Getting Uglier

[43021HST]

Dont you notice the newer the locomotive the uglier it gets. Such as a 158 looks ugly compared to a 117(I bet there is going to be some strong oponions now) but it looks good compared to a pendalino. (The 43 I wouldnt call this ugly) but it doesnt look as good as deltic looks better then the new proposed HST2. Why cant the designers see there creations are getting uglier

 

[GNERman]

Some aren't that bad...
But a Deltic does let better than a 67 anyday...

 

[The 158 Man]

I wouldn't say a 158 is ugly.

A Class 20 or 67 is ugly!

 

[MCR247]

Now I might get shot down for saying this but:

I like pendolinos and I dont think they are ugly!!

Runs to Take cover

 

[43034 The Black Horse]

Now I might get shot down for saying this but:

I like pendolinos and I dont think they are ugly!!

Runs to Take cover

I agree they look nice, but are crap from an enthusiasts point of view....

 

[thefab444]

These new Javelin things look pretty damn fine, but the interiors look relatively poor.

So totally disagree with the OP's opinion.

 

[Phoenix]

Desiros don't look way too bad and it's an improvement on the 321 look although 321's have a place in my heart.

 

[jopsuk]

Looks: subjective

 

[Daimler]

I would perhaps agree in terms of locos. A 66, for instance, is not a patch on a 47, while even a 90 pales next to an 87. However, a Desiro is a step up from a 321, and the Pendolinos look great (I do hate them though). Javelins look terrific, and the new HST looks good (though not as good as a HST).

EDIT: Just realised the exception to my rule. Voyagers/Meridians/Pioneers are hideous - that massive coupler, and those stupid wheels. And they look so cheap! Ugh!

 

[me123]

334s look better than 320s
156s look better than 101s

All in my opinion. Newer trains look sleeker. And I think the Pendos are very nice indeed. Get the odd exception, of course. The HST and 37s look great in my opinion.

 

[thefab444]

Agree with locos actually, something like the Bombardier TRAXX would look far more appealing than a Class 66, but looks are definately not everything!

 

[devon_metro]

There is normally a reason why something looks the way it does, normally aerodynamics.

 

[222001]

The older the uglier for me. The 222 looks better than the HST.

 

[D9521]

I wouldn't say a 158 is ugly.

A Class 20 or 67 is ugly!

A 20 to me looks like an amazing machine in the right livery..

 

[Royston Vasey]

Completely subjective for a start! But anyway, better streamlining has made trains generally sleeker which tends to make for more attractive looks. I think the Pendolinos look pretty good, the IEP looks ok i reckon. The 373s are some of the best looking trains there are, IMHO! 1st generation EMUs from the 50s/60s looked pretty foul, both with and without corridor connections. Is a 91 uglier than an 86? Not in my eyes!

Compare this and this with this and this!

I think 66s and 67s are pretty ugly yeah, but I think much of the reason for this is that they are North American and as such their looks are a little "foreign" to us. We haven't grown up with them. The Deltic's high, chunky nose is hardly pretty, nor that of the 37s, nor the boxes on wheels that were the 1st gen units. But they are looked on fondly and remind many of the trains they grew up with, which changes opinions I think.

 

[asylumxl]

The older the uglier for me. The 222 looks better than the HST.

I agree. I like the 222.

 

[northernbored]

A 158 is fine! Any how its all we get in our parts!
In fact anything is apart from 180,185 oh and 170's, whats the point in not gangwaying them throughout when they know they are going to run in longer combinations. It's stupid!

 

[Dennis]

There is normally a reason why something looks the way it does, normally aerodynamics.

The drag coefficient (a measure of wind resistance and aerodynamic efficiency) of a brick is ~2; not designed with aerodynamic efficiency in mind though! Going from memory, as HST is ~0.6 but a modern car typically ~0.3.

Anyone know how more modern high speed trains compare?

 

[whoshotjimmi]

I would definitely say that the Pendolino is the most attractive train that has ever run on our network. Sleek and stylish. It just looks right, somehow. Something that could not be said for a class 87+mk2.

As for previous generations, it's got to be a deltic hasn't it? What about steam? Any Gresley fans out there care to put their case forward?

 

[Daimler]

I would definitely say that the Pendolino is the most attractive train that has ever run on our network. Sleek and stylish. It just looks right, somehow. Something that could not be said for a class 87+mk2.

As for previous generations, it's got to be a deltic hasn't it? What about steam? Any Gresley fans out there care to put their case forward?

Well, as a steam fan I'd argue that every steam locomotive ever to grace our rails beats any other type of traction hands down.

However, much as I love the A4s/Duchesses/Bulleids, I do have a particular fondness for the sheer elegance and 'ornate-ness' of the Victorian locomotives (and their fantastic coaching stock). I mean, just look at this.

http://www.nrm.org.uk/pressoffice/images/2008/Stirling-single.jpg

[deliberately provocative] There's only steam, really . [/deliberately provocative]

 

[90019]

http://www.nrm.org.uk/pressoffice/images/2008/Stirling-single.jpg

Looks like the body shrunk in the wash!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Dont you notice the newer the locomotive the uglier it gets.

Nope.
Not at all.

 

[jopsuk]

Is a lot of it, perhaps, down to liveries? We have had a paint-factory explosion since privitisation- stock and locos can look good in one scheme, and horrible in another.. One of the things that makes steam locos look pretty tends to be their cleaming brass and chrome parts.

 

[whoshotjimmi]

Is a lot of it, perhaps, down to liveries? We have had a paint-factory explosion since privitisation- stock and locos can look good in one scheme, and horrible in another.. One of the things that makes steam locos look pretty tends to be their cleaming brass and chrome parts.

It certainly makes a good point. I will use Northern as a good example of that. There are a number of Class 150 and 156 running around in the 1st and 2nd versions of the livery. They look apalling next to the same classes running in revised Northern livery. The difference being that the final version utilises curves and a darker purple as opposed to the straight lines.

I think the Desiro fleet does not fair well either, especially compared to the refreshingly attractive class 332 and 333, but the 180 looks much better in dynamic lines livery than it did in its original Barbie livery.

 

[william]

91's lool ok next to a hst and a 158 next to a 101:roll:

but pacers look the best. And class 56's are superior.

deltics are gods of traction, but 58's belong in the scrappy

 

[The_Rail_WAy]

I would definitely say that the Pendolino is the most attractive train that has ever run on our network. Sleek and stylish. It just looks right, somehow. Something that could not be said for a class 87+mk2.

As for previous generations, it's got to be a deltic hasn't it? What about steam? Any Gresley fans out there care to put their case forward?

I think an A3, such as 4472 Flying Scotsman or an A4, such as the Mallard were good looking trains especially hauling LNER tique coaching stock.

The blue streamlined LMS Coronation class with silver cheat lines and matching coaching stock were also rather impressive in my opinion.

 

[WillPS]

Turbostars, Desiros and Meridians are the best looking DMUs in my opinion, their sleek curves look really good. Sprinters are alright, just would be much better with a curved end.

 

[33056]

I think 66s and 67s are pretty ugly yeah, but I think much of the reason for this is that they are North American and as such their looks are a little "foreign" to us.

There is nothing like a class 66 in America, or a 67. The 67 is basically a version of an Alstom design, like this example in Spain or this French electric.

 

[90019]

There is nothing like a class 66 in America, or a 67. The 67 is basically a version of an Alstom design, like this example in Spain or this French electric.

The Renfe 334 was built about 6 years after the 67 was, so the 67 can't be based on it's design

 

[Royston Vasey]

There is nothing like a class 66 in America, or a 67. The 67 is basically a version of an Alstom design, like this example in Spain or this French electric.

No, they were designed in North America and built in Spain under licence from EMD (part of General Motors). Of course there is nothing exactly resembling a Class 66 in America, because of loading gauge differences the Class 59 (hence the 66) had to be externally a new design. They were designed in North America for the British and European loading gauges, hence they were not a British design, so look "foreign" to us. The corrugated sides, the undercarriage and bogies, fuel tanks, buffer bar, the top of the cabs all resemble other EMD locos. I didn't say 66s were trundling around the states did I?

 

[Richmond]

The 59 was designed to look like a western in some aspects and the corrugated sides were included to match the proctor wagons that FY had designed for them although they were withdrawn from service because of structural problems. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and although todays designs are different the same could have been said in 60s and whenever a new design was bought about. The deltic in my eyes is beautiful yet that was designed to look like the american locos of the time.