GG1 fans, I know that you are there. lets get together and talk and trade pictures. richardtrains@comcast.net
Count me in.
I grew up in NE Philadelphia as a kid and thought all trains were pulled by G’s until I was about 12. Alas I only have one or two pictures of G’s and nothing worth sharing other than memories.
The only photos I have of the GG1’s are from the PA RR Museum.
I love GG1’s! Unfortunately, by the time I was born the GG1’s had stopped operating and I also don’t live anywhere near where they ran, but despite that, I’ve always been fascinated by them. They are amoungst the most beautiful locomotives ever created.
Also, for the other GG1 fans out there, check out this website.
http://www.lexcie.zetnet.co.uk/tops-3a-pic.htm
Scroll down to see the little-known story and picture of a GG1 that operated in Great Britain. Very fascinating story.
I have some pic, (which I will have to scan) of the GG1 that is at the NYC Museum in Elkhart, IN. When I do scan them, I will post them for you.
Here is the pic of the GG1 at the NYC Museum
The only GG1’s which I ever saw in service were in South Amboy in 1982 on the New York & Long Branch where outbound NJ Transit trains exchanged GG1’s for pairs of E8A’s.
To those of you who have not seen the Late Great GG1, to me it was the king of passenger locos. Over 4000 hp and can pull 15 cars at 100 mph, but never run at 100. I hve had many rides on the GG1 and love them.
I am sorry to say, living in NE Ohio, I have never seen one run.[B)][V][:(]
I went to the New York Worlds Fair in '63 (?). By leaving Philly on a clocker at around 8AM I was in Penn Station in New York and out to the Flushing fair site in time for it to open around 10AM as I remember. I never ceased to marvel at the start when pulling out of a station. The start was so smooth you had to look at the ground to see if the train was moving. There was never any slack action and once up to about 15 mph it was off to the races.
I only got two rides behind GG1s, both on the same day.On a cross country Amtrak trip in 1978,I first rode GG1s on the Southern Crescent from Washington DC to New York,after arriving behind 4 green white & gold Southern Ry.E8s.Later that day I left on the Broadway Limited,also behind a GG1,switching to an A B B A set of E units in Harrisburg[:D][:D][:D]!
I haven’t seen one “in the flesh”, but I’d love to see some kind of internal layout plan for the critter.
I also have seen photos of the cab, which I understand is unusual due to space contraints.
Erik
As a kid I thought PRR the ultimate RR and the GG1 the ultimate locomotive, and I was from the land of cab forewards and Daylights. I, too, found the ride behind them thrilling. Better yet was the lucky day, in '67(I was in the Army, and in uniform), I was railfanning at Penn Station. There I was, admiring a GG1, and the engine crew invited me in for a look. It shocked me that, in such a large locomotive, the cab was tiny. This was my lucky day, they invited me for a ride out to Sunnyside, where I spent hours wandering through the great streamliners to Chicago and Florida. When I was done(all too soon) I was simply placed in another GG1 and taken back to Penn Station, where, if I had time, could have had a cab ride to DC and back. What was wrong with me? Time is simply not an issue in these cases. Anyway, I was amused that the thing sounded like a big street car.
Hi, my Friends and GG1’s Fans!
I am writing first time to Yours, and I would like to start with a question!
Does know anybody, what is the “official” (in use) nickname of GG1 locomotives?
Thank you in anticipation for answer!
Yours sincerely:
Anita
GG1s never got an official nickname. On the PRR all electrics were called “Motors” rather than engines. I suspect that is as close to a nicname as you are going to get. Most people refer to them as “the G’s”. Some in the press and in historical context have reffered to them as the “Queen of electrics”. But the answer is no there was no nickname for the GG1. By the way, the name GG1 is based on the G class steam engine that had a 4-6-0 wheel arrangement. So a G which was a 4-6-6-4 was obviously a GG. The one indicates a modification from the original G class. Some modification!
Dear ndbprr!
Thank you for the plentiful reply!
You know, ours in Hungary - but this true as good as all Europe - usually every engines have got a nickname. Perhaps You too know a few…
… but ours railways totally other, than Yours in USA…!
For all that, I am an European woman, I like the USA railways, I like the SD-diesels, etc., but particularly looove the GG1s!!!
Hence, I regret, how I already vill never can to see “Her” to run… / because “her”, because “Queen of electrics” / This reli***o me!!
Otherwise, do you know such web-pages, where can be found the nicknames of USA engines?
Once more thanks!
Yours sincerely:
Anita
Anita,
Welcome to the forums. It’s always great to see a woman who is interested in railways. We have a couple of other female members on as well.
As for nicknames, I don’t believe that there is a website out there that gives a list of them, but I can tell you some. Most steam locomotives had a nickname for their wheel arrangement. Below are the most common.
4-4-0: American
4-4-2: Atlantic
4-4-4: Reading (Jubilee in Canada)
2-6-0: Mogul
2-6-2: Prairie
4-6-0: Ten-Wheeler
4-6-2: Pacific
4-6-4: Hudson
2-8-0: Consolidation
2-8-2: Mikado
2-8-4: Berkshire
4-8-0: Twelve-Wheeler
4-8-2: Mountain
4-8-4: Northern
2-10-0: Decapod
2-10-2: Santa Fe
2-10-4: Texas (or a Selkirk in Canada)
2-6-6-6: Allegheny
4-6-6-4: Challenger
2-8-8-4: Yellowstone
4-8-8-4: Big Boy
Of course, various specific steam locomotives that operated on certain railroads had their own nicknames. All I can think of right now are New York Central’s 4-8-4’s, which were called Niagras and 4-8-2’s, which were called Mohawks. There are plenty of others out there, though.
As for diesels and electrics, here are some that I know of, but they are by no means all of them. There are some diesel railcars that are called doodlebugs. SW and NW series switchers, when paired up with B units that didn’t have a cab, are called a cow and calf. Some very small diesel switchers are called critters. Baldwin DR-12-8-3000 type diesel locomotives were called centipiedes because they are very long and have many wheels. The Milwaukee Road had some electric locomotives (I don’t actually know what the proper name for them is) that were called Little Joes. Joe refers to Joseph Stalin because the locomotives were originally intended to be sent to the USSR. Baldwin DR-6-4-2000 diesel locomotives are called sharks because of the shape of their nose. EP-5 electric locomotives were called jets. Alco DL-600b d
About 15 years ago I had the occasion to climb aboard a GG1 in Port Elizabeth, NJ. This was after gawking at the lineup of dormant “Gs” for about a year. They were along the corridor where it runs parallel to I-280 in Harrison / Kearny, NJ. I started making phone calls to ask for permission to photograph them. After a few calls I was told to just take a ride to Port Elizabeth, and there on a siding adjacent to the public street you will find a few.
When I arrived there with my younger son in tow I was in awe. A man came over and asked if I wanted to climb up. I was in shock, but he assured me it was OK because he owned them. He was a scrapper. He was waiting for the PCB laden transformer oil to be drained before he could cut them up. I climbed up. I couldn’t believe how stark the inside of this magnificent engine was. The engineer’s seat folded forward so that you could pass, between his position and the steam boiler (heat for passenger cars). His forward vision was through a window that seemed to be about 12 X14". The panagraphs were HUGE! I’ll have to dig those pictures out. I will never forgive PC for painting over those beautiful pinstripes. Thanks for jogging my fond memories!
Bob
In God We Trust
God Bless America
It just dawned on me that one GG1 did have a nickname. The very first one was #4888 later changed to #4800. It had a riveted car body construction instead of the welded smooth skin of the other 138. It was/is affectionately known as, “Old RIvets” and once again proves the exception to every rule.