Famous and Infamous GG-1 Stories

[pennsy]

Hi,

Many of us have been around long enough to have ridden in a GG1, got hauled in a consist pulled by a GG-1, got really close to a GG-1, etc. etc.
So, how about sharing your stories here. Let the younger fellas that can only read and dream about a GG-1 learn from us.

I used to travel on business from Penn Station, NYC to Wash. DC about once a month. Some of the stories are classic, and possibly not to be believed, but did happen. How about your's ???

I usually caught a heavyweight consist of about 16 cars, hauled by a Brunswick Green GG-1 at Penn Station, and caught a Tuscan Red GG-1 hauling a streamliner, stainless steel cars, coming back. The stainless steel cars had air conditioning and the train seemed to move faster and make better time.

[Ocala Mike]

I remember railfanning Penn Station as a youngster, and being struck by the sheer size and presence of the GG-1 engines as they came into the station or just sitting there at the head end of trains. They were enormous, and reminded me of whales; they exuded sheer power, especially as compared to the electric engines used over at GCT at the time.

[walt]

I have no particular stories about the GG1--- it was simply the locomotive of my childhood and youth. I was too young to see many working steam engines ( I saw exactly one) But the GG1's were all over the place. I too was impressed by the sheer size of those monsters, especially when viewing them from one of the high level platforms at Philadelphia's 30th street station. There was, and never will be, a locomotive quite like the G's.

[pennsy]

Okay, let's try this one:

Whenever I had to go into Manhattan for a Seminar or a Convention, I would take my car to the Queens Boulevard area of the Sunnyside Yards, park there and take the subway into Manhattan. The train stations generally had exits right into the Hotel that I needed. So, I would leave early, and spend some time at the Sunnyside Yards, an old Hangout.

As you walk across an overpass, there is a staircase that takes you down to track level and the shack that was the ready room for the Enginemen to get their assignments for which engine and train was theirs for that day. After a while you got to know them, and of course, the coffee was pretty good. Good old George and I hit it off early, and quite often he would take me into the GG-1 he was assigned to and give me the five dollar tour. George was conspicuous by the fact that he carried an attache case, wore a suit and looked more like a Wall St. executive than an Engineman. He would take off his jacket, loosen his tie, and he was all set to go. One fine day he told me he was scheduled to take a train to Harrisburg and return later on that day. He invited me to join him in the cab for the ride. Since I had a convention to go to in Manhattan, I couldn't make it, so I had to leave the engine and head for the subway station.

Sunnyside yards were probably, at that time, the world's largest passenger train yard. It also had shops to work on the cars, and the engines. The little B-1 electric switchers ran around moving the cars and making up the trains. There were GG-1s everywhere. Some were getting fueled up for their steam heat, water added elsewhere, and sand for their sanders. I always wondered which beach was providing all that sand for those GG-1s. And talk about clean cars and engines. The wash rack was something else. The entire train was pulled by a GG-1 through the rack. The entire train was scrubbed spotless.

[Dougster]

I remember my father used to take my brother and I to watch train at the old Harrison Yard where the PC and EL ran alongside each other. Oddly, the things that stick in my head is not the size but the sound of the horn (loved that deep sound that echoed off the factories) and the bell. That bell was unique to the GG1 in my area. Also, hearing an eastbound GG1 excellerating out of the curve east of Penn Station in Neawrk was cool. There are times I wish I could go back to that era just to do that again.

My encounters with a GG1 up close include at Penn Station in Newark where watching one of them come into the station was awe inspiring.

At trackside, watching one of them come at you at speed could be somewhat intimidating. I was in my early teens and my first encounter was at the old Colonia station (after Metropark was built and Colonia closed) and they came accelerating out of the curve. What a sight.

These are but just a few memories I have.

Doug

[pennsy]

Hi Dougster,

Interesting memories, and it reminds me of the first time I had a GG-1 and its train whisk by me at speed. Felt like I was in the middle of an Earthquake. The ground shook for some time. And when the Horn went off to make sure we kids cleared the tracks, we lost about two inches of growth. Talk about being overwhelmed.

[Nacho66]

Back in the '70's my friends and I would hike out to the Trenton Cutoff in Ft. Washington to watch trains.
Back then (still PC days) lots of trains were still coming from Harrisburg and west.
We'd see double-headed GG1's pulling mile-+ consists at speeds of 60 mph and more. Yes, as earlier posts have stated, the ground literally shook from the sheer power of these mighty motors.
Like the dim-witted twits we were, we'd play chicken to see who could stand the closest when the the train came.
To this day I can still hear the sound.

[Warren Thompson]

Back in the Dark Ages when I lived in the Bronx (1958-61), I often took the Pennsy to visit relatives in Baltimore. Many times the consist, hauled by a GG-1, was a "tubular train." Budd-built, these lightweight cars had seats about two feet lower than conventional cars, though the ends were "standard height." This gave a different perspective on the passing scenery.

BTW when I made these trips, I never bothered to consult a schedule. I simply took a bus and a subway train to Penn Station, bought a ticket, and got on the next train. It seems there was one at least every hour or so.

[pennsy]

Hi All,

That seems to be a common thread of those that have either seen GG-1's close up, leading a long freight, or riding behind one on a passenger train. All seem to have pleasant memories. The GG-1 gave a smooth, comfortable, and fast ride, and when called upon to handle a freight, simply leaned into the load and walked away with it, with power to spare.

[kevikens]

I have enormous respect for the GG1 having ridden behind one many times and it is with respect that I relate to you this story though I have been told it could never have happened. I will tell it it as I heard it and you can decide for yourself. It was in the early 1980's and the last running G's were NJT units on the North Coast Line. One was being operated by an elderly and portly engineer who was as close to retirement as the motor he was operating. It was one of those Amtrak G's that NJT picked up painted black. This North Coast train entered the NEC at Rahway and what did this engineer observe but an Amtrak Metroliner pulled by one of those brand new Swedish meatballs, an AEM 7 entering the Rahway interlocking at the same time so that they were paralleling one another. The toaster accelerates and starts to pull way from the G, but not for long. Throwing caustion to the winds the former PRR, PC now NJT engineer opend it up for all it was worth and caught up with the Metroliner. The two trains pounded down the track at very, very high speed and the G stayed with the AEM 7 through Elizabeth, which by the way, the engineer neglected to stop at and they both glided into Newark at the same time. The engineer's retirement was speeded up ( so apparently was the motor's) but he wore a perpetual smile for the next ten years. I have had people tell me no GG1 could have done this but I leave it to the elctrical engineers and railroad engineers to conjecture on what may have happened that day.

[pennsy]

Hi,

Famous story, and apparently has happened many times. Seems that the old GG-1 enginemen did not like the Meatballs and wanted to give them a run for their money. Some got caught, and some didn't. In point of fact, the Tuscan Red GG-1's were geared for 120 mph. and the Brunswick Green GG-1's were geared for 100 mph. Then they were painted black. Some of them could exceed the maximum speed of their gearing. So the story is quite feasible and possible. All in all, the GG-1 was one heck of an engine.

[metman499]

According to a volunteer at the Railroad Museum of PA, there was a test run with a GG-1 to see if some of them could go fast enough to protect Metroliner schedules just before they were delivered. This gentleman was the engineer who pulled the assignment and he got the engine up to 160+ miles per hour before the engine began to lift off the railhead. At this point he began to slow down having proved that they could meet the schedule.

[pennsy]

Hi Nick,

Incredible story. That figure exceeds anything I have heard about the GG-1. 160+ mph is simply unbelievable.

I do know this, GG-1's were used in foul weather to lead Metroliners on the NEC. They ran with BOTH pantographs up, and at speed, with the Metroliners coupled to them. The snow storm behind the last car caused by the passing of the train was a blizzard. And schedules were maintained, even when aircraft were grounded.

[pennsy]

Hi All,

Story about GG-1's in foul weather reminded me of this true story.

My Sainted Father-in- law had spent the week in Wash. DC on business and wanted to return home to Far Rockaway, Long Island, NY. Turned out the the planes were grounded, the DC airport was closed and he could not fly home. Here it was an early Friday evening, and we were waiting for him to have dinner together. The phone rang and it was him, telling us that he could not fly home. I took the phone and gave him the following instructions: Take a Cab to Union Station, then take the Metroliner to Penn Station, head for the Long Island RR, and take that to the Far Rockaway station. Give us a phone call, and we will come and pick you up.

That is exactlyl what he did, and in a few hours later, he was home, having dinner with us. The weather on the NEC was terrible, but his train made excellent time. I had told him to head for the smoking lounge, find a comfortable upholstered seat, light up his cigar, and read a newspaper or chat with his fellow travelers. He was also warned that if he looked out the windows, all he would see would be a blur, since the train cruised at 100 mph. He could not stop marveling at the great train ride and how reliable it was, despite the terrible weather. He then used the trains as back up whenever he had to travel on business.

[uhaul]

I decided to "look around" the GG1 at the NEw York State Fairgrounds. I fell on my arse and damn near broke my arm.