What do non-Americans really think of USA assets and routes?

[GSkid]

I'm asking this question because I've always been curious what people outside of the USA REALLY think of our locomotives, rolling stock and routes.

I've always felt lukewarm towards UK and European locos and assets. That's for a few reasons. I'm not a fan of locos with cabs on both ends. Functionally they are more convenient then the single cab of American locos. I'm guessing part of the reason I don't like them is because most vehicles.... be it a plane, car, truck, boat etc... have only one cab and it visually looks awkward otherwise.

Another thing I don't like about them is their box look with the engine cowled behind long sheet metal siding. I realize part of the reason for their look is for the tight legacy clearances they have to deal with.

What I do like is hearing the EMD or GE engines inside of them. The only loco diesel engines outside of the USA I like the sounds of are the old UK deltic locomotives. Those rough sounding chirping engines have a pretty unique sound. Although some of the ALCO switcher (shunter) engines have a similar chirping sound.

I wish most trains outside of the USA were as heavy and long as ours. I'm not a fan of short trains. Santa Fe used to run lots of short freight trains back in the day before they became BNSF.

As for the routes? Some are pretty, but they lack the visual landscape diversity that the USA has. That's more a simple issue of geography. We have forests, deserts, urban, rual, flatland, mountain grades, swamps, coastal routes etc. So we are pretty diverse.

Where UK/Europeans exceed is in speed of their passenger trains and the futuristic streamlined look of those trains. It's not that we are incapable of making trains as pretty or as fast, it's that we simply choose not to for some odd reason. More money for you guys I suppose.

This isn't to start a fight. Keep it civil. I truly want the honest truth of what you like and don't like about our locos, rolling stock, routes, etc. My feelings won't be hurt. I just want to hear the truth. it's natural for us to prefer the trains and routes of our home countries. it's what we grew up with.

I have a hard time playing non-USA routes because of a lack of a lot of freight action. Anyone wanna recommend some good non-USA freight routes that also have freight assets too?

Thanks!

[mrennie]

It's a very interesting question, and one that I, as a Brit doing US steam, don't mind having a go at answering

First of all, I suppose it's clear that I like US routes and trains However, maybe what you don't know is that I did the Consolidation after asking for ideas, and the suggestion (from JP) of doing a US loco was something that intrigued me because of it being something different. Until then, I'd never actually liked US locos much! I always thought British steam engines were the most lovely, elegant, most aesthetically pleasing steam engines of any country. I thought US steam locos looked too messy and vulgar, with all their private parts on public display, instead of being properly dressed. Now I realise it's just a matter of what you're used to. I fell in love with US steam locos (with all their bit and pieces sticking out everywhere), and it's actually opened my eyes to the beauty in such machines from all over the world. I was looking at a Chinese steam loco the other day and thinking to myself, now I see how it could be a beautiful model. A couple of years ago I would have turned my nose up at it.

I also like diesels, British and American. I like the older British diesels, probably because I grew up with 00 scale models of most of the early ones, on the model railway layout I shared with my dad. Incidentally, my dad never really liked US railroads, until he went to see my sister in California (not so far from Truckee) and visited the railroads, including an historic line with steam locos (I think it was called something like the Skunk train ... because of the smell?). He came back with lots of paraphernalia of US locos, including books and models, and he was hooked. I like US diesels for their sheer size. They're so much bigger than UK diesels and so much more brutish looking. By the way, not all UK diesels had a cab at both ends (take the old Class 20 for example).

As for routes, there is a huge variety in the UK. Being an island, there are a lot of coastal routes as well as inland routes. We also have wild landscapes, like the West Highland line, or the line all the way up to the North of Scotland. RSC are gradually getting there. The Woodhead route is a fine example of a line with a wonderful variety of scenery, from the grim city scene of Manchester and Sheffield, to the wild look going over (or through) the Pennine hills and past lakes. There's also another route, China Clay, that takes in a very small part of Cornwall, which is one of the prettiest counties in England, with lush greenery and beautiful buildings, as well as plenty of switching and freight operations. Still, there are many, many more parts of Britain with entirely different landscapes, that have yet to be tackled. I would love to see someone do the West Highland line. It would look far different from Western Lines of scotland (which is actually in the South West of Scotland, below Glasgow and getting as far as Carlisle in England).

What we don't have in the UK is desert. That's why I like the US desert routes in particular. It's because for me, it's something unusual and exotic (there are cactii in Cornwall, but it's not the same ), and the only way (for now at least) that I can get to see those places. That's another point. Sadly, there are a lot of xenophobic people in every country, including in Britain. I see it all the time. People who post (not here, I'm talking about other forums and facebook) about trains as if the only ones worthy of consideration are those from their own country. To me, they just have their eyes (and minds) closed. They need to get out in the world and experience it. I love US routes that show me places I've never been to, so I can admire them as if I were on holiday, visiting somewhere new. I would recommend that Americans adopt the same frame of mind when running along a UK route. Look for the differences and enjoy them!

Cheers,

Mike

[GSkid]

Thanks for the response! You reminded me of something when you mentioned how US steam has all it's bits exposed and British locos covered up a lot of that. Very true! In fact.... I find British steam locomotives were very beautiful! My favorites were the streamlined ones like these....







And more conventional like this one...



Any clue what the horse blinders at the front of the last loco are for? I know some put a nameplate on it.

As for US locos being bigger and more brutish looking? Guilty as charged!

It's like british locos are more like a toned, chiseled Mr.Fitness..... VS. .....the USA loco's grotesque,massively swelled Mr. Universe!

[NDORFN]

I liken British and most European railways to driving on a motorway: Fast, straight, congested. Watching them is rather boring. But driving them in simulation is kind of exciting.

I liken American railways to driving on a highway: Cruisy, flowing, curvy, varied, scenic, unimposing to natural surroundings... I could go on and on. Drving them in a simulation is like a nice relaxed cruise to a vacation spot.

I like rolling stock of both countries, but I think the American loco's have more soul.

[mrennie]

Thanks for the response! You reminded me of something when you mentioned how US steam has all it's bits exposed and British locos covered up a lot of that. Very true! In fact.... I find British steam locomotives were very beautiful! My favorites were the streamlined ones like these...

Well, there were a lot of streamlined US locos too. But they all had an unmistakeably "US" look to them (like all having headlights on the nose).

Any clue what the horse blinders at the front of the last loco are for? I know some put a nameplate on it.

Those are smoke deflectors. It was an idea copied from the Germans (among others), designed to channel the smoke upwards and away from the cab and the coaches. The shape of the rim of the smoke stack (chimney) also helped to create a vortex that lifted the smoke away.

As for US locos being bigger and more brutish looking? Guilty as charged!

It's like british locos are more like a toned, chiseled Mr.Fitness..... VS. .....the USA loco's grotesque,massively swelled Mr. Universe!

It's all in the eye of the beholder though. A while back, I mentioned the British Q class loco, which to my eyes is hideous (I think I called it a slug on wheels), but others think it has its own charm.

[bpetit]

I like the Deltics and that's it :P

[mrennie]

I like the Deltics and that's it :P

Maybe because they look similar to early US diesels. The prototype even had a big headlight in the nose

[evafan002]

I like the Deltics and that's it :P

Maybe because they look similar to early US diesels. The prototype even had a big headlight in the nose

I believe the reason the prototype had that head light is that it was originally intended for export to america and not for use in the UK at all I can not remember why it was not sent to the US though

[bpetit]

I like the Deltics and that's it :P

Maybe because they look similar to early US diesels. The prototype even had a big headlight in the nose

Nonsense I like their sound.

[mrennie]

Nonsense I like their sound.

They do sound wonderful. I used to go and see them in Edinburgh Waverley station when I lived in Scotland. They were on the Edinburgh to London (King's Cross) route. Those engines were actually marine engines, designed for fast boats. They had a fantastic booming sound. I was quite sad when the HSTs took over.

[hertsbob]

I liken British and most European railways to driving on a motorway: Fast, straight,

I liken American railways to driving on a highway: Cruisy, flowing, curvy,

but I think the American loco's have more soul.

I'd have to take the exact opposite view regarding which railways are straight and which aren't!

Again, I'd say you think American locos have more soul because that's what you've grown up with. Horses for courses. (Maybe I'm a bit biased because I regularly stood on the end of Kings Cross platforms between 1979-81...)

[thebigroyboyski]

My interest in American trains started as a wee boy when i went on holiday to Lancaster county in Pennsylvania. I used to go chasing coal trains round Ayrshire with my dad and at the time they were hauled by double headed class 20s in BR blue.
We stayed next to the Lititz Secondary line and one day a Conrail GP38 trundled past with the local. I thought it was awesome that the geep just looked like a massive class 20. After i got home i found pictures in a book of a RioGrande train with 5 or 6 engines up front and i was hooked.
I like the size of the American trains and the length of them compared to the British stuff. I find the passenger equipment looks very dated and heavy looking compared to the modern British stock.

[RudolfJan]

Well, you asked for it ....

I have a bit mixed feelings. Sometimes I really love the long tracks and huge trains, but it can be very dull to go with 25Mph over Donner Pass.
I miss passenger traffic, and I do really not see how you make passengers happy with far too short platforms....


The US diesel loco's all look a bit more of the same stuff to me. But I love Marias Pass (not bought it yet, waiting for the enxt discount action), NEC and Horse Shoe curve. I start liking Donner more and more. At first it looked very much linke a slow train and endless woods..

So all together I like US routes, but would like to have more routes in an earlier era, with semaphore signalling, etcetera.

[PolyesterMafia]

I was recently playing in multi-player in another sim (not going to discuss specifics, so don't ask) and to my surprise, two of the four voices in the session were British. Thought it a bit odd, being that RW has the "home field avantage" in the UK.

[johnmckenzie]

Nonsense I like their sound.

They do sound wonderful. I used to go and see them in Edinburgh Waverley station when I lived in Scotland.

So did I, Mike!

Wonderful times.

For me, UK trains are design-led whereas US trains are function-led. Each has its own merits and demerits - but to me one thing holds true. Familiarity with UK trains makes US ones at first look... strange. I'm sure the same goes for the other way around too. Look at it this way. Someone who is a kid nowadays looking at SD70ACe models rolling around would look at an old E or F unit for the first time and say "That's strange looking". The thing to do is just to jump in and enjoy - They are ALL fun in their own way!