Comments on: Out West

By: Tim Hall

Tim Hall — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 18:16:21 +0000

I think we’re going to have to agree to disagree about this. I still think there’s nothing quite like being in the front coach behind a class 37 on that six mile grade out of Weymouth.

By: Michael Orton

Michael Orton — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 12:39:25 +0000

I suppose the Deltic was probably the most handsome of the diesels, but in terms of the sound no, they all come third to the hum of an electric pulling away and steam wins.

By: Tim Hall

Tim Hall — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 18:08:42 +0000

Oh come on.

Do you really get nothing from the deep roar of 3300 hp of twin Napier Deltics, or an English Electric 16CSVT of a class 50 attacking the 1:60 out of Par from a standing start with 13 coaches?

By: Michael Orton

Michael Orton — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 17:01:23 +0000

But trains ought to go “chuff chuff”!

Ok, steam had to be replaced by diesels and electrics simply becasue you can start up modern traction when you need it rather than spend hours getting the boiler up to working temperature. Once can’t argue with the simple economics of the case.

How anyone can argue over which box on wheels sounds better is beyond me. They are all loud, smelly and generally un-romatic.

By: Stephen Karlson

Stephen Karlson — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 16:00:51 +0000

The ALCO sound card gives the impression of a bucket of bolts being thrown into a propellor. The new EMD diesels, with silencers and turbochargers and other such, do not have quite the authority of a normally aspirated 567 or the Fairbanks-Morse OP, but they are what real trains sound like. (The newest General Electrics, early examples of which are running about in Estonia, have a bit too much tractor slobber …)

By: Tim Hall

Tim Hall — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 19:14:00 +0000

Yes, but how would they have compared with four 1960s ALCOs?

Compared with our classic 60s traction, the new-fangled EMD stuff just goes ‘ying ying ying ying”.

By: Stephen Karlson

Stephen Karlson — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 18:45:43 +0000

Thanks for the link.

It’s a shame I don’t have the technology to post a video-with-sound of the “antiseptic whine” of a quartet of SD70MACs making short work of Creston Hill with 100 doublestacks on.