Your favorite PRR electric power?

[Franklin Gowen]

Please share your choice of what PRR electric power is your favorite, and -why-.

Choices include MU cars as well as passenger & freight motors.

Metroliner MUs are not included here because they did not enter revenue service until after Penn Central began.

My own favorite is the one-and-only FF1, #3931. This monster never went into series production. It was used mostly as an electric head-end helper on Main Line westward freights. Its fatal flaw was that it was just -too- good at its job. It was too strong for the duty, and pulled out far too many knuckle couplers.

Then it was used as a rear-end pusher engine. Bad, to worse: It had so much power to apply to the back of a train that it actually squeezed cars out of the consist it was pushing..."snap-crackle-pop!"

The FF1 was just too much for the couplers & draft gear of WW1-era freight cars. It was a total failure, but had a certain twisted greatness to it.

[rdganthracite]

My favorite is the E2B. My father used to take me down to the tracks when I was young and I can remember the E2Bs because they sounded so much different than any of the other PRR electrics. Later I got a fondness for the E44s. They just look like the powerful brutes that they are.

[craltoona]

My favorite is power is the E44. I simply like the boxy look they have. The acceleration on those units is incredible too!

[walt]

Mine would be a toss-up between the GG1 and the MP 54 MU's. The GG1 because it turned out to be a simply incredible locomotive and the MP 54's because they were the first trains I ever saw, and were the trains which I rode most often.

[CarterB]

How many E-2s and E-3s were there? When last run? and where?

[msernak]

#1) The GG1 - looked cool
#2) The E44 - looked powerful
#3) The P5 modified - looked like mini GG1
#4) Regular box cab P5

[Schuylkill Valley]

Hi carter,
I have a book that tells me what your looking for , The book is Keystone Steam & Electric

By William D. Edson Copyright: 1974

Class E2c c_c Electric: 3000HP - 361980 wt.

#4997 BLH_West. Build# 75484 7/51 SS 6/65

Class E3b B_B_B Electric: 3000 HP - 378000 wt.

#4995 BLH_West. Build# 75482 6/51 SS 6/65

Len.

[TheBoyFromNewYorkCity]

Yeah,



Growing up near Sunnyside Yard, I loved watching the little B1 switchers move all over the yard.





      TheBoyFromNewYorkCity®
                  USMC•FDNY

[Hostler]

Living just a few miles from Rahway when I was young, I would go GG'1, MP-54, E-44, E-33. Another favorite, though Diesel, was seeing the Passenger Sharks on occasion, using running light on the main. I would see GG-1's running the crack Passenger runs at speed, lash up of 2 or 3 GG-1's pulling freights, loads of E-44's and eventually seeing E-33's (I don't recall if they were Pennsy or PC livery). Pretty much all MP-54's stopped at Rahway, and there were various versions; powered cabs, unpowered trailers, powered trailers, even some combines (even rode the combine section a few times). I had one cab ride from Rahway-Penn station-Jersey Ave-Rahway once in my teens in the MP-54. The engineer at that time was near retirement and wanted a soft job near home (Rahway). He once ran K-4's and GG-1's in his earlier years. In the early 60's during summer vacation I would go down to Rahway and spend a couple of hours just watching all the action, there was plenty of it.

[mp15ac]

GG-1 - Timeless style, and very successful machine.

DD-1 - Another success story for the Pennsy, and outlasted the L-5's which were ment to replace them.

Stuart

[Nasadowsk]

I like the GG-1, but the E units after the war were really interesting from a technical standpoint. I've got the Westinghouse red book on the propulsion systems for those and the MP-85s too. The MP-85's setup was a HACK, basically a substation strapped onto an LIRR MU. Though I think it was really derrived from the New Haven Washboards. So, once again, the PRR stole ideas from the New Haven

[MR77100]

GG1 because of its sleek design.

[LI Loco]

GG-1 GG-1
Beauty and brawn rolled into one!

[Richard Glueck]

I stood next to the last one in Sunnyside, but never saw her roll, but the DD-1, hands down. So much motion and yet functionally perfect for the era. I saw fleets of GG1's in every color scheme they wore. I saw numerous B1's putter around Sunnyside. All were great, but the DD1 was just perfection in the eye.

You had to see Sunnyside Yard filled wih cars from every railroad, in every color. It was amazing. Purple ACL, alongside Tuscan, Yello, Blackwith stripes, ribbed stainless steel....It was amazing. And you knew that some lucky people were going places on those cars! Just amazing.

[BoilerBob]

GG-1. Sleek, fast, and the longest serving main line locomotive in US history.