[N&W] Re: N&W E-Class

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

Ed -

I didn't say ALL N&W Pacifics were ugly.  I've photographed the 563 and 578
on the CV, and will say that after they put the lowered headlights on them
they looked right nice.  The tenders were too big, but you can't have
everything.  The 574 shown on the Bluestone Branch in "N&W In The
Appalachians" with its visored headlight was even nicer, but didn't make it
until the last.

But if you go back to "The Rolling Mud Fence" which I had in TRAINS back in
the '80's, I did nominate the class E Pacifics - the original ones from
1905 - as the ugliest locomotives, certainly the ugliest conventional
locomotives and easily the ugliest Pacifics.  If you can find the article
(page 29, February 1985 TRAINS) and look at the illustrations, I'll rest my
case.

Other contenders were GNs, Pennsys, Readings, ICs, C&Os (sorry, Ed) - but
the E won hands down.  It had more of the ugly-causing characteristics
(enumerated in the story) than anything else rollin'.

And you and I are both too young to ever have paced them . . .

Ed King