INFORMATION ON ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVES (WITH SPECIFIC EMPHASIS ON THE PENNSY GG-1) I wrote the text that follows about two years ago for a local train club's newsletter. And now, somewhat updated and in slightly modified format, it's being uploaded to share with all of you on CompuServe's TrainNet. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Why do Railroaders use designations such as "2-D-2" to classify electric locomotives, and what does it all mean? Unlike the Whyte system for steam locomotive wheel classifications, the system for classifying electric locomotives was not named after its inventor. In fact, I was unable to find out who established and standardized the current system. However, here is the system in a nutshell: * Numbers in the classification are used to indicate the number of unpowered axles. * Letters are used to specify the number of powered axles. Therefore, "B" equals two powered axles, "C" is equal to three, and so on. * A plus sign is used to designate that an electric locomotive has two separate sets of powered axles in an articulated frame. * The operative word in the above three statements is "axles". Unlike steam loco classifications where the wheels are counted, electrics are classified by axle counts. Here are two examples of how the system works: CLASSIFICATION WHEEL PROFILE NAME OF LOCOMOTIVE 1-D-1 o OOOO o Pennsylvania RR class L-6 freight locomotive. 2-C+C-2 oo OOO OOO oo Pennsylvania RR class GG-1 electric. Notice that there is no plus sign in the L-6's classification, indicative of its rigid frame set-up. But the GG-1's classification includes the "+" to signify an articulated design. Some electrics used side rods to transmit power to all the drive wheels, and this arrangement generally limited the speed at which the loco could travel. I have made specific mention of the Pennsylvania Railroad since they were the largest user (and most prolific producer) of electric locomotives in the United States. The entire program started in 1915, when a massive electrification project began at Philadelphia, and the wires were strung all the way to Paoli. Upon completion of the catenary, this heavily traveled commuter route was then traversed by a fleet of about 500 MP-54 Multiple Unit (MU) cars. P.R.R. management was very pleased with the results of their initial efforts. In 1928, the Pennsy decided to extend the catenary to the city of New York, and this too was a roaring success! The electrified portion of the Pennsy's main line was further expanded south to Washington, DC in 1931. Ultimately, the catenary was strung westward all the way to Harrisburg. The Pennsy's electrification program is probably the most successful one ever attempted by any American Railroad. I specifically say "American Railroad" because the operation of trains via electric power is commonplace in European countries. Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands are only a few of the countries that make extensive use of electric power to run trains on their railroads. Although other railroads experimented with electrification, few actually adopted its use. The New Haven Railroad was very successful in its electrification program, and its catenary is still in use today. The Milwaukee Road had a respectable amount of electrified mainline trackage. Their bi-polar electric locomotives are very famous, and were extensively modeled by scale and tinplate train manufacturers. Lionel's pre-war #381 was a shortened tinplate version of the bi-polar engine, and several importers have offered the loco in H-O scale brass models. The Pennsylvania Railroad's GG-1 is probably the most famous electric loco produced by any railway in the world. The GG-1 delivered great power, speed, and endurance along with superior styling. It was light years ahead of its time design-wise, and established an enviable record for dependable performance. This masterpiece didn't just happen, but was the result of intensive design work and testing. The banner year in the evolution of the GG-1 was 1927, when Westinghouse developed a revolutionary traction motor which was small enough to fit on an axle between driving wheels. Prior to this, traction motors were big and bulky. As a result, previous design efforts were limited by available technology. The first locomotives designed with the new motor included: Pennsy's class L-6 freight loco, a 2500 horsepower 1-D-1 design; a class O-1 light passenger loco with 2500 hp and a 2-B-2 classification; and the P-5 loco with 3,750 hp of the 2-C-2 design. All of these were "box cab" types, with operating positions for the engine crew at the front of the locomotive. The P-5 was the most successful of the three designs, however, when one of these was involved in a fatal accident at a grade crossing wherein the engineer lost his life, the Pennsy redesigned the P-5 to locate the engine crew at the center of the loco. The sides of the loco were reduced in width to allow a decent view of the track ahead. This new design was labeled class P-5A, and greatly influenced the Pennsy design staff's thinking for all future electric locomotives. But the P-5A was not the ideal electric locomotive which the Pennsy really wanted and needed, since it lacked the power to haul heavy mainline passenger consists, and suffered from poor tracking at high speeds. The New Haven Railroad leased one of their class EP-3 box cab electrics to the Pennsy in 1933 for comparison testing purposes. This articulated 2-C+C-2 loco proved itself superior to the rigid-frame P-5A electric. It was also the inspiration for many future designs, culminating in the class GG-1, which copied the good-tracking 2-C+C-2 wheel arrangement of the New Haven EP-3 and incorporated the center-cab design of the P-5A along with a semi-streamlined styling. When all the comparison tests were completed, the 4,620 hp GG-1 was declared the winner, and was slated for production in large numbers. The first GG-1, numbered 4800, made its initial passenger run from Washington to NYC on February 10th of 1935. Because of the fully riveted body construction, railroad crews quickly nicknamed her as "RIVETS", which alerted Pennsy management to the need for a styling alteration to promote a more modern appearance. Raymond Loewy was promptly summoned to refine the aesthetic design aspects of the locomotive's exterior prior to production of additional units. The streamlined all-welded carbody that resulted was adorned with a five stripe design that ran the full length of the loco. Nicknamed "cat-whiskers" because of their appearance when viewed from the front, the stripes also enabled the engine to be more easily seen from a distance (a definite safety advantage). Between 1934 and 1943, 139 GG-1 locomotives were built, with numbers from 4800 through 4938. They were painted Brunswick Green with the 5 "cat-whisker" stripes. In 1952, a few GG-1's were painted tuscan red with the five stripes and used to haul the new "name trains" known as the Senator and the Congressional. In 1955, most of the fleet received a new mono-stripe design paint job with a large PRR keystone on each side. Some of the later re-paints included: the Penn-Central black scheme, complete with the "worms making love" logo; the Amtrak black paint job with a small white logo on the side; the Amtrak platinum mist (silver) scheme with blue stripes and red ends, as recently modeled by Lionel Trains, Inc and nicknamed "the W. C. Fields engine"; the gaudy 1976 paint job applied to old Rivets herself (still wearing number 4800) just in time for the Bi-centennial; and the New Jersey Transit black paint scheme. October 29th of 1983 will long be remembered in history as the final day of GG-1 operations. The G's (as they are also called by railroaders) ran dependably for 49 years. They managed to outlive the steam locomotives and early diesels that were built during the same relative time period. For example, the K-4S Pacific steam locomotives ceased operations prior to 1960, and many first-generation diesels were gone by the mid-70's. But the G's just kept lapping up the miles! Their ultimate removal from active service was due to many causes, but the railroaders' stories of the meritorious service turned in by the G's will be forever engrained in our memories. My personal favorite is the tale that involves the G's first replacement, the General Electric E-60CP. In the event of a serious component failure, the GG-1 could almost always get to a repair site in what was sometimes called "limp mode". But when an E-60CP went awry, it almost always just sat there! And what did they send out to go get the E-60? Yep, you guessed it, the venerable GG-1! The Pennsy's road class designation "GG-1" was derived from the steam loco class G, which was used for 4-6-0 ten-wheelers. Pennsy brass apparently viewed their successful electric locomotive as a pair of 4-6-0 ten-wheelers placed back-to-back, and this gave the "GG" prefix. Since it was the first such loco designed, the "1" went in at the tail end to make it the "GG-1". Two GG-1's are on display at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania at Strasburg. Old Rivets herself, still wearing number 4800 and a five-striped brunswick green paint job (AND HER ORIGINAL RIVETED CARBODY), is stored in the outdoor yard area at the museum. But one of the first locomotives you will see displayed at the museum's indoor facility is GG-1 number 4935, resplendent in a shiny fresh coat of brunswick green paint and five dulux gold "cat-whisker" stripes. One other GG-1 can be seen at the Altoona Railroaders' Memorial Museum. I hope that everyone can visit one of these museums and come face to face with a splendid example of railroad history; a genuine success story, the GG-1. It's a humbling experience to stand next to one of these behemoths, believe me. The only thing that comes even close is to stand next to the Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 "Big Boy" which is on display at the rear of the former Lackawanna Railroad station in Scranton, PA. But then, I'm partial to the G's because I rode the Pennsylvania Railroad as a youngster, and most of the trains that I'm familiar with were hauled by GG-1's from New York City all the way to Harrisburg where the electrification ends. These trains bore names such as the "Iron City Express" and the "Pennsylvanian". The G's may be gone, but the memories will remain with us for a long time to come. KEEP ON TRACKIN' everyone!