GG1 Upgraded and Electric Motors at Empire City Station

 Greetings All,

It continues to be the most wonderful time of the year as Holiday Trackage Rights are extended to the Pennsylvania and New Haven RRs with a slight twist.

Today we're going to break out the small electric motor fleet maintained by the New York Central Layout. The fleet consists of five Pennsylvania RR GG1s and three E33s, two in New Haven and one in PC paint. 

I purchased two IHC GG1 Millennium Express train sets about 20 years ago for my boys. The sets came with either PRR 4800 in Brunswick Green or PRR 4910 in Tuscan. 

The other three came courtesy of 1:1 Sir Neal when they became surplus on his Atlantic Pacific PRR. Thank you very much Sir Neal!!

Working the Northeast Corridor and Philadelphia to Harrisburg mainline in both passenger and freight service were the legendary PRR GG1s. Built by GE(15) and the PRR Altoona Works(124) a total of 139 were built from 1934 to 1949. The first GG1 entered service in 1935. The last run of a GG1 was in 1983 by New Jersey Transit.

Classic Pennsylvania RR GG1s in Brunswick green get ready to take a "Fleet of Modernism" passenger train to Empire City Station. The lead unit is the 4800 the first GG1 built and the only one with a  riveted body hence the name. The models are International Hobby Corp (IHC) Premier Line.  

PRR Tuscan GG1s bring PRR Train #153, the Congressional, towards Empire City Station with GG-1 4910 in the lead. The 4910 would eventually become Penn Central and Amtrak #910.

GG-1 4828 an older AHM model departs Terminal Yard with a PRR passenger train in tow.

The 4828s oversized wheel flanges and limited electrical pickup presented problems at grade crossings where the flanges raised the wheel slightly and the locomotive died. The unit was sent to the NYCTL Altoona Works for upgrading.

The main issue I noted was that the locomotive trucks were wired so that one truck picked up the negative and the other truck the positive power. The locomotive truck has been disconnected and the upgrading has begun.

A spare phosphor bronze pick up from a de-motored Bachmann engine will be screwed to the truck between the two wheels on the left. I'll connect it to an original wire of the proper polarity.

Much better!!! All wheel pickup achieved!

Here's the AHM GG1 drive train. Extra weight was added by a prior owner. Note the springs used for drive shafts.

Here is an IHC Premier series power plant. Reminds me of a Lionel train with two motors above the trucks. Note the pantograph is wired so it can be powered by track or catenary.

In summer 2021 I added two New Haven EF-4 electric motors to compliment PC E-33 #4605 which has been on the roster for about ten years. The models are from  the Bachmann Spectrum line.

Local railfans checkout the New Haven class EF-4 locomotive #300 at the New York Central Layout engine terminal. The motors were built by GE for the Virginian RR in 1955 as class EL-C and the first successful production locomotive to use ignitron rectifier technology.

EF-4 #306s pantograph reaches high for a catenary that's not there!! The NH bought the Virginian RRs eleven EL-Cs and one slug as a parts source in 1963 and classed them as EF-4s.

In 1969 with the inclusion of the New Haven into the Penn Central the EF-4s were reclassified at E-33s (Electric 3,300 HP) Ex NH #305 is now PC E-33 #4605. After the merger the E-33 fleet was moved from the electrified lines of the New Haven to the electrified lines of the PRR to protect the freight schedules on the NE Corridor and the Philadelphia to Harrisburg mainline.

Today the premerger New Haven EF-4s will be protecting the freight schedules on the NYCTL mainline. It's the most wonderful time of the year!!! 

Here are the Electric Motors enjoying their Holiday Trackage Rights  on another snowy day in Empire City.

A special thanks to 1:1 Sir Neal for his generosity!!!

Thanks For reading and watching!!!

See you soon!!!