ugly trains

I recall reading somewhere they covered up steam engines on traction lines to avoid scaring the horses on the streets. Not that it worked anyway, because it turned out it was actually the steam engine noise that did it.
 
The five odd NYC shrouded Shays were used on their 11th street trackage in New York City (which is the ground level predecessor to the famous West Side High Line). They were shrouded in order to prevent scaring the horses (as mentioned previously). Funny enough that isn't even the entire shroud, the trucks were also covered too. Surprisingly the NYC began using these in the early 20's.

They aren't the only shrouded geared locomotives, the Union Freight RR had several shrouded Climaxes. (Which were also strange looking beasts)
 
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Some pretty horrible ones

What in the name is this travesty? It looks like a Budd SPV2000 with some botched plastic surgery.

Good old Japan, it's not the train (although it's not great) but that psychedelic livery is awful.

The NS Mat '54 Hondekop. Even the Dutch thought it was ugly, as Hondekop translates as Dognose. However, it was the heaviest European EMU ever and the bloated front meant it was great at absorbing impacts.
 
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I'm pretty sure deadpool is 60% troll. He shouldn't be allowed to post in this thread, everything he posts here is going to cause a flame war! Anyway, back on topic:
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I utterly despise these ES44DC's or whatever there called. Straight lines, straight lines everywhere...
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BR Class 70. Suffers from the same problem. Basically an American locomotive like the one above with a horrendously messed up European-style cab stuck on the end.
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ARRRGH!! THE GREEN! MY EYES!!!
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Sometimes even British designers get it wrong.
 
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I'm pretty sure deadpool is 60% troll. He shouldn't be allowed to post in this thread, everything he posts here is going to cause a flame war! Anyway, back on topic: I utterly despise these ES44DC's or whatever there called.

This whole thread - and the other one - are ticking time bombs for flame war. Deadpool just doesn't love Amtrak that much.
 
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The BR APT E, experimental gas turbine train.

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Probably going to annoy a fair few people with this one, the BR prototype HST, I'm sorry but the original front end was hideous.
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Possibly one of the most functional looking EMU's operating out of London, the Class 455.
And people moan about US trains not having tidy front ends.
 
Some pretty horrible ones

What in the name is this travesty? It looks like a Budd SPV2000 with some botched plastic surgery.

It's a track test car for testing track geometry etc. It has an onboard generator as to tax the HEP of the train.
 
I'm pretty sure deadpool is 60% troll. He shouldn't be allowed to post in this thread, everything he posts here is going to cause a flame war! Anyway, back on topic:
csx_es44dc_5346.jpg
I utterly despise these ES44DC's or whatever there called. Straight lines, straight lines everywhere...

ES44s aren't meant to be pretty but functional. Much less all Freght Locomotives with the exception of the Es and Fs and of course the Alco FA which was stylish enough. Now it's interesting you picked that particular locomotive number because according to the Internet it belonged to a U30B, yes another GE locomotive a U-Boat. That was a former C&O 8218 was renumbered CSX 5346 I did like the C&O's cat motif paint job, think CSX will bring it back? Those look like Alco Bogies to me too.

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Nothing finer than a smokin Alco... In this case an FA...

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With an EMD B unit no doubt.. Talk about a mixed consist.
 
I've been going through the pages but I haven't seen one of these yet:

Allegheny 2-6-6-6. Like the Challengers only two left one at the Henry Ford and the other at the B&O Museum. Probably much more utilitarian in terms of looks than a Big Boy or a Challenger.

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It's a track test car for testing track geometry etc. It has an onboard generator as to tax the HEP of the train.
Thanks for clearing that up :). Kinda interesting they did that to it though. There's obviously a reason, but I'm used to the UK practice of taken older loco's (a la Class 31, 73 etc) modifying them with a few cameras,painting them solid departmental (sort of banana/JCB colour) yellow, and then bunging them on test trains.
 
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