Ugly locomotives

[philipy]

did indeed find a book by that name, author Ernest F Carter. There are a few copies for sale online--

EF Carter was a well known author back in the 1950's. I'm sure I inherited a couple of his books from my dad, but no dea where they went to.

[dudeface]

One advantage of modelling so-called ugly locos might be that they are a lot easier to build, as in this case ....


c6c2000889eb35a411f3bf6949c16592--equestrian-goats.jpg

Well somebody's gotta do it! Almost looks like a converted caboose?

[GAP]

I can only imagine some ungainly logging train:
Screenshot_20231125-204850.jpg

The more I look at it the more horrendous it looks. But no less interesting and I would still like to see a model of it!

Bit like this one at Mt Washington Cog Railway but the other way round.

mount-washington-cog-railway-i-william-dickman.jpg (238.82 KiB) Viewed 35801 times

[dudeface]

That's what I was thinking, I wonder why that was done, maybe it was to improve draft or something?

[GAP]

That's what I was thinking, I wonder why that was done, maybe it was to improve draft or something?

To keep the water in the boiler level or covering the firebox.

[dudeface]

That's what I was thinking, I wonder why that was done, maybe it was to improve draft or something?

To keep the water in the boiler level or covering the firebox.

I know why it was done on the cog railways, I meant the pole road loco.

[drewzero1]

On the thread where I found it, someone suggested it was indeed to improve draft, and also that it was an odd feature on something that wasn't a rack loco. I have seen a particular make of traction engines use the same kind of slanted boiler, can't remember which it was though.

[dudeface]

One of these? I can't seem to find anything that says what it is.

steam-rollers.jpg (428.97 KiB) Viewed 35715 times

It looks like it has a builders plate on the side but between the photo quality and those pipes I can't read it. ? ltd., ?, Basingstoke, England I think.

Edit: Never mind, that would be the company that owned it. No hope at all of reading the plate on the smokebox door.

[drewzero1]

Yes, it appears to be a Wallis & Stevens 'Simplicity' road roller, just what I was apparently thinking of. Seems like a nice compact unit with the slant boiler, maybe a distant ancestor to the space-saving SAAB slant-four?

[dudeface]

So was I right then about the plate on the side being the builder?

[philipy]

So was I right then about the plate on the side being the builder?

Yes.
This link shows a very similar plate. Same wording but rectangular rather than lozenge shape.
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-sign- ... 05474.html

[dudeface]

I see. It didn't look like any builders plate I've seen before.

[philipy]

Wallis & Steevens were primarily agricultural machinery and traction engine manufacturers, not railway engine builders, thats probably why you've not come across them before.

[dudeface]

Wallis & Steevens were primarily agricultural machinery and traction engine manufacturers, not railway engine builders, thats probably why you've not come across them before.

I've heard of them, as I'm also interested in traction engines, as well as really anything that moves. I just didn't put the two together.

[dudeface]

This thread now has over 1000 views! Boing?!

[Peter Butler]

Surely this loco would keep Marc awake at night?...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gE8XLQ44_E

[philipy]

I like that one Peter

This clip turned up next and I do rather like the other one as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Npk6RFkM7fU

[Peter Butler]

They are both interesting but I think the wooden cab loco is possibly the one I would choose to model. My list is growing longer every day!!!

[drewzero1]

Wow, I thought to post one of those as my first suggestion, but thought they looked too normal! Maybe I've just been reading too much of Boulton's Siding and am getting desensitized to ugly locos?

Isaac Watts Boulton's "Rattlesnake"

971-Trehowell-Colliery-Isaac-Boulton-0-4-0TG-Rattlesnake.jpg.5ce17c3b3026a95672350264449a36f1.jpg (128.19 KiB) Viewed 35330 times

[dudeface]

I like that one Peter

This clip turned up next and I do rather like the other one as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Npk6RFkM7fU

That one's a Falk, Marc reviewed a model of one by Wuhu here. https://www.trains.com/grw/news-reviews ... ocomotive/

I think he would actually like these, he likes to model unusual locomotives, so I wouldn't exactly expect him to call a locomotive hideous, but people's brains work in strange ways...

wp_ss_20231109_0007.png (1.48 MiB) Viewed 35319 times