OK I know all steam locomotives are beautiful, and you are not supposed to be critical of them regardless of their shape, I just saw a large photo of a NYC Mercury Streamlined 4-6-2, it’s gone about as far as you can go into art deco as one dare, well the result is one “goofy” looking locomotive. Staring at it does not improve it’s looks, I know, I know, everyone to their own taste, but this just does not look right, were any of these poor little things ever saved??? I’ll wait for the critics.
Sad to say that except for two Mohawks and an 0-6-0 there are no NYC steamers around now. The K5 pacifics were brutish machines, and the bathtub treatment they got did nothing for them at all. As I noted, they are all gone.[sigh]
The C. B. & Q. did a number on their otherwise asthetic 4-6-4 passenger engines in the late 1930’s.
A horrendous shroud was placed on very limited number of these steam locomotives. The idea being a better match with Budd’s stainless steel artwork. The end result was orange and purple socks.
World War II mercifully resulted in the shrouds being removed.
The bathtub streamlining NYC did to the Murcury steamers was one of the worst ever done to a locomotive.This was almost the exact opposite of the beautiful streamlining on the 20th Century Ltd. Hudsons.
The NYC (Big Four) also had a “bathtub” streamlined Pacific to power the James Whitcomb Riley as did the Reading for the Crusader. In retrospect none of these engines could compare esthetically with the other streamlined steam locomotives of the NYC, the Santa Fe’s "Blue Goose, the Esspees Daylights to name just a few.
Mark