Is it just me or do American locos all look the same?

[Bonbonbalinski]

Like they literally all look the same

 

[HSTEd]

To some extent that is because of a desire for standardisation on the part of the railroads.

There are only two significant locomotive manufacturers in any case, EMD and GE.

 

[43096]

Like they literally all look the same

It depends how closely you look. While the modern freight locos from EMD and GE/Wabtec are very similar (with a wide nose at the front) there are still plenty of older style locos such as GP38s and GP40s that have a very different nose type. With passenger locos, the current Siemens Charger types look very different from the feight types, as do the previoous generation of GE Genesis locos. There's not much in the way of electric locos, but the Siemens-built ACS-64 locos used by Amtrak and SEPTA have a very much European-type look.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I always feel they look very similar, but I wonder how much of that is just being unfamiliar with them so I don't spot the more subtle differences. For example someone who isn't an enthusiast might think that a 37 and a 40, or a 40 and a 45, look pretty similar to each other- and it's only because I've been interested in knowing the difference for most of my life that means I can tell the difference pretty much automatically. An American enthusiast would be able to identify a particular US loco much quicker than I can, but might not instantly spot the difference between a 40 and a Peak.