As some of you may already know, I am a retired railroader (having spent 34 years with Canadian Pacific). One of my hobbies/interests is the history of railroading, especially how the technology involved evolved through the ages.
The other night, having read through the discussions on the Dr. Grordbort board over at The Shadow and Flame, that were centered around the "old" style of rayguns, (i.e. The Unnatural Selector), and the "modern" style (i.e. The Pomson 6000), I was enjoying a glass (or six) of sherry, while organizing some railroad photos for the collection, when I was struck by a thought (albeit most likely a sherry-induced thought), that there was some form of a parallel design evolution that could be seen. Looking at it in the light of day, after the sherry fumes had bee thoroughly dismissed by some serious coffee, I decided to put this together for the amusement, and enlightenment of the legions of Grordbortian fans who might just enjoy a look at the deranged thought process of another self-confessed Grordbort groupie. Enough prattle, then, on to it!
It really all started when I was thinking about the original Dr.Grordbort rayguns, and how wonderfully their design fit into the Steampunk genre (I'm the admin of the Brass Goggles Blog, as as aside). As I'm know there as a railroader, and having spent the last few years before retirement working on the CPR 2816 restoration project (2816 is a 1950's Hudson steam locomotive, CPR repatriated and restored to running condition to be used as 'The Empress", a public relations, and charity fundraiser.), where I not only learned the theory and maths of steam power, but also had a chance to get my hands dirty , so to speak), I get asked quite a few questions relating to steam locomotives, and steam power in general. Thinking about rayguns and sorting through scanned photos to be added to the collection, I was struck by the similarity in the evolution of the style of the Dr. Grordbort rayguns, and the way steam locomotives and passenger trains in general evolved and the eventual rise of the diesel as the major prime mover.
Looking at the Dr.Grordbort website gives a raygun chronology that goes like something like this: (those are thumbnails, click for a full sized image)
1: The Goliathon: |
2: The Manmelter: |
3: The F.M.O.M Wave Disrupter: |
4: The Unnatural Selector: |
5: The Victorious Mongoose: |
6: The Righteous Bison: |
7: The Pearce 75  |
8: The Ponsom 6000 |
So. That being the premise, lets start out with the Golitahon.
If one had to describe the Goliathion, words like brawny, beefy, powerful, steampunk, and hefty would come to mind, a raygun that just "gets the job done,by Jove!, and then some!". To my mind that's a lot like the way railroads used to handle steam loco design, they looked at local conditions, and requirements, and then went off to one of the major locomotive manufacturers and said " A few of these, like this, please ". This lead to some rather unique beasts, such as this Erie, Camelback Mallet 0-8-8-0.
The cab was moved forward to accommodate a Wooten firebox, which was very wide to allow combustion of anthracite coal waste, known as Culm. The Wootten firebox made for a free-steaming, powerful locomotive, and the cheap fuel burned almost smokelessly; the combination made for an excellent passenger locomotive, and many camelbacks operated in this service. Looking at the large firebox , and the air cylinders above it, this engine definitely could be said to have a definite Goliathon-ish spirit. Other examples of road specific individualization can be seen in:
Bessemer and Lake Erie H1-D #621
and Boston and Maine #4007
During WWI, the USRA (United States Railroad Administration), which was the the nationalized rail system of the United States during WW1, published a set of "standardized" locomotives plans, by type. Eventually, this idea was partially adopted by the major locomotive builders, and as a result, steam locomotives across the continent began to evolve into more standard set types. This benefited both purchasers, and manufacturers, by reducing build and maintenance costs. This is where I see the Manmelter fitting in the design evolution.
The Manmelter:
By this time, a lot of railroads were looking towards increasing efficiency. Unless your main business was heavy bulk (coal, iron ore, etc.) what you needed was a locomotive that could handle freight, mixed service, and passenger service equally well. This saw the emergence of a set of locomotives such as the "Heavy" Pacific, the Mikado, and the Hudson types as true multi role engines. The tended to be more compact, more efficient, but still powerful enough to do the job. To my mind, these locomotives fit the Manmelter mold.
Delaware and Hudson #609
CPR #2818
Pennslyvania K4 #5495
The F.M.O.M Wave Disrupter:
The next design change occurred when it was realized that in order to attract passenger revenues, the railroads had to appear to be more modern and up to date. the average traveler wasn't impressed or and probably didn't understand technological advances, If a 1936 steam loco looked like its 1916 ancestor, well, then it had to be old and out dated.. To the railroads, the easiest way to "modernize" on tight budgets was to do some simple "cleaning up" of the appearance of their locos. Slightly sleeker, but still the same capable engine underneath the covers. The F.M.O.M Wave Disrupter fits in here, a sleeker, but equally capable companion to the Manmelter. In the railroads, one got "cleanlining" or semi-streamlining as exemplified by:
CPR #3001
and for freight , CPR #5935
This then brigs us to the Unnatural Selector, and the Victorious Mongoose, which when viewed as contemporaries, illustrates nicely a divide that started to appear in the railroad world.
The Unnatural Selector: The Victorious Mongoose:
What was happening here was a drive for reduced costs. Steam locomotives are not a high-efficiency form of motive power. They also are very costly in terms of labour and maintenance. As an example, even the smallest train required a crew of at least four people, engineer, fireman, brakeman, and conductor. Part of the solution is to run (in freight) heavier, longer trains, or (in local service passenger) smaller, and more economical trains. These two rayguns illustrate the divide well, and indeed this led, eventually to the most radical changes to be seen in railroading. The Unnatural Selector is for a start, big, and very powerful. In addition, it seems to stretch the technology envelope, by being the most complex raygun top date, its pure overkill. The Victorious Mongoose, on the other hand goes in the other direction, small, less powerful, but easier to handle. In the railroad world, one answer to the more power question was to utilize high steam pressure locomotives, along with other advances such as roller bearings and poppet valves. As an example CPR #8000 utilized a dual pressure Schmidt boiler system running at 1150 and 800PSI on the high pressure loops, and 250PSI on the low pressure loops.
CPR #8000
Delaware and Hudson #1400 was also an experiment in high pressure steam.
Delaware and Hudson #1400
Of course, there was always the "bigger is better" solution, sheer size, coupled with the latest technology:
Delaware and Hudson #1601
Erie #5016
Union Pacific #3932
Southern Pacific #4221
All of those fit the Unnatural Selector's unashamed size and power to a 'T".
The Victorious Mongoose approach could be seen in the first non-steam powered railcars. These were powered in the early models, by gasoline of distillate engines, which drove a generator, thus providing power for the electric traction motors in the wheelsets, and adaptation of electric trolley technology. Later versions would be diesel powered, thus setting the stage for the eventual decline of steam. Railcars were far cheaper to run, and on rural lines worked quite well.
Examples of the railcar include:
Union Pacific M-23
Minnesota Western #38
Rock Island #9049
These early railcar designs would eventually lead to the first diesel locomotives, the aptly named Boxcabs:
Santa Fe #1A
But Steam was not dead yet, and the best was saved for last. This brings us to the Righteous Bison.
The Righteous Bison:
The Righteous Bison certainly looks different from the others, Its still steampunky, but there is an element of Art Deco creeping in. Its old tech, but it sure doesn't look it. Still has those pipes and gauges, but there's a raciness to it.
In the railroad world, the equivalent was fully streamlined steam power. The streamlining didn't increase efficiency all that much, but it sure did update the image of the railroads. Top industrial designers of the likes of Loewy, Kuhler, and Dreyfuss, transformed the steam locomotive looks into new and modern interpretations. That, coupled with the advent of newer lightweight and more luxurious coaches and sleepers, re-vitalized the passenger steam. It also, set a precedent that would help bring about the end of the steam era.
There was no comparison between the old and the new in terms of appeal to the average traveler.
Some classic streamlined steam power:
Chesapeake and Ohio #490
Pennsylvania #3768
Pennsylvania #5528
Pennsylvania #6100
Milwaukee #3
Reading #117
The Pearce 75
The Pearce 75 is a transition from the steampunk, well worn look of the previous rayguns. Its streamlined, its shiny. A perfect match for the early streamlined diesels that came on the scene. These would later evolve into what would become the power of the Streamliner era.
Union Pacific M10000 Union Pacific M10004
and of course, the Pioneer Zephyr
But the public wanted more, more luxury and convenience, more modernity, better amenities. The age of the lightweight diesel powered streamliner was upon us.
The Pomson 6000:
The Pomson 6000 is unlike any of the previous Dr.Grordbort designs. Gone are the pies and old fashioned gauges, gone is the rusted ,well worn look, gone are the many doodads. Its compact, its powerful, and by Jove! it's got colour, it's flashy, it's modern, it's the future! (albeit in a retro sort of way)
The advent of reliable diesel-electric locomotives ushered in the Golden Age of passenger travel - the Streamliner. New stainless steel coaches. sleepers, and diners, all luxuriously fitted out, with conveniences and style that would have been undreamed of a decade eralier. Gone was the old upper and lower berth section, replaced with the roomette, a compartment for one traveler, complete with its own washroom facilities. These, along with other more spacious rooms, allowed for the railroads to advertise "All Room Sleepers" and charge a premium. In addition, the new power allowed for schedules to be slashed, offering a more convenient and comfortable way to travel. Air conditioning became standard, and even the lowly coach was outfitted with the famed 'Sleepy Hollow" seats. Dining car menus were expanded, and food service quality was to the highest standard possible. On the locomotive end, railroads went colorful, coming up with paint schemes to excite and catch the eye. The comparison to the Pomson, should be obvious.
Atlantic Coast Line #501
Santa Fe #4
Missouri Pacific #7000
Rock Island #632
Sadly the glory was not to last , and passenger rail declined, unable to compete with the automobile, and the airlines. There is hope for a resurgeance, and in Europe and other parts of the world, passenger rail is still a viable transportation option.
In conclusion, there you have it, my sherry-inspired take on the parallel design evolution between railroad design and Dr.Grorbort's raygun designs. Following this, what would be next? Well, diesels became boxy, and boring aesthetically, and while the current crop of computerized, AC traction, gee-whiz 4000-6000 HP monsters are, they are nowhere as exciting to the eye as the older designs. In the Grordbort world, lets hope the bland, strictly utilitarian look fails to catch on, and that we continue to see those wonderfully quirky and brilliant designs keep on coming in the future. I hope that you have found this tome enjoyable, and that you had as much fun reading it as I did carrying on with it..
Cheers,
Harold