How did certain steam engines get their (nick) names?

[Virginian]

Trying to compare any "outside-the-USA" design of steam locomotive with the "inside-the-USA" designs is an exercise in comparing apples and watermelons.  The Beyer-Garratts appear to have been an excellent design for the loads they hauled and the the roads they ran on. 
It's like comparing Formula I with NASCAR or NHRA drags.  If the USA gets serious about something (usually tied to it's ability to generate MONEY), they can excel at it.  Formula I is not as well suited to huge crowds, advertising, and TV coverage in the USA, so it languishes here, while it is indisputably the top automobile racing series in the rest of the world.  Marching to different drummers as it were.  Not better; different.
However, I dare say none of the rest of the world's steam designs could have held a candle to a Y6b or a VGN 800 Class in drag service, or to a Big Boy or Allegheny/Blue Ridge or Class A in high horsepower fast freight service.  The USA roads were all geared to hauling huge tonnages compared to the others in the world.  I believe no other country ever employed any locomotives in the steam era that equalled or exceeded the axle loading of the C&O F-16s of about 1918, and they were FAR from the weightiest locos the USA would produce.  Look at the average weight of Class I US rail compared to anywhere else.
The US came from waaay back, and yet charged into the lead in production of industrialized goods of all types - pulled by those magnificent steam locomotives.
P.S.- I know Mallard holds the world steam speed record.  But if we could set up a race, my money would be on several other passenger steam designs.  And, I do not think they would require repairs afterwards. 

[tac]

Huh, what did I say?  Were you offended there by the suggestion that the USA could have made use of the Beyer-Garratt format but went another way?

I sincerely beg your pardon, Sir, and in future will keep my opinions, shared at the time by the former USRA, BTW, to myself.

Most those of us who are not American have never had any doubt of the industrial and engineering might of the USA - its gigantic locomotives in particular - we really do not need a reminder of the general superiority of everything American over the rest of the world's pathetic and backward technology, but pointing out that 'Mallard' needed repairs after its world-record-breaking run was a pretty cheap shot.  Remember that NOBODY on earth claims to have gone faster by steam traction since that date in 1938.

The contest between 'Mallard' and 'The Burlington Zephyr' never happened.

Live with it.

tac
www.ovgrs.org

[pdlethbridge]

A locomotive, no matter where it is built, is designed around its environment. If the B&O, C&O and N&W had no mountains to climb, there would have been no heavy mallets. If there were difficult mountains to go around in England, they would have developed an engine to conquer them, a mallet or garret. Its no wonder with attitudes that people display here, that the US is hated around the world.

[SteamGene]

Shouldn't that be "some people" and perhaps "many people"?  Last I heard, individual Americans were still liked; it's the government that is disliked right now. 
I think feathers are being ruffled because some folks are not thinking about tone and feeling. 
Gene

[pdlethbridge]

right

[Virginian]

I was not offended, and my response was meant to be completely lighthearted.  See the smiley.
I am sorry if you took it wrong.   I am beginning to think a lot of the opinions of Americans as arrogant are at least partially the result of our twisted sense of sarcasm.  And, I did not think relating money as our only apparent motivation was all that flattering.  Oh well.
But, I did not think that remark about Mallard's repairs was too much of a cheap shot, (even though I was implying I thought a couple of US steamers could have gone faster, even though they didn't).  If something gets broken in the attempt, I don't think it should count.  In Car and Driver's "Fastest of the Fast" shootout, two years in a row they gave it to the Dodge Viper, and yet both times it arrived at the test track on a trailer and HAD to leave that way, after problems.  I thought the Ferrari won fair and square, having been driven to the contest, and driven away.  But, I do not doubt Mallard could have duplicated the feat, and I do believe Mallard's record is valid over the German 05 (?) engine from everything I have seen.
I hope you will continue to express your opinions.  It is a model RRing message board, not the UN.  We do not have to agree to profit from the experience.

[Atlantic Central]

The 4-4-2 "Atlantic" got its name from the Atlantic Coast Line, the first railroad to use this wheel arangement extensively (1895) and deminstrate its high speed capabilities.

And, it is widely held the "Pacific" got its name because it is a "bigger" loco built on the same design principals as the Atlantic.

Sheldon

[tac]

The 4-4-2 "Atlantic" got its name from the Atlantic Coast Line, the first railroad to use this wheel arangement extensively (18950 and deminstrate its high speed capabilities.
And, it is widely held the "Pacific" got its name because it is a "bigger" loco built on the same design principals as the Atlantic.
Sheldon

Thanks, Sheldon, for that info - I guess that over here we copied your names for our similar type of locomotives.

tac
www.ovgrs.org

[SteamGene]

Thanks, Sheldon, for that info - I guess that over here we copied your names for our similar type of locomotives.

tac
www.ovgrs.org
[/quote]

Which possibly explains the confusion over Baltic/Hudson.  For reasons unknown, the British adopted "Baltic" for the 4-6-4 arrangement, which only the Milwaukee Road used in the U.S. and ignored "Hudson," which the rest of the U.S. railroads used for the same arrangement.  I'm assuming that tank locomotives would have the same name as a locomotive with a tender and the same wheel arrangement.  That is, a 2-8-0T would still be a Consolidation. 
Gene

[pdlethbridge]

Could it have something to do with the Milwaukee running on the wrong side of the tracks

[Guilford Guy]

Well the CNW ran left hand too...

[ryeguyisme]

Dear Mr Gene - you wrote - 'A Hudson and a Baltic are both 4-6-4s'. 

Yes, thank you, I know that, but I live in the UK where we do not have Hudsons.  The name 'Baltic' was only applied to TANK locomotives, as we never had a 4-6-4 locomotive with a tender in UK.

There is no reason why the Atlantic type loco should be so named here in UK. None of the lines that had this type of loco had any connection with the Atlantic.

The same goes for the Pacific, and we have a large number of them still in steam...in fact, the UK has more preserved, active and operational steam locomotives of all types than any other country in the world.

tac
www.ovgrs.org

wrong, Chine has undoubtedly the largest amount of "operating" steam in the world as of yet but slowly but surely they are dwindling in numbers

[SteamGene]

AFAIK, for all intents and purposes, China has dropped all steam.  Not all of them have yet been cut up.
Gene

[ryeguyisme]

as of jily 07 there aare reported at least 1247 steam locos still active

[tac]

wrong, Chine has undoubtedly the largest amount of "operating" steam in the world as of yet but slowly but surely they are dwindling in numbers

Dear Mr ryeguyisme - Please read what I wrote - 'preserved, active and operational steam locomotives'.

This is a fact.  China does NOT have over 2400 such locomotives.  We do.

We also have over 80 preserved lines, standard gauge and narrow gauge, on which they operate.

tac
www.ovgrs.org