A GG-1 to roll again??

I was trying to decide where to post this and finally decided that this was as relevant here as any other forum. The GG-1 did make its last stand in NJ, so I think it applies nicely:

I was trolling around other notable railroad-related message boards, and I stumbled upon a thread about GG-1 4935 (of Strasburg fame).

About 5 posts down, our good friend Bennett Levin makes this comment on August 21, 2008;

Keep your ear to the rail...........something interesting is about to happen.

It does not involve Eric or me directly, but you you will not want to miss it if you are a "G-man"

Someone's got to know what he's hinting at!

Let's discuss, shall we?

I had always heard that the key drawback to getting a GG-1 rolling again were the nasty PCBs in the transformers.

Not really the PCB's anymore. They've all been cleaned up pretty well, and if someone attempted to restore one, there are non-PCB containing equivalents now.

The real problem is the cracks in the frames. Believe me, I know! I saw new ones open up in just 37 miles when we moved the URHS's 4879.

I think his hinting at some sort of towed operation.

what i would do to see a G rolling not sitting in a museum.my father and grandfather tell me stories about being trackside and watching the G's and i'll i can settle for is seeing my HO version

The real problem is the cracks in the frames. Believe me, I know! I saw new one open up in just 37 miles when we moved the URHS's 4879.

yup thats why Amtrak took them out of service and eventually why NJT did

What about FRA regulations?

R36 Combine Coach wrote:What about FRA regulations?

That goes without saying! But Bennett evidently knows something cool involving a GG-1. What could it be?

(my dream for this) maybe they will take one out on the NEC behind a HHP or a Toaster and do a fan trip or something, that or who knows maybe they will get one up and running.

now this is just hypothetical. But would it be cheaper to rebuild a GG1 using the parts already inside but rebuilt. Or to rebuild a GG1 using companents from a lets saw alp44/46, aem7?

I would say it would be very easy to build an "operating" GG1 from parts of an AEM7, ALP, HHP, E60 whatever.........those "brand new" E60s were recently scrapped up north.......hmmmmmmmmmm

Would it be a "real" G? Not really, but rather an operating shell - but it would still be cool as anything to see

Frame cracks could be fixed and the locos could have their running gear renewed/rebuilt and one of the few people that could do it would be Mr. Levin (who chimes in here every once in a while)

THAT would be even cooler than the Railway Age E8 trip to Bay Head - and that was amazing!

I won't be a party pooper, but a good co-worker friend of mine who used to be the Sunnyside Yard Enginehouse foreman
stated that the G's in the end were just shot. One issue he cites is the trucks on the GG1's were cracking at the end due
to fatigue and any plan to rebuild a G would have to involve new trucks.

On a more positive note, why can't someone rebuild a G? Heck, they just built a brand new steam locomotive in Britain from scratch! Let's do it!

Even a pushed one would be an exciting experience.

It would be awesome to see these things run again, even if they had E60 components in them... I vaguely remember them running in 1983 through Elizabeth when I was a mere 5 years old. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think they had that very low pitched single chimed air horn that sounded like a tug boat or fog horn.

blockline 4180 try this:

http://www.dieselairhorns.com/sounds/uGG1a200.mp3

I was trolling around other notable railroad-related message boards, and I stumbled upon a thread about GG-1 4935 (of Strasburg fame).

About 5 posts down, our good friend Bennett Levin makes this comment on August 21, 2008;

Keep your ear to the rail...........something interesting is about to happen.

It does not involve Eric or me directly, but you you will not want to miss it if you are a "G-man"

Someone's got to know what he's hinting at!

So? Is this something only Bennett Levin knows about? I find that highly unlikely. There has to be someone out here that knows exactly what he's talking about.

Actually, MR.LEVIN: Are you reading this? Please give us a bigger hint! We've been waiting 25 years for some really good GG-1 news!