From: sathomas@athena.mit.edu (Stephen A Thomas)
Subject: Re: Diesel vs. Electric Locomotive Maintenance
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 17:05:05 GMT

It seems the posting has gotten away from the subject, but I'm glad to talk about
GG1's!  It's hard to believe that people don't know that they aren't working
anymore, but let me emphatically say that they're not.  It was my understanding
that they were officially retired by New Jersey Transit (the last operator) in
1984.  I have heard (much to my dismay at missing them) that they were operated,
but not in regular service, until 1987.  My guess that this was power for ballast
trains or work trains.  I believe that the main reason for retiring them was
"metal fatigue" - in layman's terms: the frames were cracking beyond the point of
reasonable repair.  The issue of PCBs and electronics, I believe, is responsible
more for the reason that we never see any of the restored GG1's run any fan trips
(not that Amtrak's scheduling would permit this either).

So far no one has mentioned the real victim of the PCB legislation - the E44's
that Amtrak rescued from Jersey Transit.  Amtrak bought about ten (big guess)
servicable E44's from New Jersey Transit (nee Conrail, PC, Pennsy) to use on work
and ballast trains on the Corridor.  However, before the appropriate maintenance
to bring them back to service could be completed, the PCB legislation went
through and made servicing the E44's prohibitively expensive.  I'm not sure of
the particulars, but basically the coolant used to cool the E44's electrical
components was the culprit.  This coolant (I believe the E44's & maybe the E33's
were the only RR application of it) would have been to expensive to replace in
compliance with the environmental legislation, so Amtrak is disposing of the
locomotives.  I heard that it is a big problem for a museum (like the
Pennsylvania State RR Museum in Strasburg) to get a hold of one of the E44's for
the same reason; they'd have to take care of the stupid coolant - big bucks.
The E44's could be seen at Amtrak's Wilmington Maintenance Facility (where all
major electric power maintenance is done) on a storage track in Amtrak's silver
and black - I can't make up my mind which is more unattractive:  an E44 in
Conrail's "Smurf" blue or an E44 in Amtrak's silver and black - whatever happened
to Brunswick Green?  Anyway I saw them there in 1989 and I have no idea whether
they're still there or not.  My guess is not.

There are a number of GG1's preserved in museums around the country.  I've seen
them at three.  The previously mentioned Strasburg museum has the original GG1 -
4800 (rivets, not the production welded construction) and another I believe 4877
that was preserved during Amtrak's phasing out of the engine.  The B&O museum in
Baltimore (near the new ballpark) has one outside the museum building.  Steamtown
had one or two (?) when I went there for an unofficial visit before it reopened
in Scranton, PA.  I think there are GG1's preserved in other locations as well
-the Henry Ford museum and The St Louis Transportation museum ring bells with me.

These are my best recollections of what I've seen, read, and been told, so if
anyone has any corrections I'll be glad to hear them.  Certainly, the GG1 has to
go down in history as one if not the most successful locomotive in history - a
tribute to Pennsy and it's designers.  I think we should learn from our
successes: that electrics are economical and can do well in comparison to
diesels, if used to serve an appropriate market.

STEVE THOMAS

MIT Aero/Astro