Forum - View topicGalaxy Railways.
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vashna
Posts: 1313 |
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There wasn’t an official Galaxy Railways thread, so I thought I’d start one up. I really loved this series, but I have a major question about it. I’m a major fan of railroads in real life, and that’s probably the reason I was so drawn to the series in the first place. The locomotive Big One from the series seems to be a Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 ‘Big Boy’ articulated steam locomotive. Arguably the largest steam engine in history, the Big Boy is quite famous. Therefore, I was wondering why Matsumoto didn’t elect to use that name.
I do remember that a few years back, Union Pacific actually wanted to trademark Big Boy. They tried to even trademark its likeness. I believe they were ultimately unable too because the name actually comes from the builder works ALCo (American Locomotive Company). Would it have anything to do with not wanting to step on Union Pacific’s toes? Interestingly enough, the type of number board used on the front of Big One really doesn’t fit with most American locomotives. It’s much more common in Europe and Japan than the United States. I’m not aware of any Union Pacific Big Boy that wore such a number board. |
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Frazmataz
 Posts: 103 Location: Sheffield, UK |
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I'm watching this one on Funi's YouTube channel right now, and I'm loving it! It makes me feel a little better about not being able to access any of the ANN stuff
As for the 'Big Boy'/'Big One' thing, I assume 'Big One' refers to the whole train than just the locomotive. What is more mystifying is why the Iron Burger seems to resemble a Scopedog from VOTOMS, an anime that none of the principal staff on Galaxy Railways were involved in. |
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vashna
Posts: 1313 |
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Sorry that it took so long for me to get back to this; I hope this isn't considered to be necroposting. I was under the impression that Iron Burger references the real life historical train Flying Hamburger, so I'm not sure if any connection to VOTOMS was intentional.
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nobahn
 Subscriber Posts: 5187 |
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If you want to see a BIG locomotive, then look no further.....
I don't know why, but these links keep on dying on me! 
http://www.shorpy.com/files/images/lima_0.jpg This link should work! (click on the 1st image) The engineering team of the 1941 Lima Allegheny poses in front of a PART of the engine. Sixty (60) of these engines were produced. One of the two remaining engines in existence today is on display at the Henry Ford Museum, just outside of the wasteland that is Detroit. Last edited by nobahn on Thu Dec 16, 2010 5:35 pm; edited 3 times in total |
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ailblentyn
 Posts: 1688 Location: body in Ohio, heart in Sydney |
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I liked Galaxy Railways (not loved, but liked very much), and I'm surprised there's no thread.
One thing puzzled me about it, namely the inclusion of those shots of Yuki pulling up her clothes and flashing her bottom. Don't you think those shots unnnecessarily raise the age for which the show would generally be thought appropriate? I'm thinking of this because we had a family over a while ago, and I pulled out a stack of anime DVDs to amuse their pre-teen boys while the adults talked. I was going to include GR, but then had to change my mind (they weren't my children, after all), but I felt it was a bit of a shame to have to leave it out just for a few unnecessary shots. If Crossroads to Eternity is ever licensed and released, I imagine I'll buy that too, though I hear nothing good about it. 
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PetrifiedJello
Posts: 3782 |
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I wish since I just love this Greatest Steam Engine Ever Made*. Actually, the engine looks to be modeled after Kawasaki Heavy Industries Rolling Stock Company's D51. *my opinion only
Indeed. I can't count the number of times I've seen arguments over this famous engine being recorded as the "largest".
The 2-8-2 doesn't come near the "Big Boy" moniker's minimum requirements?
Union Pacific wasn't the only company to use the 4-8-8-4, though it is the most famous. UP only commissioned 15, but 25 were built. When other rail companies tried to use the big engine, they discovered the weight was too much as the rail and ties started to sink into the soft ground in the wet seasons. UP purchased a few of those remaining 10, but several remain unaccounted for. During deconstruction (retirement), locomotive numbers were registered for insurance purposes to prevent fraud, and I do believe there were three locomotives which were discovered to be falsely registered as retired. Their whereabouts remain unknown to this day (though a hike through the eastern mountain ranges may turn them up one day). Prior to the bubble burst of the steam locomotive, engines were commonly mistaken for each other as they continued to get larger and larger. This is what led to its nickname of "Big Boy" but not by any company (and why it can't be trademarked). ALCO's official classification for the steam engine was "4000 Series", but an employee's written words of "Big Boy" was found on one of the drive rods during its first boiler replacement service. Once discovered, the hand-written "Big Boy" was found on other engines, though not on the same drive rods. Because the words were hand written, speculation is the name was to separate the drive rods from other locomotives under construction. The employee who wrote the name remains unknown. It's a shame the designs were lost in favor of "boxes" when the diesel engine began to take over. Today's engines may be very efficient, but they're ugly compared to their parents. As for the series, I never did get to finish it. There's a problem with one of the DVDs and it causes a read error. Unfortunately, based on the few episodes I've seen up to that point, I am in no hurry to replace the collection with another. |
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vashna
Posts: 1313 |
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[quoteIf you want to see a BIG locomotive, then look no further.....
I don't know why, but these links keep on dying on me![/quote] I know that feeling! Thanks for the links though. I didn't explicitly see a mention of it, but was this part of Lima(-Hamilton)'s Superpower program they initiated in the 1940s?
Really? Maybe it's just because I'm such a big fan of Matsumoto-sensei's work, but I was really upset to find that Crossroads wasn't out yet. I haven't heard much on it by itself, however.
I'm not trying to be rude, but when I read that you believed this to be a D51, I pulled out my DVD and watched the introduction sequence again just to make sure that my eyes weren't lying to me. That's not a 2-8-2. I really don't want to start a fight at all, but are we talking about the same engine? By the way, I had heard that the 'Big Boy' chalking was done on the inside of the unfinished steam dome, not on a set of drive rods.
Ironically, there was a problem with one of my discs as well, but I never complained because it only acts up in one DVD player. Could this be a Funi problem in general? I want to thank everyone for replying; I was afraid that this thread was kind of a bust! |
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ailblentyn
Posts: 1688 Location: body in Ohio, heart in Sydney |
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I thought Funi actually produced a great package. The box looks very handsome on the shelf, and I for one didn't encounter any problems playing the discs (though my player is getting on and rather finicky).
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vashna
Posts: 1313 |
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Oh, please don't get me wrong, I loved Funi's release of this. I have the Viridian Collection edition, and I love the fact that it doesn't take up as much room on the shelf. The artwork they choose to represent the series is amazing too.
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ailblentyn
Posts: 1688 Location: body in Ohio, heart in Sydney |
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Oh, I'd completely forgotten they included it in the Viridian line. I have the big set in a very pretty artbox. (Not that I'm very particular about these things at all! It was a very nice birthday present from my wife.) So interesting to see what gets the re-release treatment. I wouldn't have picked Galaxy Railways as something there would be that many extra sales to be milked from.
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nobahn
Subscriber Posts: 5187 |
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@vashna:
A part of your understanding is incorrect. Lima Locomotive launched the first generation of steam "super power" (2-8-2 type) locomotives in 1922. The firm began delivering 3rd generation (2-6-6-6 type) locos to C&O in 1941 and made the last delivery of that type in 1948. From Wikipedia: "In 1947, the firm merged with General Machinery Corporation of Hamilton, Ohio, to form Lima-Hamilton." Here and here is more information on the 2-6-6-6 design. |
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vashna
Posts: 1313 |
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Thank you very much for correcting me, nbahn. Also, thanks a lot for all of the links, I've had a lot of fun reading them!
Hmm, it does seem odd considering that Funimation released them in singles and as the box set, but they might have figured there's enough fans of Matsumoto himself to milk something out of it. I'm sure there are numerous fans of Yamato and Harlock who were happy to snatch it up at a reasonable price just to add another Matsumoto series to their collection. I bought it equally for that aspect, and for the fact that I love railroading as much as I do. |
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