was a railway company with no coal. This was due to some people declaring independence and having all the coal in the north part of the country and the railway now in the southern independent part. They decided to burn a local product -this was peat. However peat was not a good source of heat. So they embarked with a New Zealander to build a loco to do so. The design used a "Franco Crosti" type boiler and air for the combustion chamber was provided by a Leyland bus engine turning a fan. So imagine this, you have a locomotive with no smokestack, pulling a tender heaped high with divots of peat pulling a wagon on which is a running 6 cylinder bus engine driving a fan with ducting to the firebox. Oh and it backfires quite a lot throwing flaming soot and ash due to the build up of Carbon Monoxide... 

regards 

ralph


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Ralph, 
You are welcome to start your own thread... just as I did. 
See, to me, all non American Steamers look odd to begin with, ugly is just a kid sister away! 

So in that regard there would be no ugly American loco, leta alone ugliest as even the Horatio Allen would be a sleek alternative.... 

Just my opinion of course..... 

John


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## david bunn (Jan 4, 2008)

Ralph 

Hmmm, seems like that would be a good subject for you to model, working like the prototype of course! 

Regards 
David


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## Grimm (Oct 5, 2009)

I don't know about ugly, but I do like the first camel engines like this one from B&O, number 80 all dolled up with new paint.


















Jason


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Um, yessir, that qualifies as ugly. Maybe not compared to Ralph's contraptions, but on this side of the Atlantic, that's ugly.


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## wigginsn (Jan 9, 2008)

So they embarked with a New Zealander to build a loco to do so. I never knew he was from Invercargill. Another escapee made good..









Cheers
Neil


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## ralphbrades (Jan 3, 2008)

And for those of a nervous nature you are advised NOT to click on the link below.... 

http://www.cabbagepatchrailway.co.u...12.JPG.jpg

This is generally accepted to be the most "handsome" version of this loco.... The later "mods" were errmm of the "WHY???" type. 

regards 

ralph


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

Ralph; 

Is that some varient of the Franco-Costi boiler? That locomotive is certainly a "contender." 

Thanks, 
David Meashey


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## ralphbrades (Jan 3, 2008)

This is what Wiki has to say about the CIE 356 loco: 

"The former Great Southern and Western Railway class K3 2-6-0 locomotive number 356, built by the North British Locomotive Company as an 0-6-0 in 1903 and subsequently rebuilt by the GS&WR, was converted into a testbed for the turf-burning project. Modifications to 356 included a new firebox, fitted with tuyeres, and two Crosti-type feedwater heaters, one on either side of the main boiler, which used heat from exhaust gases to heat boiler feedwater. Preheating coils were also located in the tender's water tank, and the chimney was positioned at the rear of the tender. Turf was fed to the firebox via an auger; there was no means of regulating this process. Steaming trials with the modified 356 began in 1952. Difficulties with steaming led to the addition of a forced-draught fan, which was mounted on a wagon behind the tender and driven by a Leyland bus engine. The results of trials with 356 were mixed, and the locomotive was broken up in 1957; however, some of the concepts were incorporated into CC1." 

Bulleid seems to have spoken to Franco-Crosti SA and they were annoyed that he used their system without paying for it... 

There is actually a book about this loco and the CIE CC-1 loco -I do of course have a copy(!) 

regards 

ralph


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks Ralph; 

Seems that the attempts to use turf for steaming never met with too much success. I think there were similar flirtations with lignite on this side of the pond. Some worked better than others. I guess we should all be glad that nobody tried to find a way to use cow chips (dried manure to most of us) to raise steam. (Settlers did use cow chips for heating and cooking fuel in some of the prairie states.) I doubt that many railfans would have chased that locomotive - probably they would have run the other way instead. 

Best, 
David Meashey


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## ralphbrades (Jan 3, 2008)

ERRRMMMM... 

Actually the locos built by Kitson for the Trans Andine Railway had this particular fuel as a requirement of the specs. But it was not cattle -but *llama* dung "briquettes" that were to be burned alongside wood and oil. According to reports 2 tonnes of "briquettes" were shipped to Leeds for combustion analysis. I don't know the results of the combustion testing but I do know that the locos were all started on wood and oil. Once you are above the "tree line" in the Andes I would imagine that there is very little to burn -except "briquettes"... 

Brazilian locos have burned coffee bean waste and the Fiji and Sumatra locos still burn bagasee, (crushed sugar cane). 

regards 

ralph


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

"Actually the locos built by Kitson for the Trans Andine Railway had this particular fuel as a requirement of the specs. But it was not cattle -but llama dung "briquettes" that were to be burned alongside wood and oil." 

Okay, but PLEASE don't let anybody try this in large scale on #1 gauge track! 

Yuck! 
David Meashey


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Dave Meashey on 09 Jul 2011 12:16 PM 
"Actually the locos built by Kitson for the Trans Andine Railway had this particular fuel as a requirement of the specs. But it was not cattle -but llama dung "briquettes" that were to be burned alongside wood and oil." 

Okay, but PLEASE don't let anybody try this in large scale on #1 gauge track! 

Yuck! 
David Meashey 

Well, sure, you don''t want the hassle of breaking up the stuff from cows and Llamas, but if you raise rabbits, it comes already pelletized!


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## jgallaway81 (Jan 5, 2009)

If you had a large enough rabbit farm, you might be able to use the pellets for one of those pellet [email protected] url(http://www.mylargescale.com/Providers/HtmlEditorProviders/CEHtmlEditorProvider/Load.ashx?type=style&file=SyntaxHighlighter.css);@import url(/providers/htmleditorproviders/cehtmleditorprovider/dnngeneral.css);


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