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 No. 4935 at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Pennsylvania Railroad 4935 is a preserved GG1 class electric locomotive. It is one of sixteen remaining Pennsylvania Railroad class GG1 locomotives, and one of two (along with Pennsylvania Railroad 4800) at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania Railroad class GG1 was built to haul longer passenger trains at high speeds, particularly on the Northeast Corridor and the Main Line, during the PRR's massive electrification projects of the 1930s. Constructed in 1943 at Juniata Shops, No. 4935 was among the last of the GG1 series to be built. [1] Like most GG1 locomotives, it was transferred to Penn Central Transportation Company when the PRR merged into Penn Central in 1968, then to Amtrak when it briefly took over intercity passenger service in 1971. [2]
In 1976, railfan and United States Department of Transportation economist Howard Serig approached Penn Central about the possibility of restoring a GG1 to its original condition, but Penn Central was not interested. That November, Serig proposed the idea in a column for Trains magazine. A friend of Serig brought the proposal to Amtrak president Paul Reistrup. Reistrup approved the plan on January 18, 1977. [2]
A private group, the Friends of the GG1 Committee (F.O.G.G.), was formed within days to coordinate funding from National Railway Historical Society chapters. Raymond Loewy, who designed the smooth shell and paint scheme of the GG1, was later enlisted as the honorary chairman. FOGG raised $10,000 within two months; on March 9, the group signed an agreement with Amtrak. [2] 4935 was chosen because it retained its original number and air intakes and was already in good shape. [3]
On March 25, 1977, 4935 was taken to the Wilmington Shops in Wilmington, Delaware. Amtrak replaced truck bearings, a blower, the boiler (used for steam heating of passenger cars), and made other mechanical repairs. The locomotive was grit-blasted, primed, and repainted into original PRR livery of dark Brunswick green with five golden stripes. [2]
The entire refurbishment was complete on May 9, 1977. No. 4935 was tested near Perryville on May 12. [2] On May 15, 1977, the 4935 was returned to service with a rededication ceremony, after which it pulled the northbound Murray Hill in revenue service. [3]
The locomotive made its last revenue run on October 10, 1980, pulling either the Silver Star or the Silver Meteor . It was discovered that $80,000 in repairs were needed. [4] On March 20, 1981, the locomotive was sold for $5,000 to F.O.G.G. member Russell Wilcox, who then donated it to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg, Pennsylvania. [4]
On February 19, 1983, after being on public display in several locations, the 4935 was moved to Strasburg. [4] At the museum it joined former Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 #4800 (the original and prototype GG1 electric). Today it is on indoor static display in the museum's Rolling Stock Hall. Thanks to the 1977 restoration, it is considered to be in the best condition of the 16 remaining GG1 locomotives. [5]
The Pennsylvania Railroad, legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company, also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At its peak in 1882, the Pennsylvania Railroad was the largest railroad, the largest transportation enterprise, and the largest corporation in the world, on par with the London & North Western Railway.
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The Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 is a class of streamlined electric locomotives built for the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), in the northeastern United States. The class was known for its striking art deco shell, its ability to pull trains at up to 100 mph, and its long operating career of almost 50 years.
The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania is a railroad museum in Strasburg, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
The Strasburg Rail Road is a heritage railroad and the oldest continuously operating standard-gauge railroad in the western hemisphere, as well as the oldest public utility in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Chartered in 1832, the Strasburg Rail Road Company is today a heritage railroad offering excursion trains hauled by steam locomotives on 4.02 mi (6.47 km) of track in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, as well as providing contract railroad mechanical services, and freight service to area shippers. The railroad's headquarters are outside Strasburg, Pennsylvania.
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The PRR E44 was an electric, rectifier-equipped locomotive built by General Electric for the Pennsylvania Railroad between 1960 and 1963. The PRR used them for freight service on the Northeast Corridor. They continued in service under Penn Central and Conrail until Conrail abandoned its electric operations in the early 1980s. They were then acquired by Amtrak and NJ Transit, where they lived short lives; all were retired by the mid-1980s. One is preserved at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania Railroad 3750 is a K4 class 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive built by the Altoona Works for the Pennsylvania Railroad, it is located at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, just outside Strasburg, Pennsylvania in the United States. For over a decade, the No. 3750 locomotive stood-in for the prototype K4, No. 1737, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. It was one of two surviving K4 locomotives, along with No. 1361, both designated as the official state steam locomotive by the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 1987.
Pennsylvania Railroad 4800, nicknamed "Old Rivets", is a GG1 class electric locomotive located at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, outside of Strasburg, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is the prototype GG1 and was originally numbered 4899. Built by General Electric in 1934, the locomotive competed against a prototype, the R1, built by rival company Westinghouse. 4800 was kept in service by the Pennsylvania Railroad and its successors, Penn Central and Conrail, until 1979. It was sold the next year to a local chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. 4800 was dedicated in 1982 at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania and was designated a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark in 1983.
Pennsylvania Railroad No. 1223 is a D16sb class 4-4-0 "American" type steam locomotive built by the Altoona Works in November 1905 for the Pennsylvania Railroad by their own Altoona Works for passenger service. After being retired from active service in 1950, the locomotive ran excursion trains on the Strasburg Rail Road outside of Strasburg, Pennsylvania from 1965 to 1989 when it was removed from service requiring firebox repairs. Currently, the locomotive is still on static display at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania outside of Strasburg. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. No. 1223 is the only surviving example of the Pennsylvania Railroad's D16sb class.
Pennsylvania Railroad 4876 was a GG1-class electric locomotive built in January 1939 at the PRR's Altoona Works in Altoona, Pennsylvania, United States. It is best known for being involved in an accident on January 15, 1953, when the locomotive overran a buffer stop, crashed into the concourse of Union Station in Washington, D.C., and fell partway into the basement after the train's brakes failed. Due to the major crowds expected for the upcoming inauguration of Dwight D. Eisenhower, 4876 was lowered the rest of the way into the basement and a temporary floor was erected overhead. After the inauguration, the locomotive's frame and superstructure was essentially scrapped on site, with all the reusable components shipped back to Altoona, Pennsylvania, to reconstruct a replacement 4876, which operated for another 30 years.
PRR 4877, formerly nicknamed "Big Red", is a GG1-class electric locomotive owned by the United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey. It is stored at the West Boonton Yard in Boonton, New Jersey, United States. It is fully cosmetically restored to its original appearance.
The Budd Metroliner was a class of American electric multiple unit (EMU) railcar designed for first-class, high-speed service between New York City and Washington, D.C., on the Northeast Corridor. They were designed for operation up to 150 miles per hour (240 km/h): what would have been the first high speed rail service in the Western Hemisphere. Although 164 mph (264 km/h) was reached during test runs, track conditions and electrical issues limited top speeds to 120 mph (190 km/h) in revenue service. The single-ended units were designed to be arranged in two-car sets, which were in turn coupled into four to eight-car trains.
The Manhattan Limited was a passenger train of the Pennsylvania Railroad which served the Chicago—New York City route.
Pennsylvania Railroad 4859 is a GG1-class electric locomotive located in the Harrisburg Transportation Center in Harrisburg, the capitol of Pennsylvania. It was operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad and its successors, Penn Central and Conrail. 4859 pulled the first electrically powered train from Philadelphia to Harrisburg on January 15, 1938. It was used in various freight and passenger service until November 22, 1979, when it pulled the last GG1-powered freight train on November 22, 1979. Originally located in Strasburg, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 and was moved to its current location in 1986. It was designated the state electric locomotive of Pennsylvania in 1987 by the Pennsylvania General Assembly and was re-listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
PRR 460, nicknamed the "Lindbergh Engine", is a preserved E6s class 4-4-2 "Atlantic" type steam locomotive now located in the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, outside of Strasburg, Pennsylvania in the United States. It was built in 1914 and became famous after racing an aircraft to New York City carrying newsreels of Charles Lindbergh's return to the United States after his transatlantic flight in 1927. In the late 1930s, No. 460 was operated by the Long Island Rail Road, and by the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines in the early 1950s, before being retired in 1953. No. 460 is the only surviving locomotive of its class and was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1979. From 2010 to 2016, No. 460 underwent cosmetic restoration at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania Railroad 7002 is a E7s class 4-4-2 "Atlantic" type steam locomotive built for the Pennsylvania Railroad by their own Altoona Works in August 1902. Today, it is on display at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania outside of Strasburg, Pennsylvania in the United States. Originally No. 8063, the PRR renumbered it to No. 7002 after the original, claimed to be a land-speed-record-setter, was scrapped. It is the only survivor of its class and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
