Railroad Forums 

  • GG-1 and E-60 operational preservation

  • General discussion related to all railroad clubs, museums, tourist and scenic lines. Generally this covers museums with static displays, museums that operate excursions, scenic lines that have museums, and so on. Check out the Tourist Railway Association (TRAIN) for more information.
General discussion related to all railroad clubs, museums, tourist and scenic lines. Generally this covers museums with static displays, museums that operate excursions, scenic lines that have museums, and so on. Check out the Tourist Railway Association (TRAIN) for more information.

Moderators: rob216, Miketherailfan

 #1512247  by bratkinson
 
In my opinion, most quiet and fastest acceleration trophy belongs to a GG1. I recall 30+ years ago riding the Broadway Ltd to New York. After the power change at Harrisburg to a single GG1, it literally YANKED the train out of the station. I was pushed back in my roomette seat as if I was in a high performance street drag racer (I had one several years prior). All I could think of was WOW! Not even todays' Acelas can lay me back in the seat like a GG1.
 #1512292  by mtuandrew
 
So, which billionaire do we hit up for the $5m to restore a GG1 to service? Seems that an E60’s guts would do a serviceable job at replacing the old PCB-laden transformers :-)

Glad the Chargers are meeting expectations, at least with passengers.
 #1512358  by Backshophoss
 
The E-60's could run on the NEC today,they had the moveable taps to run on all 3 voltages and both hz,however the controls are likely outdated
and useless.
Be one heck of a restoration of that E-60 at RRMPA as a running motor
 #1512380  by mtuandrew
 
Backshophoss wrote: Thu Jun 27, 2019 6:10 pm The E-60's could run on the NEC today,they had the moveable taps to run on all 3 voltages and both hz,however the controls are likely outdated
and useless.
Be one heck of a restoration of that E-60 at RRMPA as a running motor
I’d meant cannibalizing an E60 (one of the BM&LP units probably) to replace the utterly obsolescent parts in a GG1 resto, but may as well run an actual E60MA as well!
 #1512416  by ExCon90
 
Weren't the E-60's the ones that had trouble staying on the tracks at higher speeds? Now if you could marry the innards of an E-60 with the stability of a GG1 ...
 #1512494  by D Alex
 
The problem with GG-1's is that the motors were designed to run at 11kW/25hz AC. Main transmission lines run at higher voltage, but at 60 hz. You would need to either completely replace the motors with 60 hz compatible motors, or create a specialized overhead circuit running at 25 hz just for them. A 3rd option would be having a full-sized transformer station on a flatbed behind the locomotive, with extensive wiring between them.
 #1512503  by Backshophoss
 
While the main transformer killed off the GG-1's (The PCB Coolant),some of the frames stated cracking apart toward the end of the G's life
All the main transformers were pulled and destroyed at Haz-Mat landfill sites
The Quill motors were setup for 25hz power,not sure if they could run at 60 hz
The E-60 at RRMPA was fresh off a rebuild at Wilmington shop and could have been rigged for ACSES easy enough
While not speed demons,they worked the silver service trains and handled the Circus train on a regular basis.
 #1512551  by spRocket
 
Backshophoss wrote: Sat Jun 29, 2019 6:04 pm The Quill motors were setup for 25hz power,not sure if they could run at 60 hz
As I understand it, the rationale for using low frequencies in early AC rail electrification systems was that locomotive-sized universal motors ran poorly (if at all) on 50/60 Hz. High-power rectifiers to feed DC traction motors didn't become practical until the 1950s, and AC induction motors of suitable size weren't practical for general-purpose rail use until high-power semiconductors became feasible.

In theory, the GG-1 traction motors could run on DC, given a suitable rectifier. Whether or not that would work in practice, I don't know, and it would probably require a rip-and-replace of most of the electrical system including compressors and other accessories. Not to mention, the rectifiers would have to go somewhere, and there probably wouldn't be room for them.