A possibility, but do bear in mind that Pullman began to circle the drain after about 1960 and Ansaldo and Fiat Ferrovaria were fairly new to the high-speed game at that point, so a 1980s Acela from that consortium is prone to problems. It might be advisable to either hook them up with another company (very doable) or have somebody else do the project instead of Pullman.
In that case, perhaps the Ansaldo merger with Hitachi could have roots that begin earlier than they did IOTL. Or would another company work better for that?
 
In that case, perhaps the Ansaldo merger with Hitachi could have roots that begin earlier than they did IOTL. Or would another company work better for that?
I think a better way would be bring your timeframe forwards to the early 90's and replace Ansaldo with GEC Alsthom, who's HSR experience at that time consisted of the TGV Sud-Est & Atlantique and the InterCity 225. The question is what sort of HSR are you looking at?
 
I think a better way would be bring your timeframe forwards to the early 90's and replace Ansaldo with GEC Alsthom, who's HSR experience at that time consisted of the TGV Sud-Est & Atlantique and the InterCity 225. The question is what sort of HSR are you looking at?
I was thinking something akin to OTL's Acela at first, but then it evolves to a series of regional networks in the vein of the JR Group. Admittedly though, I also thought of Pullman-Ansaldo also doing some Amtrak coaches before hand, and Budd being the company that merges with Alsthom instead.
 
If you want the most Badass Locomotive that was never built I give you the Empress of India A.K.A Victoria from the film North West Frontier. Whatever the obstacles, whatever the opposition or hostile action "Victoria will be getting there".

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I think a better way would be bring your timeframe forwards to the early 90's and replace Ansaldo with GEC Alsthom, who's HSR experience at that time consisted of the TGV Sud-Est & Atlantique and the InterCity 225. The question is what sort of HSR are you looking at?
This is good advice, and I would recommend that Budd stay a player in the business on their own, as they have the ability to do so. Pullman doesn't have that ability.
 
Considering it was propane that caused the destruction in the Grand Junction disaster, I doubt much would happen there. Liquid hydrogen is probably a little on the advanced side for a mass-produced locomotive in the mid-1980s in any case.
Good point, and I have thought of having this be made in the 2000s after all under the AGTEL-1 series. (The "A" stands for the word "Advanced").
 
Good point, and I have thought of having this be made in the 2000s after all under the AGTEL-1 series. (The "A" stands for the word "Advanced").
That makes sense, but do bear in mind that liquid hydrogen presents its own challenges, namely the fact that if it leaks you have a big, BIG problem and that it needs to be kept at extremely cold (-423 F) temperatures and thus requires cryogenic tank cars to haul it or as a tender for a locomotive. Ensuring safety would be Job 1, particularly as anybody opposed to it would invariably point out Grand Junction as to why its a bad idea.
 
Not so much a loco not built but a question of one that as built.

James Holden introduced oil-burning in 1893 to some of the locos that GER used, which utilised residues that were a by-product of the company gas works.

What was the calorific value of the residues vs coal vs oil fuel?

How easy to handle were the residues compared to oil fuel, did they require any extra equipment that oil fuel wouldn’t?

Did the burner that was used for the residues differ from burners used for oil fuel?

Could the burners use the oil that the Scottish Shale industry generated?
 
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@TheMann

One idea I thought of recently if to have ALCO build the C636P/F class, and use their designs as influences for the early Millennium designs. These locomotives become popular on the Southern Pacific, ATSF, NYC, Southern, and Rio Grande's lines in Nevada and Arizona.

Specifically, I could see a scenario where Southern Pacific orders a C636P that ends up in a wreck, and is rebuilt with a larger cab that reaches to the locomotive's front end.
 
^ Thats a possibility, and you could also have a scenario where regulatory bodies demand the keeping of four-man crews on trains (as was the case usually until the late 1960s in many places IOTL) and railroads choose to have bigger cabs to make it easier to have three men up front. That was the idea behind the BQ23-7 "Aegis Cruisers" ordered by the SCL, and perhaps it catches hold with other operators.
 
I was flicking through a book on 4-8-0s when I was reminded of the Lemon proposal during the interim on the LMSR between Fowler and the appointment of Stanier.
 
^ Thats a possibility, and you could also have a scenario where regulatory bodies demand the keeping of four-man crews on trains (as was the case usually until the late 1960s in many places IOTL) and railroads choose to have bigger cabs to make it easier to have three men up front. That was the idea behind the BQ23-7 "Aegis Cruisers" ordered by the SCL, and perhaps it catches hold with other operators.
That said, it's mainly be a comfort thing in my TL since the de-regulation of the 20s under Coolidge.

As for Pullman, I think I'll replace the idea of Ansaldo with Alsthom if I ever revist the HSR idea. I could see American clones of the original TGV between Chicago and Milwaukee.
 
That said, it's mainly be a comfort thing in my TL since the de-regulation of the 20s under Coolidge.

As for Pullman, I think I'll replace the idea of Ansaldo with Alsthom if I ever revist the HSR idea. I could see American clones of the original TGV between Chicago and Milwaukee.
Going off what @Jono suggested before, I could see Pullman being acquired by Alsthom in 1966 initially as a constructor of rolling stock. Then in the early 1970s, Pullman becomes part of a plan that includes the former Lima works and a new facility in Indiana that would build electric locomotives based on designs Alsthom built for its native France. Then, the TGV is designed as a fusion of the lessons learned in both rolling stock and electric locomotives.

The first of the American TGV consists is operated on the Midwest HSR network, which starts off as being Chicago - Milwaukee, then is extended to first the Twin Cities via Madison and Eau Claire, then St. Louis via Peoria and Springfield.
 
To American-Canadians, could British style link couplings and buffers be used on your railroads, should the knuckle coupling not be adopted for whatever reason?
 
To American-Canadians, could British style link couplings and buffers be used on your railroads, should the knuckle coupling not be adopted for whatever reason?
I imagine an alternative of some kind would still have been developed: the link and Pin couplers used prior were unpopular and inefficient as, besides how downright DANGEROUS they were, they lacked any real standardization of construction or position whihc could leave cars unable to be coupled, the couplings were too slack, the pins fell out rather easily when bounced or worked themselves loose on rough track, or could easily be stolen by scrap thieves, and in North America trains simply became too heavy for the pins to hold together.
 
Thought I'd detail the steam era roster of my TL's Florida East Coast Railroad. ITTL, it consists of the following routes. Many of these routes are inspired by what @TheMann did with the route in his Canadian TLs. Though I took some ideas even further.

- East Coast Main: Miami, FL to Norfolk, VA via Daytona Beach and Jacksonville, FL; Savannah, GA; Charleston and Myrtle Beach, SC; Fayetteville and New Bern, NC; and Chesapeake, VA.
- Keys Secondary: Key Largo to Miami, FL via Homestead.
- Everglades Secondary: Jacksonville to Naples, FL via Gainesville, Ocala, Tampa, Sarasota, and Fort Myers.
- Gulf Secondary: Jacksonville to Mobile, AL via Panama City and Pensacola, FL.
- Peach State Secondary: Savannah to Atlanta, GA via Augusta and Athens.
- Asheville Secondary: Myrtle Beach, SC to Asheville, NC via Florence, SC; and Charlotte, Forest City, and Hendersonville, NC.
- Carolina Secondary: Wilmington to Raleigh, NC via Fayetteville.
 
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