4449 Is the Queen of Steam and still is (sorry,611)
Hmmm, is some one trying to goad a reaction out of me? [^o)]
Never mind. I’m fully willing to concede that 4449 is “Queen Of The Western Marches.” Is that medieval enough for everyone?
East of the Mississippi though Mighty 611 is the “Queen of Steam!” No disrespect to Nickle Plate 765 or Pere Marquette 1225 intended.
But if 611 and 4449 ever meet up, well, “In the ‘Game of Thrones’ there is no second place. You win, or you die!” [;)]
The 4449 was here first so she owns the The Queen of Steam title. I have a copy of the 1983 book 4449 The Queen of Steam.
Michele Lundeen owns the Queen of Steam title. Anything else is just railfans jawing.
4449 and 611 are glorious in their own right; they don’t need fake royal titles to be at the top.
Need to have a direct ‘Pull Off’ couple the 4449 & 611 tender to tender and open the throttles, sand and all the other tools of the Engineer & Fireman’s tricks. First one to pull the other a complete engine and tender length is the winner.
[swg]
Jeez, was Donald Duck never upset about anything? The guy had serious anger management issues before the term was even invented!
You’re all wrong–it’s UP 844.
Queen of the rails was CNR 6218… in song and legend.
Royal Hudsons had a crown up front given to them by Royalty.
Period.
over and out.
Who came first 4449 or 611
Who cares? [;)]
Balt, isn’t that like putting a couple of queens into a pit to mud-wrestle the question of ‘royal succession’?
That’s better suited to choosing the ‘Queenie’ of steam … which is quite another thing, reminiscent of Twain with the lightning and the lightning bug, or Franklin Delano Roosevelt… Jones.
Penny is right. This is like those 15-year-old-railfan troll arguments over who had the Best or the Biggest steam locomotive. All the engines in play are top-class material.
Although I have to say that if you count putting a stamped crown on there as proof of royalty, you’d have to include engines with Crown Zellerbach on them, too … or certain amusement-park engines. Just because I went to Burger King and my daughter put one of those paper things in my head for fun doesn’t make me a King…
Speaking of royalty, the only monarch ever to rule an independent Ukraine, Hetman Paul Skoropadsky, died on this date, 75 years ago.
As for queen of steam locomotives, we all have our biases. I have expressed my fondness for the Rutland 4-8-2’s, which lasted six years. I’m showing my bias towards New England here. For best articulated locomotive, the D&H 4-6-6-4’s. Those latter ran in New York and Pennsylvania. Among the places they ran in was my wife’s home town of Simpson, PA. Whether they ran on the D&H lines in Vermont, I don’t know.
Queens and their business
Just exactly what happened to 4449’s and 611’s sisters … first the workers paid less attention to maintenance and grooming, then they fed lower-quality and cheaper… and finally they tore them to pieces…
About as close as you’re likely to see is Hawiian Holiday:
Overmod says: " Although I have to say that if you count putting a stamped crown on there as proof of royalty, you’d have to include engines with Crown Zellerbach on them, too … or certain amusement-park engines. Just because I went to Burger King and my daughter put one of those paper things in my head for fun doesn’t make me a King…"
Jealous are we? … and it wasn’t ‘stamped’ .
Thats ok, I’m no fan of the monarchy. Bunch of malarkey.
My last comment on this troll thread unless paid $400.00 up front.
Got it in one… and stipulated. But 6400 is still worth two of those Hudsons if you want something fit to wear a crown…