Ugliest Trains?

[Socimi]

I'm glad this thread is back on track!

 

How about this Canadian loco?

 

 

Then something from my country:

 

This is the ALe 644 or ALe 804 (two doors). They were built by the G.A.I. (Gruppo Aziende Italiane - Italian industries group) consortium wich was formed by Ansaldo, Breda, TIBB, Ercole-Marelli, OMS and Fiat Ferroviaria.

They are commonly known as "Treni GAI" (GAI Trains, for the reason above).

 

Edited April 16, 2017 by Socimi

[HantuBlauLOL]

Surely the Taucherbrille takes the prize for the Czech Republic (former CSSR)?

 

 

[medusa]

My personal No. 1 ugly train is one I have to take each workday... it's the series 442, also known as the "Hamsterbacke"

 

(Photo Wikipedia, CC-BY-SA2.0)

 

 

I wonder what the designers thought about? Their mothers-in-law?

[Suica]

I think I can do one better.

This is the Alstom LHB Coradia LIREX, designated DB-Baureihe 618

 

It's a single prototype DMU built in 2000. It was tested in regular service for 6 years and while featuring some interesting technologies, I have no idea what its designers were thinking.

 

I think the new livery didn't help either.

 

It's currently up for sale though. ;^)

[railsquid]

I think I can do one better.

This is the Alstom LHB Coradia LIREX, designated DB-Baureihe 618

 

It's a single prototype DMU built in 2000. It was tested in regular service for 6 years and while featuring some interesting technologies, I have no idea what its designers were thinking.

 

I vaguely remember that. I think they were channeling Luigi Colani.

[kvp]

They were experimenting with a diesel variant of the DSB Litra SA, that is also built around a two axle car and further single axle cars, very much like old Rowan system trains operated. This design was also used for the Vienna ULF (ultra low floor) trams. For the Litra and the ULF, the end cars are 2 axle and the rest are single axle, in this case, the middle cars in each 3 car half unit got the 2 axles. This arrangement use fixed axles only, so while having a really bad ride quality, the whole train could be low floor. (one of the reasons why this arrangement is used mainly for trams)

 

On the other hand, having single leaf doors on every second car for a commuter dmu is a good sign of a really bad design. The look was just another extra to add to the general uglyness of the whole design.

 

ps: According to its wikipedia page, the unit should have been rebuilt after one year of testing to an electric train with high voltage impulse transformers (kV range switching regulators). This never happened, but the units did have flywheel energy storage instead, which has a rather bad engergy density and low power retention time compared to pretty much anything else available today. Btw. the prototype unit is for sale right now, since august this year.

[Suica]

I think the new NTV Alstom Pendolino is pretty ugly. 

 

Those headlights remind me of the unloved Porsche 996. 

[Kiha66]

I think the new NTV Alstom Pendolino is pretty ugly. 

 

Those headlights remind me of the unloved Porsche 996. 

It looks like something swashed the windshield area!

[Densha]

Looks as if they took the AGV and messed up big time.

[Socimi]

What did they think when they designed it? How Can someone mess things up to this point?

 

C'mon it can't be a mistake. Someone out there is really trying to make the ugliest train ever!

[Socimi]

It looks like something swashed the windshield area!

Yes, it looks like it's made of paper and someone threw a rock at it.

[railsquid]

It looks like something from the Siemens Velaro family mated with a red motorcycle helmet.

[Socimi]

This comes from India

 

What you see here is the "Non-AC Kolkata Metro Railway Rake" (they really call it that way!) , wich i simply refer to as the "1000 series".

 

These obiviously bad copies of the Tokyo Metro 6000 series (notice the small door windows) were introduced in 1981 with the opening of India first metro, the "Kolkata Metro Railway".

 

(just for reference)

 

 

This is what the interior looks like.

 

 

 Are those wooden seats am i right?

Edited December 16, 2016 by DavideTreni

[Suica]

My god. Looks like something out of a steamelectro(?)punk nightmare fantasy.

 

 Are those wooden seats am i right?

I'd say it's plastic with its paint gone.

[Socimi]

 

 

I'd say it's plastic with its paint gone.

 

Yes, they might be.

 

By the way

 

It looks like the floor, roof and the walls are held togheter by tape and spit.

[Suica]

Never heard of structurally integral spit?

[cteno4]

an archivist friend calls spit the universal solvent. one of the first things used to clean a mark on some materials rather than going to commercial stuff. Surprised the hell out of me!

 

Hey its evolved over millions of years in monthers' mouths for that exact purpose!

 

jeff

[Ewan.in.gz]

https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:E3-1000_L54_Tsubasa_144_Kita-Yamagata_20150307.jpg#mw-jump-to-license

I missed the fact you said 'new' there and thought you were saying the best livery ever was the ugliest.

Yeah, no, the original grey and silver scheme with the green waist stripe was beautiful, but this new one is just bizarre.... As I said, it looks like it's wearing Ultraman's jockstrap over the cab cars!

Edited December 19, 2016 by cteno4
Photo link

[Yavianice]

Yeah, no, the original grey and silver scheme with the green waist stripe was beautiful, but this new one is just bizarre.... As I said, it looks like it's wearing Ultraman's jockstrap over the cab cars!

I have the exact opposite. I love the dark blue and orange/yellow/red paint job. I don't like the gray silver... The Genbi and Toreiyu paint jobs are also striking.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Ewan.in.gz]

OK, even though I dislike the new Yamagata scheme, I know that everyone has their own tastes, and it does help to make the world a more colorful place!

 

I have to say I do agree about Genbi Shinkansen, it's an awesome one-off custom scheme for an E3 set. The Toreiyu is also a striking Resort Express livery.

[katoftw]

As I said, it looks like it's wearing Ultraman's jockstrap over the cab cars!

So true, so true.  Best description ever....

[cteno4]

Ultra wedgie! That did it for me, can't look at it w.o hearing Matthew say that name...

 

Jeff

[Socimi]

This comes from '50s Argentina:

 

http://www.derbysulzers.com/argentinaloco1951.jpg

 

The "Justicialista" Locomotive (named after https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justicialist_Party ) was an Aregntine sulzer diesel engine locomotive built in 1951. It's a (claimed) Do-Do + Do-Do or Bo-Bo-Bo-Bo + Bo-Bo-Bo-Bo (for a total of 16 axles) capable of doing 150Km/h (93.7 mph) with four engines and SIXTEEN traction motors!

 

Originally intended for mixed services they ended up pulling the "Mar The La Plata" express service, but due to the (reasonably) very expensive maintainance they were retired between 1962 and 1963.

 

http://www.derbysulzers.com/argentinadouble1954.jpg

 

In service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another sulzer-powered articulated monstruosity, this time with a french accent.

 

The SNCF 2D2 diesel locomotive.

 

http://www.derbysulzers.com/sncf262locobw.jpg

 

Built in 1937 and entered in service in 1938, this loco managed to get to the 1950s depsite WW2 in-between.

 

It was used between Paris and Dijon, and it was intended to haul passenger express trains at 140 Km/h but due to war damage to the tracks it ran at only 120.

 

As with the Argentine loco, this one was expensive to maintain and was replaced by more modern diesels such as the BB 67000 series.

 

In service

 

http://www.derbysulzers.com/sncf262loco.jpg

Edited January 6, 2017 by cteno4
Image embeds

[kvp]

Actually the second looks to be a 262 BD locomotive, afaik the 2D2 was an electric: http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/262_BD_1

 

It's effectively two coupled 2C2 diesels back to back, providing the same traction power as a normal Co-Co diesel would today. A similar front shape was used on italian electric locomotives for some time, so this partial streamlined look was fairly normal.

[marknewton]

Agreed, the Argentinian loco is a strange looking thing, but I like the PLM loco. I think it's a lovely bit of French Art-Deco.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.