References

Career of a Champion: The Story of 'Old Rivets' 4800
Frederic Abendschein and Dan Cupper ©1984
Lancaster Chapter of the NRHS
342 W. Fritz Avenue
Quarryville, PA 17566
Notes: 3 Color and 75 Black/ White Pictures; 56 Pages; Paperback

Electric Traction of the Pennsylvania Railroad 1895 – 1968
Michael Bezilla
(The Pennsylvania State University)

Pennsy Electric Years
William D. Volkmer
(Morning Sun Books)

Pennsy Power
Alvin F. Staufer
The Standard Printing & Publishing Co.; Carrollton, OH; ©1962

Pennsy Power II.
Alvin F. Staufer and Bert Pennypacker Stauffer
Litho Plate Co.; 218 E. Washington St.; Medina, OH; ©1968

Pennsy Power, Steam and Electric Locomotives of the Pennsylvania Railroad 1900-1957
Alvin F. Staufer
(The Standard Printing & Publishing Co.)

The Great Book of Trains
Hollingsworth, Brian and Arthur F. Cook
Portland House, New York, NY. (1987)

The Pennsylvania Railroad Under Wire
Middleton, William D.
Kalmbach Publishing, Waukesha WI. (2002)

The Remarkable GG1
Karl R. Zimmermann
(Quadrant Press Review)

Under Pennsy Wires
Paul Carleton
(D. Carleton Railbooks)

Vintage Rails
Pentrex, Inc.
Fall 1995

When the Steam Railroads Electrified
William D. Middleton
(IKalmback Books)

Sources:

http://www.spikesys.com/GG1/

http://www.steamlocomotive.com/

Introduction

What's so special about the GG1?
Longevity and that legendary dependability …

The first GG1 went into service in 1935 and the last was taken out of service in 1983. The GG1 outlasted the railroad that built it and its successor road. This may be in part due to the fact that the GG1 was not handed a spot in the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) inventory, it earned it. It was inspired by the nearby New Haven boxcab electric EP-3a that served that road so well. PRR was in the market for a new electric but the R1 was offered in addition to the GG1. The R1 and GG1 inherited their general styling from the smaller modified P5a. The GG1 received the special attention of industrial designer Raymond Loewy, who, with minor changes in the sheet metal and major changes with the livery, made the GG1 the visual classic it is. Despite the other omnipresent items designed by Loewy, he stated he was always especially fond of the job he did on the GG1. The R1 had a smaller single frame 2-D-2 wheel arrangement, compared to the GG1's multiframed 2-C+C-2. The PRR put both locos through their paces and the GG1 came out on top with slightly better tracking characteristics.

The GG1 was designed by the PRR based on the need for a locomotive that could pull more than 12 to 14 passenger cars. The railroad thought it had designed the perfect electric passenger locomotive, the P5a, but as the P5a locomotives arrived, it became necessary to double head them on many trains in order to protect schedules. Two other factors were involved in the development of the GG1. The chassis and wheel arrangement were a result of experiments with a leased New Haven EP-3a and the streamlined body and center crew cab were an outcome of concern for crew safety. A tragic grade crossing accident in which a box cab P5a hit a truck killing the engineer, reinforced the need for better protection for the crew. After the accident, a hold was put on further manufacture of the box cab P5a and the locomotive was redesigned to include a center crew cab. The GG1 was given a sculptured carbody with contoured hoods that were tapered to provide visibility for the enginemen. As a result, a very aesthetically pleasing design evolved. Raymond Loewy, the renowned industrial designer, reviewed the prototype and recommended welding the shell rather than using rivets. He then suggested adding the famous pin stripes, making the design an award winner.

The railroad built 139 units (#4800 through #4938) between the years 1934 and 1943. Many of them were built at the Juniata Locomotive Shop in Altoona, PA.

#4800 (originally #4899) was the prototype for the line and was the only one to have a riveted body. At the behest of Loewy, all later ones were welded. Another asset of the GG1 was strength. A GG1 frame looks more like a bridge than a locomotive. The #4876 lost its brakes and pulled the Federal Express right into Washington Terminal, crashed into the concourse and fell into the basement. It was cut up into small sections so it could be removed from the basement, shipped back to Altoona for reassembly. It was returned to service and still survives today!

This streamlined locomotive, designed for bidirectional operation was mainly used for passenger trains, but a few were re-geared for freight service. Lasting from 1934 to well into the 1980s it would hard to find any other American locomotive design that operated for a longer period of time. The 79.5 foot long 218+ ton GG1 was built on an articulated frame which permitted its 2-C+C-2 wheel arrangement to negotiate tight curves even in congested areas. Power was picked up from an overhead 11,000 Volt AC catenary wire by a pantograph and the voltage stepped-down through an on board transformer to feed the 12 single phase 25 cycle traction motors. Each of these motors developed 385 HP giving the GG1 a total of 4620 HP in continuous operation and allowed speeds up to 100 mph. The body of the locomotive also housed large blowers for motor and transformer cooling, a steam boiler for passenger car heat, electric controllers and sanding boxes. Starting sometime after 1955, many units were equipped with large ungainly air intakes.

The GG1s served the Penn Central (PC) after the merger and routinely ventured onto New Haven track. After PC's brief life, most GG1s went to Conrail (CR) where they served until 1979. 40 units were transferred to Amtrak (AMTK), and 13 to New Jersey Transit (NJT) where they served until 1981 and 1983 respectively. Despite their sturdy construction, the millions of miles racked up by these units eventually caused frame cracks too extensive to justify repair, given that parts were getting hard to find. The last nail in the coffin was to be the expected catenary frequency change from 25 to 60 Hz. The later rectifier locomotives could use either, but not the all-AC GG1.

Of the 139 units built, only 16 survive today. Some have been restored superficially and can be visited as shown below. It is not likely that any of these survivors will ever run again because of the prohibitive cost to rebuild or replace the electrical components.

Of the 16 units still in existance, 3 are under cover and 8 have been restored to Pennsy-paint. at least 4 of the units are rapidly deteriorating for lack of upkeep, especially #4876. Most, if not all, GG1’s transformers were drained of the PCB laden coolant oil when they left service. Some may have been refilled with sand or concrete, others removed. Which units may be operable is a mystery.

In as far as the 25Hz power system, despite many reports, the intended frequency change planned in the 1980's never occurred and the GG1's homeland remains 25Hz to this day. It is also reported that there is a 25Hz system somewhere in the gulf coast area.

More information is sought on which units have retained their transformers and what the condition of the transformers is. Also, more detailed information is sought on the status of units #4876, #4877, #4879, #4882, #4917 and #4933.

Sources:

http://www.spikesys.com/GG1/

http://www.steamlocomotive.com/