Favourite Engines

I must admite, 473 is high on my list. Very handsome and purposeful, and yet that narrow Stroudley cab adds a delightful touch of quirkiness. When I first saw her, the icing on the cake was the Marsh Umber livery - a very underrated colour scheme IMHO!

 

From a visual point of view, 850 Lord Nelson.

From an 'I've worked on it' point of view I don't really know but if pushed W8 or 1638

 

U boat or pannier?

Tom

 

Seconded!

 

Standard gauge
In UK it has to be the A4 but on an "all comers" basis it would be 2-3-2 U1 which is far more impressive IMHO than anything which ran in this country, both from a technical and an appearance point of view. Honourable mention to L..S.C.R. A1x which is an amazingly effective machine for its size.

Narrow gauge

Spoilt for choice here. F.R. "Taliesin" looks well and I have handled her. The W&LLR Beyers are stately and beautifully made. However it has to be the stylish and supremely lively S.L.R.85 which handles any train within its capacity with real panache.

PH

 

If we're playing away then the SAR 25's are very high on my list - both 25's and 25NC's.

 

If you're going SAR then the GMA / GMAM must be high on anyone's list. But then going abroad opens up so many possibilities; 2nd to the A4s must be the DR Class 01.5 with their black top and red bottom whilst for narrow gauge I must go with the German 99.23 2-10-2T that work the HSB. As Big Al notes we all have our favourites so possibly best to live on our memories and try not to consider building them.

 

Mine would have to be the A4's and number 9 especially - having been lucky enough to be on her footplate whilst taking water at Kilmarnock station (in the early-mid 90's) and having travelled behind her on my first mainline outing.
I'm looking forward to re-acquainting myself with her (fingers crossed) on the Scottish Lowlander tour later this year.
I suppose my love for the A4's first started on my late Granddad's, 3 rail, 4 running lines, Zero 1, electric points and signals, monster model layout that I had the pleasure of playing with as a child. Silver King was always the fastest loco on the layout...fond memories.

 

Certainly, some very well-liked classes/locos are surprisingly absent: GWR 5322, GWR 28xx, K4 61994, K1 62005, Small Prairie, Fairburn 2-6-4T.

Also none of the standard gauge new-build classes have been mentioned by anyone e.g., A1, P2, Grange, Patriot, Saint, 47xx. Surely someone must like these classes a lot or the new builds wouldn't have gained the support they currently enjoy

 

Do you really need to ask??

 

I'll take that as a vote for Mr Maunsell then!

Tom

 

It's possible to support a loco project without it being your favourite.

 

I think with the Newbuilds we may have to wait a while for these to make memories for us? If that makes sense. A lot of posts here are along the lines of 'I rembember seeing XXXXX as a kid and it made such an Impression'.

 

Mine being a case in point. Indeed the preserved loco which made the greatest impression on me was 60007 in about 1982 because it was the first loco I saw on the main line since 1967 and it brought it all back.

 

Totally agree about the livery, to me very much a part of what makes her, her.So by following suit she was probably the first steam engine I ever saw in the flesh. By the way though I have never seen that livery on any other Brighton engines in preservation.

 

Fenchurch (incorrectly, as it happens) currently wears Marsh umber, as did Martello for a time.

Tom

 

Thanks for that Tom, I`ll try to get to the BB again before she changes

 

Much as I like W8 in SR green, I think Fenchurch in Umber looks even better. I would really like to see W11 in IWC red at some point...