Fallout 4's Locomotive Is Better than you think!

In this critically acclaimed video (I'm the only critic), I take a look at the Locomotive from fallout 4 and 76. Enjoy a very very little amount of lore, some theory crafting, some real world history, and a dash of unqualified fan critique.
I look forward to hearing what you have to say about this Thick Engine that could!
Also I had a lot of fun with this one and I hope you enjoy!
Spydingo
Music: Thanks to the talented artists that contributed to KZbin's audio library.
half.cool & Dyalla

[@eternalmiasma5586]

Honestly I really want some kinda dlc in the style of operation anchorage where you go back in time and get to see more of normal life before the war, I’d love to see this stuff working

[@spydingo]

Yeah! Also maybe that way we could see how coolant actually works. That would be incredibly helpful for understanding how these vehicles function.

[@RaccoonCityPoliceDept]

Maybe something along the lines of being a coptrying to maintain order starting a few weeks of days before the war then stopping the looting after it occurs

[@mikzpwnz_3199]

@@spydingo I'd say it works like an reactor cooling system but instead of being recirculated due to weight issues, it evaporates off in a transparent vapour. How the reactor itself creates mechanical force would also be interesting as it could be just like a nuclear power station where the heat creates steam (likely from the coolant than a separate water source) to drive the turbine to create the engine torque to transmit to the wheels. Otherwise it's to power a generator for electric motors to drive the transmission like a nuclear powered tesla, which probably doesn't really seem right in the fallout settling. It has to be this complicated as the fission reactor system isn't supposed to provide any usable explosive force for it to operate like an normal engine otherwise radioactive particles would be in the exhaust fumes which never was implicated. Edit: I was going to pictures it as a traditional car engine oil system but that didn't make sense when it came to preventing nuclear contamination and the fact that it's not a conventional engine because of what i said above would make it unplausable.

[@MrIgorkap]

@@spydingo Don't you understand "It just works"

[@wowsuchname1939]

Was something I was really disappointed with in fallout 4.. a part in the prologue where you explored some of the map pre war. Even at a really basic capacity.

[@darkninjacorporation]

The thing is so ridiculously tall for how wide it is, I just can’t picture it going around any bends at any speed without toppling over.

[@spydingo]

Your right, probably wouldn't turn well. Also as another pointed out, isn't really all that capable of going under any of the bridges in Boston. Yikes. Wish I'd thought of this to include in the video.

[@darkninjacorporation]

@@spydingo LOL I’d never considered that either. Bethesda moment

[@wormwoodbecomedelphinus4131]

Robotic counterweight.

[@carteranderson5907]

@@spydingo Except there are no bridges the rails go under in fallout 4, and in 76 the 1 or 2 times it happens there is plenty of clearance. The small girder bridges it goes over might be more of an issue. From my observations, the railroad infrastructure and the rail cars are fine except for a few way to steep grades in 76. The locomotives are strange but I love them, wish someone made models of them.

[@BravoOneCharlie]

Oh yeah absolutely, if we assume those are boilers on the top it's even worse. The center of Gravity of this would be too tall and would tip over very easily.

[@ez-bakeoven6797]

I think I read somewhere that the design was partly based on the Pennsylvania Railroad class T1 Streamliners, and I have to say, it isn't hard to say that as the front definitely took the same sort of design cues. As well, that thing was definitely used for freight hauling, something that top heavy would be perfect for slow cross country treks.

[@spydingo]

Hmm the rounded silhouette of the front certainly looks similar. Another commenter pointed out Pennsylvania Railroad S2 and I see a lot of similarities there with the pipes in the midsection. Agreed, tbh that's about the only thing we actually know about this beast.

[@KingHenryIXX]

@@spydingo also it looks like one of them mainly failed experimental gas turbine locomotives from the 50s and 60s, especially the gt-3 from the uk in the general shape

[@MrAsianPie]

I can see it's face, but the rest of the body no

[@transgender_F-117]

I thought it was modelled around Hitlers "Supertrain" or whatever it were called

[@ez-bakeoven6797]

@@transgender_F-117 I mean, it certainly does *look* like some sort of wunderwaffe creation. From the size and seeming impracticality of the design, mostly.

[@TheWombat2012]

As a train driver in real life, every time I come across one of those locomotives, I think to myself “there’s plenty of tools lying around, I could get that thing going again…” 😂

[@TheMagmaKnigh]

I love the Mystery Machine style Fallout van. The thing that has always driven me crazy about these locos is the fact there are bridges and tunnels that are not large enough for the engine. I wish they had scaled the height down to that of the box cars as it would make more sense. Something interesting about these is in Harpers Ferry in 76 you can actually blow the whistle of the loco there as it is part of one of the scout badges, so it probably does use steam as it's main form of power.

[@spydingo]

Thanks, I really enjoyed making it! You sir, make a very good point that didn't even cross my mind... and after I gave the world designers props for the water towers too. Huh, that's interesting. I'm not sure I'm a fan of how they just kinda shoved the whistle on though, not very elegant.

[@TheMagmaKnigh]

@@spydingo Definitely was just shoved on, but there are locomotives with the whistle ahead of the smoke stack. Though in this case I'm not sure it would actually be a smoke stack in this case. The main shape of the boiler also seems to be heavily inspired by locos like the Pennsylvania Railroad class T1.

[@AutumnalSunflower]

if the nuclear engine is used to power a steam turbine like in present day reactors, the steam from there could have been diverted to the whistle!

[@ucstevo]

@spydingo the extreme gradient of the tracks in 76 (and 4 to a lesser extent) where this loco is supposed to operate are also quite off the mark. Even if this thing had a rack system this it would probably beach itself!

[@log_by_bolb]

​​@@AutumnalSunflower I mean that would be pretty dangerous since the steam from a nuclear reactor usually has tons of radioactive contaminants, as it's pretty difficult to prevent irradiation of materials. If it did use that steam for the whistle, it would be blasting radioactive materials out at pretty high speeds

[@amogusisntfunny1464]

The location of the M9010 is a spot commonly used for the locomotive number on steam trains, which obviously this train is based on It's likely they didn't change the textures at all and that this is just the identification number, not the model number (trains manufacturers don't usually put those anywhere on the train unless it's a prototype for a new class)

[@SportyMabamba]

Agreed that’s how Bethesda did it; but since the 1971 introduction of TOPS (Total Operations Processing System) in the the UK, unit numbers for Locos and Multiple Units include their class, eg 37001 is a Class 37 Loco while 168001 would be a Class 168 Diesel Multiple Unit. TOPS was invented for/with Southern Pacific en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TOPS

[@amogusisntfunny1464]

@@SportyMabamba right, that makes sense, but this is designed after a steam locomotive, so I'm assuming the numbering was based off that as well

[@nikerailfanningttm9046]

I wouldn’t say that’s true. Here in the states, we actually have our builders (EMD/GE) stencil the model onto the cab side for our shop crews to easily identify what model it is for maintenance/overhauls, and recovery purposes in the event of a derailment. Normally the model number/designation is just below the road number.

[@jmdesertadventures803]

The crawler from broken steel is based on the launch platform used to move the space shuttle from the VAB to the launch site.

[@spydingo]

You right, and it makes a lot more sense to handle all that weight with the tracks and all. Was a bit of a stretch to compare the snow freighter to it I must admit. But as my finance professor once told me "it will be fine, now your definition of "fine" may be different from mine, but it will be fine". All that to say depending on how far you stretch the word "mini" or "like" it still works lol.

[@epicstormchaserswf]

Regarding the Rear of the Cab, its likely that the locomotive was originally designed with a tender in mind, said tender likely being a massive water tank so the locomotive can go further on one fillup on water. Its also likely that steps & walkways down from the cab were situated on said tender as was the case in reality.

[@KingHenryIXX]

Foamers of Fallout unite under the glory that is Railfanning and Spydingo's vehicular reviews!

[@spydingo]

Hey I know what a foamer is now! Thank you!

[@KingHenryIXX]

@@spydingo No problem good sir

[@thecpmr6276]

​@@KingHenryIXXCass scenic railroad shoulda been in 76, man!!

[@shaunfilby8026]

Perhaps the unique rear attachment point is for a locomotive specific car, like a water car that contains the steps to the cabin. It would have the conventional attachment on the back of it, it would probably be taken as a storage tank after the bombs dropped

[@geekchris105]

I would say a closer IRL comparison than the Big Boy would've been the Pennsylvania Railroad S2 class, which used a steam-turbine power source instead of the traditional pistons. This matches up with the rotary power source for the connecting rods on either side, although the S2 had it mounted internally between the drivers to provide power directly into one of the sets of drivers. The "mystery hole" in the frame would probably have been from part of the forging process, as frames like that would be cast in one or two pieces (probably one given Fallout's heavy industry) and need to be moved around the foundry by crane etc. until they are put on the rails. One nitpick I have is that more horsepower doesn't necessarily mean more speed when it comes to locomotives, as often the horsepower is used to increase Torque. Comparing the Big Boy to the PRR Class T1, which had about equal horsepower but traveled over 110 mph (some anecdotal evidence from crews suggesting they would push up to 130 mph in order to make up time on straight aways). Additionally, reducing the weight can sometimes decrease tractive performance on a locomotive, since the steel-on-steel contact between wheels and rails uses only weight to provide traction. Since these didn't seem to be used for passenger service I suspect that a lower top speed of around 75 mph would be common, especially since we haven't seen any refigerated boxcars that would be transporting perishables. I think overall this was a very insightful writeup and I am glad to see it! It probably would've been worth mentioning NV's train here since that train isn't worth its own video as it is just a conventional locomotive.

[@spydingo]

That's fair. I went with the "Big Boy" because its so large like the fallout loco. Looking at the S2 though, it even looks like it shares a lot more design elements asthetically, particularly in the midsection with the pipes (if that's the right word). That is a really solid theory and I really like it. You right, great callout. You are spitting solid train facts and I love it. I knew none of that! Thanks! Maybe so, but after working on the 3 in one vertibird video I wanted to work on a smaller project. Who knows, maybe the NV will get a video of its own, but your right, there is a lot of more valuable vehicles to cover first.

[@caleblowrance9604]

I was thinking the same thing about engine, that it would have to be turbine powered because conventional piston power is more likely to get the boiler to explode because of how much heat the reactor would make

[@cashcommonstores1430]

My home state is Pennsylvania 😎

[@conradotd6110]

loving your videos! its so refreshing having fallout videos looking more in depth in vehicles, the quality of your videos are also insanely good! keep up the good work man!

[@spydingo]

Thanks! I'll certainly try!

[@colecleveland8179]

I gotta say I'm loving the in depth look at the fallout universes vehicles. You also seem to be getting more comfortable as the videos go on and it makes me happy to see your growth as a creator. As there are only a certain amount of vehicles in the fallout universe, have you given any thought what game's vehicles you could break down after Fallout runs out? Or would you switch to breakdowns of other items in fallout exclusively?

[@spydingo]

Thanks, I hope its a trend that continues! You know, that's the million dollar question really. You are right of coarse, there is only a finite amount of vehicles and if I hope to keep on creating I've got to branch out. I don't have an answer really, I'm thinking that I'm going to start throwing in videos that differ a bit from the norm every few outings and see what y'all seem to like. So that might be taking a crack at a couple of Horizon Zero Dawns vehicles, maybe a lore break down of the real story that formed the basis for the sarsaparilla star bottlecaps, or perhaps breaking down things like giddy up butter cups and guns. Who knows, maybe when Starfield comes out I'll take a swing at doing some content on that.

[@ianprice1744]

@@spydingo You could break down vehicles in other games. I, for one, would love to know the origin behind the locomotive/main base from Metro:Exodus, the car from the Kyle Reese dlc of Terminator:Resistance, and other vehicles from games that look remarkably similar to actual vehicles.

[@adarkerstormishere]

Those aren't water towers. They're coolant towers.

[@Arc-tz5qd]

Water is used as coolant for nuclear reactors, both terms are correct.

[@Michael-eg3rs]

okay rant time cause my railroad knowledge infected mind goes nuts whenever I see this thing. I'll also be covering some issues you missed 1: I don't believe the "M910" is its class designation as I believe the 9010 is actually its running number. Something that all locomotives in the real world are required to have by law. The M part however is most likely its class designation as real world steam engines sometimes have their class designation underneath the cab window. 2: you mention it being around 6 feet. This confirms my suspicions of the one thing you never want on locomotives. Make them top heavy! Standard Gauge tracks is just under 5 feet across (around 4 and 1/2 feet). However! Locomotives tend to be around 8 feet across. This extra width helps to spread the weight and height around. But because this thing is 6 feet across? All it takes is a strong enough gust of wind for this thing to flip over onto its side. So how every engine we see isn't on their side in Fallout 4 when the bombs dropped is beyond me as I seriously doubt this things weight alone would be enough to hold back a fucking nuclear blast. 3: this seems to be a combination of a Pennsylvania T1, the pilot off a Union Pacific Big Boy or Challenger, the lead truck off a Pennsylvania S1 (its a 6-4-4-6), and I'm going to say the cab off a Milwaukee Road F7 Hudson. However! This thing has no cowcatcher. That things "cowcatcher" would only either cut animals/people in half or trap them in between slowly dragging them under to be crushed by the locomotive. 4: given this is very clearly based on a steam engine I theorize this was supposed to have a tender so the crew could get into the cab as thats generally where the stepladders are. Perhaps this things tender would've been where the water and nuclear waste would've been stored. But because there isn't a tender there's no way for the crew to get into the cab. And no tender also means one thing. *THIS THING CAN NOT PULL ANY FUCKING TRAINS!* How the hell is this thing pulling the cars around the commonwealth!? There's no couplers to speak of! This thing fails as a locomotive because they're built too haul. Not too look pretty! On that note... 5: its so damn ugly. They tried way too hard to make this thing look like a sci-fi dream and instead made a sci-fi nightmare. There's nothing grounding this engine in reality. It just looks way too fucking huge so its always crushing its rails. Curves? Forget it. This thing is way too long for em. They only curves this thing is getting around is the ones on the prairies where they curve gently. And bridges!? Not. Fucking. Happening. This things weight would destroy all of them. You'd be better off shoving your train across for a different engine and leaving your locomotive on the other side. In Conclusion! This thing is a nightmare. Its made to look cool and not make sense what so ever. The subway cars in Fallout 3 and locomotives in Fallout New Vegas made so much more sense. Those actually worked. This thing does not. P.S: Nice spot on the drivers. Even I didn't notice that!

[@spydingo]

Wow, I haven't even read any of your comment at the time of writing this line, but I can tell I'm going to learn a lot I didn't know about trains. Also thanks for the numbered statements, much appreciated. 1. So the running number is the same across all engines of the same model, or is this just an oversite by the developers? Also what class would "M" be likely to refer to? 2. I've heard the strong gust of wind comment multiple times now, must be true then. First few times I thought it was a colorful exaggeration. 3. I see the T1 in the front for sure, and the similarities with the S1 and S2 for sure. The F7 certainly does have "hatch" like windows to the front indeed. Completely agree on the brahmin catcher lol. 4. That does track with how locomotives conventionally work. Even with the concept for the atomic loco. Agreed, there is a distinct lack of couplers, in hindsight I really probably should have mentioned that. But hey, at least the boxcars are actually capable of being connected. 5. Very colorful, I quite enjoyed that. I will say though, the fact this machine has a decent number (at least for artists) of design artifacts from locomotives at least there are some details that track, even if as a whole it most certainly wouldn't function. Thanks for the rant!

[@Michael-eg3rs]

@@spydingo the running number on all of the engines scattered across the wasteland is most likely an oversight on Bethesda's part. As for what the M stands for? Most likely nothing. Many times in the real world, steam locomotives would have a letter that stood for nothing as was only part of the class designation to help keep the designations separate.

[@mybadluckcharm]

I'm a rail fan, too. First time i saw these, i was not really liking it. I had a closer look, and then it was just nope. The steam locomotive aesthetics were a bad starting point, and it derailed from there. Nineteen-fifties: steam was out (of favor), diesels were new and slick. Those locomotives would have had flashy new streamliner diesel look to them - same as Union Pacific's various steam turbines of the day did. It's (probably) the same art team that came up with the tanks in FO4 - tanks and train nuts wasn't in their DNA. Those tanks, i can just write them off in my head as "generic Fallout-looking tank, don't sweat the details" (they would totally fail as well), but these locomotives.... i guess my train enthusiast is too strong. Something based on Fairbanks-Morse's "Erie-built" models would have been just perfect, not too big, just right, but who knows of those outside rail fans... They did a good job, for certain, to try to make things look cool (for most players) and i can't fault them for not having the in-depth knowledge of tank nuts and rail fans. Not everyone's perfect! (I kid!)😄

[@filanfyretracker]

@@mybadluckcharm I would have honestly expected FO trains to be all electric tbh. The seemingly ready access to nuclear power would have made a world ripe for fast electric trains. Probably looking like the GG-1s of the PRR.

[@ace0071000]

​@@filanfyretracker nah, nuclear steam locomotives seem pretty valid. If they shove fusion power plants in cars, having one in a train is a no brainer - and making it an electric on an in-built steam turbine is just shoving in inherent inefficiency of conversion where there could be none

[@n0anime342]

Some faction should of had a quest to get one of these going. I would love to see the brotherhood have to transport parts of liberty prime with it or the railroad using it as a mobile base of operations after the institute is destroyed. Would of been cool since the brotherhood gets a big ass airship and a kickass robot, in NV the Boomers got a B-17 for the battle of Hoover Dam.

[@Isoroku21]

Small correction, Boomers get B-29, not B-17. And speaking of New Vegas, NCR has working trains which they use to move war materials, but were halted by Powder Gangers activities and Deathclaw in Sloan. Given how introduction of trains IRL was game changer it should be even more so for any post-war nation/organization that can restore and use them. It was definitely worthy of creating a sizable quest around restoring railway connection from NCR heartland to Mojave and I would personally connect completing such quest to scale of NCR victory (no railway - minor victory; railways restored - major victory). Don't know how train-related quest would fare in F4, but maybe in future Fallout installments one could hope for it.

[@maplesyrup6700]

I always marvelled at this train in fallout 76, its great to see some clarification!

[@spydingo]

Glad I could provide!

[@MrAsianPie]

When you look up the M9010 there's a guy who made an awsome model of it with a (what he called) a coolant tender. Really wish it was in game because it looks so unnatural without a tender. Also I wish they made a new model engine for Fallout 76 to account for the engine's unnatural height because the hilly and tunnel infested tracks of West Virginia would be horrible for the M9010.

[@spydingo]

I bet that coolant tender even has hookups so the train could actually, you know, become a train lol. I really should have mentioned that. That's another point that I missed, bridges too low and an inability to turn. Also speaking of 76, its been pointed out to me that a whistle was added, but they did that in a real low effort way as well much to my sadness.

[@nerfreak01]

The drive rods on "Thick Boy" are hooked up to a jackshaft, most common on Diesel oe Electric locos. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackshaft_(locomotive)

[@catcat71gaming94]

You can see 2 massive turbos (or what looks like turbos) near the front on it too. I'm thinking this is either a plain diesel electric engine or some weird hybrid diesel electric/nuclear steam engine

[@nerfreak01]

@@catcat71gaming94 Yeah.

[@SkinnerBeeMan]

From a real world issue the height is too tall from a logistics and stability standpoint. Would be prone to rollover I would think. And most overhead wires in the US are coded to 14foot. (I know I've torn down a few that weren't) lol cool video

[@AsbestosMuffins]

loading gauge depends entirely on the railroad, its a given that in the fallout universe these things fit the loading gauge. Now driving through a tunnel with these would appear to be way more problematic than the old big boys or appalachans in the day

[@SkinnerBeeMan]

@@AsbestosMuffins pretty much all rolling stock is standard by country. There are some cool oddball smaller gauge railroads that are all pretty much museums/tourist routes now (in the US). The gauge looks narrow for the height for sure. The artist worked hard on it. But it would appear an engineer they were not. Their rail grades are all ridiculous too. Red dead redemption 2 is the only game I've seen with realistic rail grades. Even the rail simulators sometimes have crazy grades. That said. Wouldn't an atomic train you drive be the coolest thing ever.

[@alexturnbackthearmy1907]

@@SkinnerBeeMan Atomic infinity range bomber would be much cooler.

[@KibuFox]

Some years ago, I wrote a pretty extensive write up on this locomotive for another youtuber. Based off the design, I proposed that the engine was not nuclear powered, well, not exactly. In that it used fusion cores, and worked more like the Pennsylvania S2 Turbine locomotive. The cores being used to heat water to a very high temperature, in a relatively small boiler, and use the pressure of that steam generated to turn turbines that operated the wheels through the jack shaft on the side. This steam was then condensed and returned to the boiler, negating the need for a tender.

[@kiefershanks4172]

This makes the most sense. I agree.

[@tinyengineshed34]

i like to imagine there WAS a tender at some point raiders just stole it. like just they picked it up and took it 'heehee ours now' and the boxcars rolled slowly over time

[@dontaskquestions8721]

I imagine it's actually extremely Bottom Heavy, yknow with the NUCLEAR REACTOR and Uranium Fuel Rods inside it...

[@demondeity9816]

I didn't realize that there are a crew cabin on this thing. I thought this must have been fully automated. This video makes me like them more for some reason.

[@spydingo]

I also didn't. Tbh I'm still not 100% on the glass bit, though I'm fairly confident due to the difference in reflectivity of the textures put on the window areas.

[@benjamintalbott4724]

Since it is based on a steam locomotive of some variation, it would lead me to believe there would be some kind of tender to carry all the water needed to run the “thic boi” and would have access ladders built in for access to the cab. The front catwalks and step ladders would have just been used for servicing and repair work, so maintenance crews would have step ladders to easily reach the front steps. Otherwise a fantastic look into it!

[@Railhog2102]

That's because in the actual 1950s era most railroads in the US still ran steam but were transitioning into Diesel power.

[@cameronjenkins6748]

I'd argue that the "Thick Boy" is in fact turbine powered instead of reciprocating steam engine powered. The position of the driving rods at the front and the ducting at the front reminds me of some early turbine locomotive experiments like the German T18-1001 locomotive. The axles that don't have rods going to them could be geared to the other axles, as this would reduce the number of grease points on the locomotive. The height makes sense honestly, since a reactor needs lots of volume for its components and this locomotive isn't articulated like the real life example was.

[@TheConductdeer]

As both a railroading nerd, and Ex NS employee, i love and hate this design, its very similar the PRR steam turbine designs, which would be an amazing fit for the nuclear power, but this locomotive is extremely top heavy, would never fit in fallouts loading gauge (maximum height ,weight, and turning capabilities), and even with a locomotive that can condense water, it really should have a tender, there are many ways this locomotive could be improved, the main gripe i have is No tender for water, and where is the front coupler! It would be impossible to do any kind of switching work with this locomotive. I feel bad for any RR worker who had to work on these in the fallout universe. That and don't even get me started on fallouts OUTRAGOUS grades. 1.5 percent is steep, but you can see up to around 3% usually, but this locomotive is having to tackle grades that look like 10, 15, 25, and even up to 50 PERCENT grands, which is up one foot, up, and one foot forward, which is IMPOSSIBLE without a cog railway or cable railway, its Terrible infrastructure

[@unhwajung6331]

fallout series locomotives wheel base is came from 1890s early electric locomotive. that time electric loco use couple of huge motor and connect wheels by Jackshaft, and there are some locomotive use this type like Pennsylvania V310/0110 or Swiss SBB-CFF-FFS Ce 6/8 and Crocodile.

[@IroneaterFinya]

As a train engineer myself it is fascinating to see that the M9010 is not only incredibly thin (about 1.2m thinner than a modern train on a standard gauge track) but also really tall (being on average 2m taller to similiar engines). Judging by the door at the back I imagine the tracks not being standard as well (that´bein 1435mm). Unless you decide to drive straight tracks with almost no curves, it would start to topple seeing that the engine itself is also placed very high, making it incredibly topheavy. It also uses a coupling rod. Coupling rods are supposed to be solid as they are responsible of transfering the power of the motor onto all of the wheels at the same time. Looking at it tho it looks like it is way too thin and could easily bend or snap. Also if two wheels are free wheeling the issue is also that either they are literally unpowered which makes it weird that they are weighted as well, but also if they were powered individually by the engine then why not just do it with the other two as well? Why even have the coupling rod to begin with? So many questions so little answers!

[@Macky4941]

I got to see the sad remains of the land train just north of Fairbanks when living in Alaska, such a cool piece of history just rusting away.

[@Dulaman107]

8:04 there are actually many designs for early diesels and electrics that have coupling rod layouts similar to this. The main connecting rods off the jackshaft and between the second and fourth coupled axles appear to be up front with the connections to the other wheels being behind it or just don't have the bearing visible. There could also be an internal coupling rod connecting eccentrics on the axles themselves, though this would be inefficient and harder to service.

[@Shipwright1918]

Always thought it was missing a tender, may well be the case the ones we see broke loose from theirs when the bombs dropped. Thought the Fallout devs missed a trick by not making a reference to Lionel trains in some way, as they were huge in the 1950's. They even made a Fallout-esque train with their Phantom locomotive and match passenger cars. Maybe have a ghoul still happily playing with his model train layout all these years later, get a few quests to help him fix it by getting parts or tracking down a rare train he didn't have time to go buy before the Great War broke out. The ad-copy just writes itself, "New for 2077 from Tyger Trains, the General Atomics M9010 Locomotive! Real puffing smoke! Working Whistle! Fusion Power Glow! Add this mighty railroad workhorse to your pike to-day, only $2999.95 from all fine commonwealth retailers."

[@jamfork3871]

That should be a part of the game, the train is another means of fast travel that you can ride around the map like in RDR2. After each section is repaired, the more that is repaired the further the train goes.

[@normalicious9734]

Judging by the smaller wheel that doesn't contact the track that the driving rod is connected to, my guess is that the train uses electric motors for power, not steam directly. But I think that the electricity for those motors would come from a nuclear reactor inside the train that turns water into steam which is used to drive turbines that drive generators. The turbocharger looking things above the 1st driving wheel could probably be those turbines. The smokestack could be more like the cooling tower of a real-world nuclear power plant. It could also help explain the frankly ridiculous size of the engine itself as it would be designed to make as much steam as possible. That's what I think.

[@spydingo]

I love the idea of this thing being turbocharged, and pretty much all of your thoughts here. Well said.

[@spagelsmegal]

There were locomotives that had that type of running gear but it was mostly used with diesel electric locomotives

[@JonsGarage89]

Its pretty obvious theres a LOT of inspiration from the Pennsylvania S2 Turbine locomotive. We can only assume the engine in game has lost its tender, which would also include ladders for boarding.

[@concept5631]

I like trains

[@wulfbytez136]

It looks like a strange mix of the PRR T1 and the PRR S2. But it would definitely be a nuclear fission steam locomotive.

[@spydingo]

It does, I'm glad those two vehicles have been pointed out to me. It seems pretty certain they were used for inspiration by the artist.

[@tygrstryke3492]

The mechanical crème filling seems a lot like a turbine system to me, because those mechanical bits seem loosely similar to a PRR S2 steam turbine locomotive. Design however is completely crazy in a railroad aspect. It has no tender, no visible couplers, and with that height it’d fall to its side if it’s going even REMOTELY fast.

[@AW.Dry_and_Co.]

8:21 In all fairness, the locomotive would have probably been accompanied by attender to carry all the water and a lot of steam. Locomotives in real life tend to have their steps exclusively on the tender. 🤷‍♂️

[@rhino2960]

0:40 OK this ones gonna have me busy for a bit here I'm gonna tackle as much of what I see here as I can, yes its a locomotive, but exactly what kind of locomotive isn't entirely clear. We see wheel rods on the drive wheels, but they don't connect to a piston, instead they connect to a large cog wheel which appears to be sticking out of an indescript metal rectangle mounted between and slightly behind the rear pilot wheels, and behind what appears to be a piston arrangement mounted above the front most pair of pilot wheels, an oddly distant place to put them from the drive wheels, it almost seems to me from the design like this locomotive was initially designed as a standard coal or oil fired locomotive with a relatively sleek profile built over a similarly sleek and efficient firebox, but then someone decided it would be better to fit it with a fusion reactor at the last minute but either didn't or couldn't change the reactors dimensions or shape, and then moved the front upper portion of the locomotive higher up to make room for the reactor between the superstructure and the frame of the engine giving it a humpbacked appearance. All of this makes me think this locomotive may well have been in design when the fossil fuel shortages in the US reached their peak, necessitating a change in the design if they didn't want to scrap the idea outright. The overall profile of it suggests it was meant to be a high speed passenger/freight locomotive with a nice look, but I would wager with the change to its appearance from the reactor, it was relegated to freight exclusively, this conclusion comes from the size of the drive wheels, the general rule of thumb with wheels on trains is the bigger the driven wheels are, the better the locomotive will ride at high speed, and the smaller the drive wheels and the greater their number, the stronger its pulling power will be at the cost of top speed. This thing was likely initially designed for mixed duty, but likely saw only freight duty cuz of its look, and it was a coal or oil fired locomotive to start, then someone changed it and swapped the firebox for a reactor. 2:48 ok so 6 foot gauge, new york and erie ran that for a while, its a bit south of where you'd think it would be but ok, but the height throws a few of your ideas out the window right off the bat, that 95 mph top speed might be what it could do as a normal engine, but when this thing swapped fossil for fusion, that top speed went down to well below 40 mph, probably less than 30. This thing is big, tall, heavy, and most of its weight is in the middle, its center of gravity would be alot higher than the big boy and it would be insanely prone to flipping off the track at any substantial speeds, add to that the center of gravity would also be slightly forward of center, and that would make it prone to jumping the tracks at the front end in curves, and the front pilot wheels would wear out alot faster, makes me think that second set of wheels between the gear and the lead drive wheel was another afterthought added to the design to compensate for the locomotive developing a tendency to derail at the front when traveling at speed through a curve after the reactor was put in. 3:05 I'd say this thing had a crew of at least 3, not 2, you'd have one man driving the engine, one man managing the train, and a third guy, or an automated control system controlling and managing the reactor, possibly no crew and just a control system for the automated versions. 3:34 the non-ferrous bit I'd have to disagree with the locomotives are covered in rust streaks in the game, not everything on it is ferrous, but a good amount of it is, or that rust wouldn't be there. As to this thing being welded, I'll use the same idea I had on the tank a while back, rivets were probably cheaper, manufacturing infrastructure was probably geared for riveting, and welding likely used materials or fuels that were in too short supply to use in mass production when this thing was being built 5:44 fun fact there was once a US steam Locomotive design that had 3 sets of 8 drive wheels a total of 24 powered drive wheels, it had incredible pulling power and was insanely powerful, but it was also astonishingly slow, it had a top speed of just 10 mph, and despite having 3 sets of drive wheels, it was actually quite a bit shorter than the big boy. 6:02 this thing may be 60% by volume of big boy's size but keep in mind big boy is built out of steel, which has a density of 7.85 grams per cubic centimeter, and iron which has a density of 7.84 grams per cubic centimeter. This machine is powered by a fusion reactor, that means it will have lead shielding, probably a plutonium or uranium based core, and judging by the lack of any real water tank to be seen in the design, this reactor is likely cooled with something far denser than water. Lead has a density of 10.66 grams per centimeter, plutonium, a density of 19.84 grams per cubic centimeter, and water has a density of 9.97 grams per cubic centimeter. So while he's smaller, he's also heavier, and you cant skimp on radiation shielding for an automated system any more than you can for a human crew, radiation destroys computers same as it does people. My thinking is this thing would weigh near to or as much as the big boy despite being smaller by volume. 7:22 if it has a boiler its a very small one and those blister tanks are probably the only storage for water on the locomotive. 8:12 he's not overly thick, he's overly tall, its actually skinnier than the big boy is 8:52 the front end looks to me sort of like a push bar for shunting, cow-catchers were designed to deflect objects and animals on the track up and away from the wheels of the train so as not to derail the locomotive by lifting its wheels off the track. This design could add some weight to my idea about how heavy this thing actually is, if its heavy enough, being lifted off the track becomes a non issue as nothing it could hit would reasonably be able to lift it off the rails, so instead of a cowcatcher, they fit it with shock absorber equipped push bars for shunting, making shunting smoother and more efficient in terms of wear on the locomotive itself. It also suggests this loco design was not intended for main line usage, but for useage in areas where a cow straying onto the line would not be a problem. 9:30 This makes me think this locomotive or all of them at one point had a raised canopy which stood above the walkways and ran the length of the engine, if it ran straight and level from the back to the front of the engine, it would make the overall shape appear more sleek from a distance as well as provide some cover for the crew, perhaps this was another last minute addon by the designers to make a swan out of an ugly duckling. As to why its not there on any of them now, could chock it up to scavengers ripping easy to remove metal off for scrap, could also chock it up to the companies that used these locos just not bothering to maintain the canopies and then getting rid of them once they wore out since the loco wasn't in a role you'd put a looker in anyway, no point in leaving the curtains up if its being used as a warehouse. 9:32 Could be a tow point, could also be a move meant to save on material and weight, since all the trailing wheels needed to hold up really was the crew cab. Could also be the point where the coupling mount was previously attached to, now long since removed and scrapped by scavengers, could be this loco was relegated at the design phase to an oversized shunter, and then was later revised with the ability to fit a coupler and pull freight. 9:49 No not really, because the rail lines Bethesda puts in their games are so dogshit and messed up it would never be able to move in a way that didn't look gmod levels of glitchy, I would, however like to see what this dog's breakfast was meant to look like the day it rolled off the assembly line, if it looked anything like it does in my head, it would be an interesting locomotive to see.

[@matthiasbohm2593]

A DLC where you can repair the locomotives and tracks and drive them around the whole map and use them as a settlements would be cool.

[@aniowaclassbattleship7257]

It's such a unique, albiet, over the top design for an Atompunk nuclear powered steam locomotive. Compared to New Vegas where the devs simply ported in a bunch of EMD F7s

[@anzaca1]

3:33 Interestingly, no 6-8-4 locomotive has ever actually been built, so there's no name for this wheel arrangement. Given that MF was a Boston-based company, I propose naming the 6-8-4 wheel arrangement as the "Boston".

[@Dulaman107]

The jackshaft and raised boiler kinda reminds me of Fredrik Ljungström's M3t turbine locomotives, so the "boiler" is probably the reactor, and the stuff between it and the running gear it is the turbine equipment for generating electricity

[@somewierdoonline2402]

I saw a train in fallout once and ever since I was like "damn that's cool I wish I had a trains mod to make them functional"

[@hamiltonsullivan6563]

Nah man... I'm for shore they slapped a modifed T1 boiler onto a German steamturbine chassis making it a 6-8-4 steam turbine locomotive. What you Called tow hooks are a nice detail because in real railroading it was commen in rebuilds to remove the boiler completely from the frame with an overhead shop crane to replace the steam tubes, firebox work, crown sheilding ect. Also they are rebuilding a Pennsylvania T1 from scratch (T1 trust)

[@dark_one1337]

that thing is in no means use less crap, The Person designing it should've looked up modern train engines from the 40's - 50's ,since that's what the FO stylesetting is. The clearly combined a Pennsylvania S-2 steam Turbine with something Odd vibe streamling to build an Engine, as you said cut and add. They could have put more effort to it and look stuff up since, in no way possible the Train network in FO4 would've ever worked with that engine. They should have made something like a EMD F series and touch it up a little or taken on further on the S-2 and combine it with something more use and thoughtfull together. Also create some backround data too it since we know how cars, planes, ships and the sub in FO worked but the Train is left out. BTW. it's an atomic plant engine, like in an Nuclear Submarine that is a reactor that heats water to generate steam and further generates Electricity. since what you called "cylinders" are clearly turbine housings it is a atomic steam turbine engine, so it needs water to generate steam to run.

[@autisticavanti]

You may have thought that this was based off of the UP Big Boy, but it’s really not. The design is mostly based off of the Class T-1 4-4-4-4, which is a streamlined steam engine. You can see major similarities between the front end, especially the big fender. You also can see similarities between cabin design and the wheels. The front boiler cover also has a similar boat bow like shape. Also, don’t take this as an angry nerd’s response to an ‘error’, it kinda just hurts me seeing that it looks so similar to the T-1 and hurts me to see it get ignored.

[@entity-bl5og]

What you called a driving cylinder is actually a jackshaft. It looks like this is a direct drive steam turbine locomotive. For those interested in learning more, look ar the PRR S2

[@AmmyWulf]

If only it was a wider guage, then it wouldn't look so topheavy.

[@jadebullet3884]

The M9010 designation is the locomotive number, not the model designation. And the color scheme, unless it is a demonstrator, would be for the railroad, not the manufacturer. Also steam locomotives were riveted rather than welded, because of rivets being able to withstand the thermal expansion and contraction better than welds. Looking at the design, it is a nuclear steam turbine locomotive.

[@anitajohnson3972]

honestly in my opinion, this thing needs a tender added 2 it with the front sides having a proper ladder on it's side so crewmen can access the cab and a coupling attached on the back so it could hook up to whatever train it's hauling

[@BEHEMOTH20]

Yea that's the biggest oversight I've noticed, it doesn't have any sort of coupler to actually attach any wagons.

[@LakotaNativedoll]

I imagine the reason why it’s non-ferrous is because the panels are all lead for shielding. Perhaps with an aluminum or sheet steel skin on the outer layer for protection from the elements.

[@jed-henrywitkowski6470]

Steam engines irl, were built using rivets on such places as the boiler as well as externally. Though, riveting, was not the exclusive method of construction on a given locomotive.

[@dannyeckerd9324]

I still think it's made out of steel rather than non-ferrous metals, just because steel can be welded doesn't mean it always is, it is a steam engine after all so perhaps they gave it rivets instead of welds to harken back to the old days of steam power as boilers and other parts of locomotives back then were riveted, as for an in universe reason for using rivets instead of welds in an atomic age they could have just been doing it for ease of construction and deconstruction, I'm no railroader but I have worked with a boiler or two and the higher the pressure they undergo the more maintenance they need and I can't imagine sawing open and rewelding a boiler each time the tubes inside need to be changed Edit: something I forgot to mention is that metals don't necessarily have to be made of iron to be welded for instance copper can be welded to itself I can also be welded to zinc and even steel, and if you want proof all you've got to do is look up "cu-mai knife builds" on KZbin

[@Error-5478]

I genuinely think this was a museum peice or something of the like at the time the bombs fell. And perhaps some survivors took it and used the railroad and radiation shielding of the locomotive to move around. We see very normal engines and trains in New Vegas for example.

[@eggballo4490]

Thomas wasn't automated. He had a driver and fireman just like every other steam engine.

[@d3str0i3r]

i have several theories for that extra stuff you deemed useless, firstly, a large chunk of the extra stuff in the middle looks like it could be a radiator/condenser, some steam trains and steam cars had them to increase their range/save water, i wouldn't be surprised if the rest was the nuclear equivalent of the firebox, and the classic firebox was removed to give the boiler more water and steam volume

[@mikzpwnz_3199]

Am I the only one here that thinks this locomotive needs a tender to make it feel complete? Like access to that door, additional coolant for long range and the ability to provide a slope angle on the top to have the end of the entire thing more "flush" with the boxcars and have a more logical connection to them. It would probably have a unique connection to the locomotive to fill the hole in it's profile making it look better overall. Otherwise it feels incomplete.

[@regularpit1508]

I believe it may have a Steam turbine of some kind since I don't see a part with much of a steam piston looking part.

[@flotappl]

I'd argue General Atomics could have made the train on their own. In lore, they not only manufacture and develop autonomous robots, but they also provide the backup nuclear reactors for Vault Tec's Vaults and "experimented with autonomous, automated robot networks supposed to maintain a facility independently"(a quote directly from the wiki). GAI's colour scheme is also red and blue, and they have a couple factories in the Boston area.

[@diamondglass7442]

8:27 they probably had ladders on there tenders/coal cars because every steam engine uses coal or oil so yah thats just my opinion idk tho iv never played fallout 4

[@ryanbaker81]

The center of gravity is insanely high on this thing. No way it’s taking a corner at more that 10 or 15 mph.

[@spydingo]

I've seen this idea in the comments a lot. Seems like turning and wind would be a big problem for ol' thick boy

[@petercoutu4726]

One of the reasons why they may have added the middle section is that the top section contains the reactor and is intended to be lifted off and changed when the fuel is depleted

[@drigondii]

I think it saw limited continued use after the war until it ran out of fuel or dried out. Looks like it was modified at least a little post war.

[@MD-gb2nf]

Spydingo: I want to give designers some props for making it so detailed and realistic Designers: *Stops snorting* wha?

[@helluvagooddrawer2027]

I feel like the train uses a nuclear reactor to turn water into steam

[@johnniewoodard648]

I always wanted one of the better mod creators to repair the tracks and make the trains operational.

[@victorvangrimgamming6784]

Wow, better work an a non functional train, than the mechanics of the firearms.

[@gaymer42069]

Still safer than Norfolk Southern if they have at least one inspector per train

[@moore2077]

Honestly, since it's canon that the Union Pacific E-9 is used in universe as we can see in New Vegas and I think even 3, I'm inclined to believe that these thick boys are simply a hyperspecialized freight locomotive designed for super-heavy loads or extremely long trains. They probably use the E-9 variants for most stuff and we just see these new chunky lads because they needed to move the Army super-heavy tanks and couldn't move them with the smaller engines. From a lore standpoint it also makes sense since Boston and Appalachia were centers of military buildup right before the war, so seeing more of these super-haulers would make sense for the logistics. It also just solves the size issues and justifies having a new engine design for the new games when we already have established locomotives in previous installments.

[@DoctorWasabi]

This is just wonderful I love what you’ve done with these animation, it adds such a different layer to these fallout videos

[@pariahdog6703]

If you have to point out the pun... it's not a great pun. Hmmmmm an atomic Schwerer Gustav would be very Fallout, Atomic Annie is a pea shooter by comparison.

[@spydingo]

Ha ha Harsh

[@anneexoskin2287]

Maybe the engine is missing the tender, and that’s how they got up there

[@rtvenvy8749]

It seems the trailing wheels have a suspension liek system witch mightve been able to release slightly to drop the cab downward slightly or pretty big so the crew could get off. Idk tho great video man

[@spydingo]

Oh Man, I forgot to even mention the suspensions in the video. They were actually one of the first things I noticed, for a little bit of time I thought they were radiators. Then I looked at a real train and went duh, clearly suspension. Apparently at that point I wiped the whole experience from my mind lol. Good callout and thank you!

[@smc1691]

Part of it looks like it has a gas or steam turbine locomotive

[@anzaca1]

0:46 Steam, diesel electric etc, it is still a "locomotive".

[@j88productions]

“Thomas the train engine”

[@kamewantor4594]

Off topic question: are you a furry?

[@abx42]

I would love to see that in-game lol.

[@richardjayroe8922]

It is also a steam turbine locomotive

[@strike9716]

its a steam turbine, you can see the turbine on the side, look t the PRR S2 classs for reference.

[@spydingo]

I see the similarities for sure!

[@tylerhoop5312]

It looks like it should have a tender

[@johnsims5330]

I wish there was a quest line to get this engine started back up again. Imagine it. A mobile settlement. Traveling the Commonwealth. Hell, you could even have Raiders attacking the train to kill its passengers and rob everything. Wait, this just became rdr2 didn't it?

[@spydingo]

It would need a loooot more detail for it to start becoming rdr2 lol. Would be a cool concept for fallout 5 though.

[@alexturnbackthearmy1907]

@@spydingo Maybe Fallout 2077? A cool possibility to see working pre-war staff, also great lore expansion.

[@nordicberserk]

My biggest grippe with this locomotive is how top heavy is is, and how narrow it is. This thing could not take ANY corner at speed, without derailing.

[@viperz3r016]

Looks like the PRR S2 Steam Turbine locomotive

[@spydingo]

You are right, it does!

[@mymyrrah]

Such a good video, and a video you can really watch with all the interesting visuals. Love your analyses on these atompunk beauties!

[@spydingo]

Thanks much! The asset creation is probably my favorite part of the process so I'm glad you like em'.

[@legitscoper3259]

No offense, but i hate American Axle formula. Like, you don't even count the axles, but the WHEELS wich is an unnecessary information/format, because you know that every axle has 2 wheels. And your system wouldn't even work on Cogwheel Trains wich have on powered axles 2 wheels AND a cogwheel in the center. Next problem is that the numbers of your axle formula doesn't necessarily describe the use of the axle, like unpowered, powered etc. UIC / European Axle formula is just making more sense. It's more complicated yes, but making more sanse in use and information.

[@CrazyDri11ler]

i think the tender is missing

[@generaltophat5877]

Great video! I remember seeing this guy for the first time and freaking out.

[@legitscoper3259]

When having a blind-shaft to power to the driving/connecting rods, it usually is directly driven by an electric motor like in the Swiss Be 4/6. In the fallout case its not electric but most likely a pressure (not flow) driven turbine or Axialpiston-engine or maybe a small radial piston-engine (wich are used in some diesel-hydraulic locomotives) wich makes me doubt the "Pistons" part.

[@XDHwilks]

Great video, I have no knowledge of fallout but I clicked because I'm a gunzel! Just some nitpicky things from someone who knows about trains: 2:30 that "random mechanical stuff" looks to be a steam turbine, indicating that this is a direct driven turbine locomotive similar to the PRR S2. 3:08 because this seems to be a steam loco, a fireman would also be present to fire the locomotive. 3:20 not sure about this myself, but I believe that should be a 4-2-8-4 as the front 2 axles seem to be separate from the other axle just forward of the drivers 4:12 actual artist renditions of the X12 exist, the picture shown is simply a model train set that doesn't really represent the actual design well 8:51 possibly could be buffers? doesn't make much sense if they are though, because those were used anywhere except the US (and from what I know fallout is set in the US!) something else I noticed about the design is that wheel the rods connect to up the front - it's useless! The turbine is situated above the front driving wheel, meaning it would be geared directly to that wheel. So the wheel thingy up front doesnt actually supply power. It could possibly serve as a counterweight, but I also don't think this is possible because it seems entirely solid and the driving wheels have counterweights build in already. All up though you did an amazing job, nice work!

[@CarlosDeLosMuertes]

It's worth noting some of the 76 Concept art one of which has what would either be many "B-Units" complete with more driving gear or some for of Steam EMU type setup.

[@mantabloke8141]

The 76 one at harpers has a has and cars hooked up behind it. it also has a whistle you can use :)

[@thesamurai9115]

*snowpiecer plays*

[@nikerailfanningttm9046]

Those “Brahmin catchers” are actually Rail Guards that protect the driving wheels. This is something commonly seen on British locomotives, there are vertical plates in front of the leading wheels and prevent item from getting stuck or run over by the wheels.

[@normalicious9734]

The enigma machine. Love it, nice idea

[@spydingo]

Thanks! ngl I'm pretty proud of it.

[@K9TheFirst1]

For the model name and number, unfortunately I am afraid you are working under false assumptions. The livery of a locomotive would be of the operator, not the manufacturer. Which makes sense because the common man isn't going to be buying a locomotive but will be buying tickets foor an operator's passenger services. And the number on the locomotive is going to be its unit number under said operator. So M9010 is going to be the engine number of that specific locomotive that the operator owns. Sadly, a videogame is going to just copy and paste textures and models, hence why it's on every locomotive. But anyway, yes, I wanna see that sucker pulling a Fallout successor to Atomic Annie.

[@doge_sevens]

7:15, it seems to be based on the Pennsylvania Railroad S2 steam turbine with the piping and drive system, meaning it would have a gearbox connecting to the drive sprocket rather than pistons

[@TheObsesedAnimeFreaks]

tractive effort is a better measurement then "horsepower" especially when talking steam locomotives... they don't do well in generating "horse power" but they do a lot of torque when when applied to the wheels, is tractive effort. so... to get a better idea of how much they can pull, tractive effort is preferred, not horse power.