What steam we haven't seen - relaunch

[NorthWest]

think the proposal to adapt the Q2 boiler design was a particularly attractive “A-provement” – there might be some fun discussing whether N&W would buy these new from Alco or someone else with the right kind of annealing furnace, or whether they would retain the riveted construction but without overconstraint at the waist, or whether they would themselves build the equipment to fabricate all-welded boilers. (I lean toward the last option…)

As do I. They were always forward thinking in motive power. But would they have used a Belpaire Firebox?

I don’t know if the streamlining would have stayed long after passenger service ceased. We can speculate on which parts would go and which would stay.

Rest assured, the J’s look good without streamlining, too: http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/740/p/191804/2222530.aspx#2222530

Well, that’s a good idea, seeing as the As were used as passenger locomotives almost from the first:

Someone remarked a while ago that the A’s are the perfect fantrip locomotive: fast and strong. I agree.

Thanks,

NW