Best looking and ugliest trains

[Prestige15]

Name your best looking and ugliest looking train in the UK.

Can be any type from locos to Multiple units (steam can be included), Diesel or Electric

I share mine.
Diesel Loco:
Looker - Deltic
Ugliest - Class 70

Electric loco:
Looker - Class 92
Ugliest - Class 89

DMU:
Looker - Class 180
Ugliest - Class 101

EMU:
Looker - Class 332
Ugliest - Class 442

Steam:
Looker - Mallard/Tornado
Ugliest - ???

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Thread could perhaps do with a "Trivia" tag, but I'm game...

Diesel Locos
Ugly:67
Splendid:37

Electric Locos
Ugly:73/9
Splendid:85

1st Generation DMUs
Ugly:126
Splendid:124

2nd Generation DMUs
Ugly:140
Splendid:158

1st Generation EMUs
Ugly: 307
Splendid: tie between 303 and 309

2nd Generation EMUs
Ugly: Refurbished 318s/Southern 455s
Splendid:442s

Steam Loco
Ugly:Bulleid "Leader" class
Splendid: Ffestiniog Double Fairlie.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Posted in error.

 

[CosherB]

I'm sure it's déjà vu again ..... :roll:

 

[DarloRich]

All subjective with little chance of agreement.

 

[theageofthetra]

Name your best looking and ugliest looking train in the UK.

Can be any type from locos to Multiple units (steam can be included), Diesel or Electric

I share mine.
Diesel Loco:
Looker - Deltic
Ugliest - Class 70

Electric loco:
Looker - Class 92
Ugliest - Class 89

DMU:
Looker - Class 180
Ugliest - Class 101

EMU:
Looker - Class 332
Ugliest - Class 442

Steam:
Looker - Mallard/Tornado
Ugliest - ???

Steam- Anything Crosti boilered.

 

[D365]

I'm sure it's déjà vu again ..... :roll:

Eh, at least it's better than clogging up the Class 800 discussion...

 

[bastien]

All subjective with little chance of agreement.

The perfect topic then!

 

[Melancholia]

Diesel Loco:
Best: Class 68
Worst: Class 67

Electric Loco:
Best: Class 92/88
Worst: Class 91 (Blunt end)

DMU:
Best: Class 180
Worst: Class 175

EMU:
Best: Class 700/707
Worst: Class 323

Don't really care about steam engines...

 

[physics34]

Diesel Loco:
Looker - cant decide...probably a 50 overall.
Ugliest - class 14

Electric loco:
Looker - Class 86
Ugliest - Class 89

DMU:
Looker - Class 205
Ugliest - Class 126 blunt end

EMU:
Looker - Class 421-423, 432, 438
Ugliest - Class 313 + family...without the black window surrounds.

 

[J-2739]

Well, I like the design of the 700s and the Pendos. 158s aren't bad looking either. The 150 would look better if it wasn't a square.

The Voyagers are ugly ugly ugly, and so are the 345s. The 710s and the ones at Greater Anglia are slightly nicer.

 

[RichJF]

Diesel loco
Looker: Class 37/Class 68 (torn between the two)
Ugly: Class 58

Electric loco
Looker: Class 90
Ugly: Class 87 (call me a cynic)

DMU
Looker: Class 207
Ugly: Voygaer

EMU
Looker: Class 8xx series
Ugly: Class 332

 

[ChilternTurbo]

As an earlier poster said, it's all very subjective but here's mine:

Lookers
HST: iconic trains only spoiled slightly by the headlight arrangements with the MTU refurbishment
Class 373 Eurostar: look so much nicer than their obese Velaro replacements
Class 390 Pendolino: the simple Virgin livery works so well on these
Class 47: especially in Intercity Swallow livery. However, they do look awful as 57s with the dellner couplers fitted…
Bombardier Electrostar and Turbostar: smart and modern
Class 90, 91, 92: the tail end of BR gave us some handsome designs that still look good today.

Ugly
Southern Region VEP: probably because they lingered for too long and ended up in such horrible condition
Eurostar Velaro/E320: see above
Class 58, 67 and 70: perpendicular ugly boxes on rails
HST prototype: thank goodness for Kenneth Grange and his nose cone design!

 

[66Yorks]

Class 66 no question. An absolute marvel of engineering.

 

[KingDaveRa]

Ugly
HST prototype: thank goodness for Kenneth Grange and his nose cone design!

Hear hear! A little *too* futuristic looking in its original guise, like some sort of cyclops worm thing.

 

[50031]

I'm quite a fan of square styles so have always liked classes 47, 60, 67, 153/155 (But hate the 153 "new" cab end - WIPAC lights too high!!)

Meridian looks a lot better than voyager.

Centre headcode 45s best looking of "bonnet" locos

68s though look superb

IEPs preferred to pendolinos... at least on the outside..

 

[gg1]

For sheer eye watering ugliness the Fell diesel takes some beating, (dis)honourable mentions for the Bulleid Q1, class 140, class 456 and dellner equipped 57s.

Best looking imo are deltic, HST, APT and GWR pannier tanks. Of post privatisation designs I do like class 68s.

 

[E_Reeves]

Diesel
Best: Class 68
Worst: Class 60

Electric
Best: Class 86
Worst: Class 87

DMU
Best: Class 180
Worst: Class 168 (Adtranz)

EMU:
Best: Class 801
Worst: Class 376

Steam: Don't really care...

 

[CosherB]

Diesel
Best: Class 68
Worst: Class 60

Electric
Best: Class 86
Worst: Class 87

DMU
Best: Class 180
Worst: Class 168 (Adtranz)

EMU:
Best: Class 801
Worst: Class 376

Steam: Don't really care...

For electric locos, how do you differentiate between a "gorgeous" 86 and a "gopping" 87? Surely they're virtually identical? :roll:

 

[E_Reeves]

For electric locos, how do you differentiate between a "gorgeous" 86 and a "gopping" 87? Surely they're virtually identical? :roll:

I just like the 3 windows!

 

[ChilternTurbo]

I also really liked the dramatic 'Darth Vader' front of the Gatwick Express Class 460s. They went from handsome to plug ugly when converted to the SWT Class 458/8 and the best styling feature was lost (albeit for practical reasons…)

 

[Cowley]

I just like the 3 windows!

The centre window keeps your chi aligned.

 

[Kneedown]

1st Gen DMU...
Best: Cravens 105.
Worst: Swindon 126 (Gangway end)

Modern DMU...
Best: Class 180.
Worst: Class 153.

1st Gen EMU...
Best: Class 304/305/308.
Worst: Class 404 (4 COR)

Modern EMU...
Best: Class 321.
Worst: Class 458.

Diesel Loco...
Best: Class 45, Class 50, Class 56 (equally)
Worst: Class 66, Class 67.

Electric Loco...
Best: Class 81-85.
Worst: Class 89.

Steam...
Best: Anything GWR or LMS.
Worst: Anything LNER (Disclaimer: Purely regional bias due to being a Welshman brought up in the midlands!)

 

[Hadders]

EMUs I have a soft spot for the class 365s. Whoever designed the front ends had a sense of humour with the 'smiley face'. My little nephews give a ride on a 'smiley' train ??????

 

[cjmillsnun]

EMUs I have a soft spot for the class 365s. Whoever designed the front ends had a sense of humour with the 'smiley face'. My little nephews give a ride on a 'smiley' train ��

The front ends aren't as designed. They originally looked the same as any other Networker.

 

[222ben]

Locos:
Worst: Class 70
Best: Class 68
Steam:
Best: GWR 4073
Worst: Standard Class 7 "Britannia".
MU:
Best: Class 395
Worst: Class 153

 

[Class455]

Here are mine:
Locos
Best: Class 56, Class 66
Worst: Class 52, Class 47

Modern DMU
Best: Class 150, 171/172
Worst: Class 175

Modern EMU
Best: Class 317/318/319/320/321/322/365/377/387/455 (Southern ones)/456 and 700
Worst: Class 350/360/444/450

 

[Hadders]

The front ends aren't as designed. They originally looked the same as any other Networker.

But someone designed the 'smile' when the in-can air conditioning (or cooling whichever it is) was added.

 

[43096]

Here are mine:

Locos

Best: Class 56, Class 66

Worst: Class 52, Class 47



Modern DMU

Best: Class 150, 171/172

Worst: Class 175



Modern EMU

Best: Class 317/318/319/320/321/322/365/377/387/455 (Southern ones)/456 and 700

Worst: Class 350/360/444/450

You have done strange tastes... When new the 317s were described as being "designed by a committee with a grudge".

 

[CosherB]

You have done strange tastes... When new the 317s were described as being "designed by a committee with a grudge".

Indeed! Also once more, I'm completely stumped regarding the "vast" differences between a 47 and a 56!!!