We've had some fun lately with a thread on "Miserable Equipment." What about a thread on "Dream Equipment?" No locomotive or car will be perfect, of course, but I would suspect something we have may come pretty close, at least in the eyes of those who work on it and run it. Some of this gear may even stand out among others of a similar type. For instance, I would imagine Ross Rowland's 614, or UP's 844, would stand out as remarkable steamers--modern, smooth riding, powerful, easy to run and to keep running, with everything laid out well, at least when compared with an engine with a dome throttle and not enough space to take take that out easily, a firedoor set too high for most people, and other difficulties.

This is something that, in my opinion, should not be taken too lightly; if we ever get to or have to builg replica steam engines, it will be a good idea to incorporate the experiences of the older designers who found out that a locomotive that was easy to run and maintain was one that was more efficient and more economical. After all, isn't that what really sold the railroads on diesels, in particular on EMDs? (Oh, we may consider the BL2 one of the few mistakes made by that builder.)

Nominations, please. . .

C&O 614. Best in Breed!!!

Ross Rowland

Gee! Was that a surprise! LOL

Hopefully, with the 21st Century Steam Program, Perhaps, we'll all get to enjoy her again!

The late Capital Transit 1053 was a piece of dream equipment. The PCM controller offered the smooth acceleration of a PCC, while the air brake system allowed the car the flexibility to coast much better than a PCC controller. The overall weight was a bit heavier than a PCC, so the car had a great "boulevard ride".

Wesley

One can hope, but considering the C&O isn't a road that made up NS, I doubt we'll see it. Plus with that new, pretty paint job she's got, she's kind of committed to the Greenbrier Express.

I've heard the NKP Berkshires are nice engines to run.

McKinney Avenue Transit has a Stone & Webster turtleback streetcar #186 that was great to operate. She rode very smoothly, and the notches on the controller were perfect - not loose enough where you go from notch one to notch five, but not so tight that you nearly sprained your wrist trying to move the throttle. The brakes were always pretty good, too.

West Side 14. She'd steam on a Bic lighter, and haul 8 cars up the mountain on autopilot. Late in my work on her, she started breaking fasteners that were starting to become brittle, but replacing bolts wasn't too difficult compared to keeping some of the other power tied together and productive.

dave

Just about anything out of a Baldwin Logging/shortline catalog.

FYI: McKinney Avenue #186 has Australian W-2 controls, trucks and motors along with all other parts. There are no original mechanical/electrical parts from the Stone & Webster car.

Doesn't matter to me. She's still a smooth car.

I've had the good fortune of riding, firing, and running some pretty good locomotives, but what I want to get my hands on is ATSF 3776/2900 class 4-8-4. Able to wrestle 8,000 tons on the level and run with it, start 20 plus heavyweights on Raton, and run 90 as easily as breathing. Yeah...put her throttle on the roof and watch the drivers roll.....and the pilot engineer pass out.....