UP Big Boy 4-8-8-4 "LASL Batch"

A series of Big Boys outfitted with even longer tenders and set up to burn oil from the factory for use on the railroad between Salt Lake and Los Angeles. The end of the war and lifting of diesel restrictions killed the chances of ever seeing this longer (pilot to tender) Big Boy variant from leaving the drawing boards. Other than the tender length though, the oil conversion of 4014 has kind of given us a glimpse into the "what if?" scenario where that batch of engines were completed.

Here’s another I had forgotten about.

In the Charleston Chapter NRHS museum in downtown Charleston, SC, there was an artist’s drawing of a partially streamlined Challenger with roller bearing rods. It was lettered, IIRC, for the D&RGW. I never did learn anything about the source of it, but it appeared it might have been a Baldwin proposal to the railway.

One of my favorite unbuilt bad ideas is the 2-10-10-10-10-10-2T that was contemplated by the AT&SF, according to Worley's Iron Horses of the Santa Fe Trail. Like an Erie triplex only moreso. That book has speculative renderings of this design.

Rehor's The Nickel Plate Story has an elevation drawing of the initial 1933 proposal for the Van Sweringen Berkshire, showing a hemispherical smokebox front. I spent the weekend admiring PM 1225 in operation, and like it fine the way it was built.

Aarne Frobom
Somewhere west of Owosso

One of my favorite unbuilt bad ideas is the 2-10-10-10-10-10-2T that was contemplated by the AT&SF, according to Worley's Iron Horses of the Santa Fe Trail. Like an Erie triplex only moreso. That book has speculative renderings of this design.

Rehor's The Nickel Plate Story has an elevation drawing of the initial 1933 proposal for the Van Sweringen Berkshire, showing a hemispherical smokebox front. I spent the weekend admiring PM 1225 in operation, and like it fine the way it was built.

Aarne Frobom
Somewhere west of Owosso

One of my own personal favorites, and not only because I cataloged it.

Behold the GE C60-8E

https://crhscollection.omeka.net/items/show/9542

The EMD DDR is up there too.


https://crhscollection.omeka.net/items/show/16117

That reminded me of another one. The late Clarence Williams, former NKP machinist and later N&W General Foreman at Bellevue, told me that prior to dieselization, the NKP had drawn up plans for another series of Berkshires that would have included roller bearing rods among other improvements. Apparently Clarence was given an opportunity to comment on the design while he was a machinist. It’s a pity those never got off the drawing board.

Back in early 1977, while visiting the coal-hauling RFIRT in Southern Argentina, I was shown a set of plans of a proposed 2-10-10-2 compound to be built locally.

The railroad was using 20 Japanese built 2-10-2 types that were working out well, but the railroad was told to expect higher volumes in the years to come.

I was allowed to lay the plans out on the floor and photograph them with my Pentax 6 x 7.
The image was published in Pacific News somewhere in either later 1977 or 1978.
My copies are buried in a box so I cannot be more specific.

The Argentine industry goals did not come to fruition, but it did make for interesting reading.

The design was revised to a 2-12-12-0 later. The front water tank would have served as ballast weight for the front engine. Here’s a drawing from “Railway World” magazine:

Might have looked like this?

Some unbuilt Canadian Pacific designs, first from chief of motive power Charles Henry Temple some alternate proposals for a 4-8-4. The first with an articulating cab, the second a four cylinder simple divided drive proposal with a common valve stem for both valves. From the book Canadian Pacific Steam Locomotives by Omer Lavalee.

Two more CPR designs, these ones post war from Henry Blaine Bowen. He proposed a relatively conventional Berkshire using a Hudson boiler. Also these two proposals for a modern 4-8-4.

Speaking of Canadian Pacific, didn't they actually draw up plans for a 2-6-2 (and one other design) for branch line work to replace older engines? I don't think the C.P. ever had any Prairie types on the roster so that would have been a new wheel arrangement for them. Wish some had been built; they were great looking machines!

Les

Whio came up with that one?
Looks a bit French in my eyes, with elements of the early TGV design for the nose/cab area.