OMG!!!! I haven't seen the inside of a GG1 since 1973. Pretty glamorous huh? They were pretty much just as filthy back then. And LOUD? OMG again. Couldn't hear crap at operating speed. All they were good for was pulling and that they did very well.
When the GG1's were built, the "normal" cab was a steam locomotive cab, which would have been filthier. Maybe louder, as well--I've read of signals set up to let British steam-engine crews know that there was an air raid going on during WWII, because the crews couldn't hear the explosions and sirens and all the rest of it over the noise of the engine. And an air raid isn't exactly subtle, as sounds go.
It is in a museum pretty much. It’s permanently on display at the NYS fairgrounds in Syracuse and taken care of by the central new york chapter of the NRHS. No one is allowed inside the locomotive except this guy apparently so they have to put what money they have toward the exterior.
It is so sad to see how this artifact of railroad history has been allowed to deteriorate so badly. I know she will never run again under her own power, but some kind of effort needs to be made to do, at the very least, a cosmetic restoration. The GG-1 was a unique piece of railroad history and needs to be preserved for posterity.
The GG-1 is our next project to restore after we finish our New York Central 19000 series wood sided caboose. The biggest problem is raising the money to do it.
@@Tom-zp9bc That is very good to hear! Of course, raising funds is always difficult in ANY restoration project, but if enough people believe in the reasons for such a restoration, I'm sure it can be done. Being on a fixed income, I don't have a lot of money, but I'm sure I can send a few dollars. Every dollar counts.
It might not be able to run again under its own power with its original equipment, but there's still the option of a restomod. And honestly, to be able to run one of these you'd have to restomod it anyway. The electrical systems were designed for a 25kv 25hz AC supply, but the lines that ran these have since been converted to 25kv 60hz. And you'd need to equip it to meet modern FRA standards anyway.
Yeah sad why they have trolley museum with a electric power why not a electric locomotive oooh the electric motor bs restore this wonderful machine restore the actual electric power yes it could
I rode in the cab of the last GG1 ever to operate in service. It was in service for N. J. Transit. It was tight, cramped and surprisingly quite noisy. I have photos of me in the cab, but no way to post them here. We were going over 90mph.
Thanks, for this. As a child in the mid-70’s, I used to watch a GG1 pull the Broadway-Limited between NYC and Harrisburg, getting a good look at it from from only a few feet away during the station stop in Paoli, PA. I always wondered what the inside of the cab looked like.
Many years ago a railfan friend and I had a short ride in a GG-1 at Perryville, MD. The engineer had to do a switching move and invited the both of us up into the cab. I didn't remember what the cab interior looked like from back then (early '70s), so this video was pretty much new to me. The engineer said they were hot in the summer and cold in the winter.
Something I discovered with U.S. manufactured locos, driver comfort was nowhere on the design apparently. Take a good look at that seat, a Chiropracticer's wet dream, if I've ever seen one, and the pipes where your legs are supposed to go, no way, not accept able. Why no heaters, the bloody thing ran one electricity, why no Aircon, why no sound proofing ?
I would love to be the one who could obtain all the paint, brushes, stencils and anything else it would take to make the interior of the cab resemble what it looked like back in the day and clean the cab up on a piece or railroad history
Would be nice to see one restored and back in operation. That is assuming there's somewhere with the correct voltage and frequency on the the overhead wiring.
Almost the correct voltage (needs 11000 V, been bumped up to 12000 V or 12500 V depending upon where I read -- likely to be close enough) at 25 Hz is still available southwest of New York on lines that were electrified before the New Jersey Transit era (including the Northeast Corridor). Not sure where the switchover is from the Pennsylvania Railroad's system to the Metro North system (12500 V @ 60 Hz) that replaced the New Haven's system (was 11000 V @ 25 Hz), so not sure if you could still run one into Penn Station or maybe even to Sunnyside Yard. But once SEPTA gets rid of their Silverliner IV EMUs, which I think are the last equipment that can't take 60 Hz, then the incentive (other than inertia/lack of money) to keep the 25 Hz electrification will be gone, and somebody may figure that it's cheaper in the long run to replace the Pennsylvania and Reading electrification systems with something that standard parts are actually available for. So in addition to a new non-PCB transformer for a GG1 restoration, you would also have to put in a rectifier to avoid overheating the motors.
@@Lucius_Chiaraviglio And then there's the asbestos, and the lead, and probably some other ugly stuff in there that I don't know about. (Just for clarity, I'm not criticizing the design at all. The G's are classics for a reason--they were insanely good engines, and the technology and materials used were state-of-the-art when they were built. It also happens that since the 1930's, we've found some less toxic ways to cool transformers, insulate wires, and so on 🙂.)
@@brownpcsuncedu In addition to asbestos, lead, and PCBs, you also have to worry about frame cracks (in the 1980s on USEnet group rec.railroad, people posted that these were fairly widespread, making retirement urgent). Asbestos and PCBs can be removed (lead, maybe better just let it sit there and make sure it doesn't migrate or become dust), but repairing cracks due to metal fatigue is going to be a real challenge. (That said, if somebody DID figure out how to re-anneal metal fatigue cracks, that could be very useful for other purposes.)
One of the issues they have on top of the PCB problem is cracks starting to form in the frames and the casting process being either bypassed by technology or prohibitively expensive to recast.
NY state fairgrounds, so AMTK 926 formerly PRR 4933? (looked at the NY State fairgrounds on Google Maps, the GG1 is VERY visible, the 3d model created shows the G and its numbers very clearly :D )
Was this at the train museum in Roanoke? If so I was in that same cab pry 15 years ago. It was kinda scary in there and 5,000 degrees lol. Nice video 👍🏼
Printed circuit boards are pretty bad. Everything should be handwired like it used to. Also, what's with all these micro transistors? Vacuum tubes are the only way to go. 😜
It was moved to Harrisburg quite a few years ago. The train was on display in the station until a few years ago. It was moved to allow for renovations to the station I believe. I don’t think they’ve found a place to permanently display it in a way that it’s accessible and protected from the elements at this point. I think they have a caboose as well from PRR
This belongs to the Central New York Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. I am Vice president. I have a key to it. We usually only let chapter members in it.
@@Tom-zp9bc Oh, interesting. Yea, I think I've seen this thing at the fair whenever I went. I always remember how, massive it was. Thanks for the video, it's a very interesting interior.
@@Tom-zp9bc Hey I got another question. I remember one of those old EMD's being at the state fair, they let kids walk in it and everything. I think they might have moved it or something..you remember what happened to that?
We had 2 EMD E-8 Engines painted in the Lackawanna Paint scheme on the NY Fair Grounds. We sold them to Iowa Pacific. They stopped paying on them, now we are getting a lawyer.
@@Eric_Bassett Polychlorinated Biphenyl. A chemical once heavily used as an insulating agent for electrical components from the start of the industrial revolution until the 1970's. Was banned in North America and Europe in the 1970's due to its carcinogenic nature as well as being linked to several other diseases and birth defects. These gg1 locomotives had super powerful transformers that could (back then) only be cooled with pcb oil because it would absorb so much heat and never break down. After the gg1 was retired the epa mandated the removal and proper disposal of these transformers to avoid contaminating the environment when they sat. Odds are the engine compartments are still contaminated with pcb oil from when the transformers were refilled when the locos were still in service. Also note the insane amounts of lead paint flaking off the walls of the cab. I personally would not walk through this one without a hazmat suit and respirator.
@@paul06660 I don't know if you know about Cincinnati's WLW-AM old 500-kilowatt transmitter from the 1930's. The transmitter used two huge modulation transformers to generate the high RF current necessary to produce the 500-kW signal. These transformers ran very hot and required hundreds of gallons of PCB oil to cool them. When the transmitter was decommissioned in the late 1930's, those two transformers sat, filled with their oil, for many decades, and they eventually developed leaks from years of non-use. They were finally drained after PCB oil was banned by the EPA in the 1970's, as with the GG-1's transformers.
I am part of the CNY NRHS. I help take care of the Train at the NY Sate Fairgrounds. We keep the GG-1 locked, but we do have to inspect it from time to time.
You people have a major project just to cosmetically restore the locomotive. Asbestos and lead abatement is a major project. Before even thinking about the repainting.
I guess it cost a lot money and time get one these legends operational. Of course the Voltage went from DC to AC and there isn't a really simple to convert these legends.
The GG1's ran on 11,000 volts 25 Hz AC, The NEC is now 25,000 volts 60 Hz AC (someone can correct me on this if I'm wrong). To get a GG1 up and running they would need to put a new transformer in it and adapt it somehow so that the AC motors can run at 60 Hz and not 25 Hz (I have no idea how this would be done if indeed it could be done). Also they had asbestos in them and that would all have to be removed. Not cheap.
The Fireman duties caused him/her to move inside between F&R end cabs to observe the pantographs enroute. Also the video travels from the R end to the F end passing the steam generator to the left. Overhead piping connects #2 water tank to #1 tank with a syphon valve moving the water by suction to the generator to make steam. It was a dirty important job operating the steam generator for the Engineer on his long Florida passenger train. The steam was the source of heat on the train and cooking stoves in the dining car.
I never cared much for the GG1s, and even less since I saw the inside. Glad I never had to run any. All Diesel- Electric down here in SE Louisiana, except for the New Orleans Street Cars. They are electric.
@@solidarityrail2551 which I think is dumb tbh, cause electric railroads are way more sustainable than electric vehicles just by a battery/rider(s) ratio
OMG!!!! I haven't seen the inside of a GG1 since 1973. Pretty glamorous huh? They were pretty much just as filthy back then. And LOUD? OMG again. Couldn't hear crap at operating speed. All they were good for was pulling and that they did very well.
When the GG1's were built, the "normal" cab was a steam locomotive cab, which would have been filthier. Maybe louder, as well--I've read of signals set up to let British steam-engine crews know that there was an air raid going on during WWII, because the crews couldn't hear the explosions and sirens and all the rest of it over the noise of the engine. And an air raid isn't exactly subtle, as sounds go.
Great video. The locomotive should be preserved and in a museum.
It is in a museum pretty much. It’s permanently on display at the NYS fairgrounds in Syracuse and taken care of by the central new york chapter of the NRHS. No one is allowed inside the locomotive except this guy apparently so they have to put what money they have toward the exterior.
It is so sad to see how this artifact of railroad history has been allowed to deteriorate so badly. I know she will never run again under her own power, but some kind of effort needs to be made to do, at the very least, a cosmetic restoration. The GG-1 was a unique piece of railroad history and needs to be preserved for posterity.
The GG-1 is our next project to restore after we finish our New York Central 19000 series wood sided caboose. The biggest problem is raising the money to do it.
@@Tom-zp9bc That is very good to hear! Of course, raising funds is always difficult in ANY restoration project, but if enough people believe in the reasons for such a restoration, I'm sure it can be done.
Being on a fixed income, I don't have a lot of money, but I'm sure I can send a few dollars. Every dollar counts.
Cosmetic restoration is planned when we get the money to do so. Hopefully in the next 2 years.
It might not be able to run again under its own power with its original equipment, but there's still the option of a restomod. And honestly, to be able to run one of these you'd have to restomod it anyway. The electrical systems were designed for a 25kv 25hz AC supply, but the lines that ran these have since been converted to 25kv 60hz. And you'd need to equip it to meet modern FRA standards anyway.
Yeah sad why they have trolley museum with a electric power why not a electric locomotive oooh the electric motor bs restore this wonderful machine restore the actual electric power yes it could
Ive seen so many of these, Ive always wondered what they looked like from the inside
I rode in the cab of the last GG1 ever to operate in service. It was in service for N. J. Transit. It was tight, cramped and surprisingly quite noisy. I have photos of me in the cab, but no way to post them here. We were going over 90mph.
Wow, that must have been quite an experience.
what does the cab smell like
The GG1 is my favorite electric locomotive, saw a few in Sunnyside Yard in Queens N.Y. when I was a kid,,,so sad they are gone
I got to walk around in a PRR GG-1 at the PRR museum in Lancaster. It was awesome. As an operating engineer, I really appreciated the opportunity.
Lots of interesting stuff in there. Would love to see a video of an experienced/knowledgeable GG1 person do a walk around tutorial and explanation.
Thanks, for this. As a child in the mid-70’s, I used to watch a GG1 pull the Broadway-Limited between NYC and Harrisburg, getting a good look at it from from only a few feet away during the station stop in Paoli, PA. I always wondered what the inside of the cab looked like.
Many years ago a railfan friend and I had a short ride in a GG-1 at Perryville, MD. The engineer had to do a switching move and invited the both of us up into the cab. I didn't remember what the cab interior looked like from back then (early '70s), so this video was pretty much new to me. The engineer said they were hot in the summer and cold in the winter.
Something I discovered with U.S. manufactured locos, driver comfort was nowhere on the design apparently. Take a good look at that seat, a Chiropracticer's wet dream, if I've ever seen one, and the pipes where your legs are supposed to go, no way, not accept able. Why no heaters, the bloody thing ran one electricity, why no Aircon, why no sound proofing ?
@@itchyvet in America, ergonomics is defined as fitting the worker to the job :)
Gotta admit I love the T1 but the GG-1 is such an amazing looking electric locomotive
Interesting to see it inside. Thank you for the video!
Wow!! Work in that cab on a hot summer day or a bitter cold winter day. That must have been an experience.
Yes GG one I’ve visited it in the Pennsylvania railroad beautiful absolutely gorgeous.
Thanks for sharing
Just town narrow is that companion way? In the video it looks super narrow to the point where I don’t think I could put down it.
You can just about taste the lead paint just watching this.
id love to see a gg1 run again. tho i dont believe ill ever get the opportunity to
I would love to be the one who could obtain all the paint, brushes, stencils and anything else it would take to make the interior of the cab resemble what it looked like back in the day and clean the cab up on a piece or railroad history
High tech of the time, now rusting in peace
Good morning from SE Louisiana 3 May 21.
Would be nice to see one restored and back in operation. That is assuming there's somewhere with the correct voltage and frequency on the the overhead wiring.
Almost the correct voltage (needs 11000 V, been bumped up to 12000 V or 12500 V depending upon where I read -- likely to be close enough) at 25 Hz is still available southwest of New York on lines that were electrified before the New Jersey Transit era (including the Northeast Corridor). Not sure where the switchover is from the Pennsylvania Railroad's system to the Metro North system (12500 V @ 60 Hz) that replaced the New Haven's system (was 11000 V @ 25 Hz), so not sure if you could still run one into Penn Station or maybe even to Sunnyside Yard. But once SEPTA gets rid of their Silverliner IV EMUs, which I think are the last equipment that can't take 60 Hz, then the incentive (other than inertia/lack of money) to keep the 25 Hz electrification will be gone, and somebody may figure that it's cheaper in the long run to replace the Pennsylvania and Reading electrification systems with something that standard parts are actually available for. So in addition to a new non-PCB transformer for a GG1 restoration, you would also have to put in a rectifier to avoid overheating the motors.
I believe there is a restored GG1 in Altoona Pennsylvania at the train museum there.
@@Lucius_Chiaraviglio And then there's the asbestos, and the lead, and probably some other ugly stuff in there that I don't know about. (Just for clarity, I'm not criticizing the design at all. The G's are classics for a reason--they were insanely good engines, and the technology and materials used were state-of-the-art when they were built. It also happens that since the 1930's, we've found some less toxic ways to cool transformers, insulate wires, and so on 🙂.)
@@brownpcsuncedu In addition to asbestos, lead, and PCBs, you also have to worry about frame cracks (in the 1980s on USEnet group rec.railroad, people posted that these were fairly widespread, making retirement urgent). Asbestos and PCBs can be removed (lead, maybe better just let it sit there and make sure it doesn't migrate or become dust), but repairing cracks due to metal fatigue is going to be a real challenge. (That said, if somebody DID figure out how to re-anneal metal fatigue cracks, that could be very useful for other purposes.)
revv 'er up...looks ready to go! :)
thank you, what is date............. you should show ID plate
what was the road number?
Did I see that thing in a Buck Rogers serial?
With all the advancements in technology, I'm surprised these locomotives can't be made to run again
One of the issues they have on top of the PCB problem is cracks starting to form in the frames and the casting process being either bypassed by technology or prohibitively expensive to recast.
Wouldn't it be nice if they could find a way around the PCB problem and frame cracking issue also is this old rivited
Is that a Geiger counter I hear? Cool vid 👍🏻
NY state fairgrounds, so AMTK 926 formerly PRR 4933? (looked at the NY State fairgrounds on Google Maps, the GG1 is VERY visible, the 3d model created shows the G and its numbers very clearly :D )
My friend was in the Otsego NY GG1, I really wanted to get in there but couldn't climb in.
It is hard it get in to, and then once inside very tight. Not a place I would want to spend a lot of time in.
Should have opened the door on the fireman's side to show the three levers for the traction motor circuits.
Now that so even more of a reason to not restore one to operation I mean if they could I would Restore it and run it on the NEC
You need to slow down the panning of the camera.
that thing is terrifying
Was this at the train museum in Roanoke? If so I was in that same cab pry 15 years ago. It was kinda scary in there and 5,000 degrees lol. Nice video 👍🏼
On the New York State Fairgrounds
This was not from Roanoke. 16 of these GG-1 currently survive.
Where was this filmed?
On The New York State Fair Grounds
That thing makes me feel claustrophobic.
Shame these things will never run again, Due to those damn PCBs.
Printed circuit boards are pretty bad. Everything should be handwired like it used to. Also, what's with all these micro transistors? Vacuum tubes are the only way to go. 😜
@@QuadMochaMatti polychlorated biphenyls
@@ftrdtuh4827 I knew that; I was just being silly - as indicated by the Emoji.
What number is on this locomotive
Original PRR 4933, PC 4933, Amtrak 4926, then final Amtrak and current 926
Doesn't the Pennsylvania RR Museum in Strsburg have 4700?
It was moved to Harrisburg quite a few years ago. The train was on display in the station until a few years ago. It was moved to allow for renovations to the station I believe. I don’t think they’ve found a place to permanently display it in a way that it’s accessible and protected from the elements at this point. I think they have a caboose as well from PRR
If you are referring to the first GG1 ("Old Rivets"), its number was 4800 after initially being numbered 4899.
I'd love to see it myself.
How'd you get in it? Do they allow people to go in it?
This belongs to the Central New York Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. I am Vice president. I have a key to it. We usually only let chapter members in it.
@@Tom-zp9bc Oh, interesting. Yea, I think I've seen this thing at the fair whenever I went. I always remember how, massive it was. Thanks for the video, it's a very interesting interior.
@@Tom-zp9bc Hey I got another question. I remember one of those old EMD's being at the state fair, they let kids walk in it and everything. I think they might have moved it or something..you remember what happened to that?
We had 2 EMD E-8 Engines painted in the Lackawanna Paint scheme on the NY Fair Grounds. We sold them to Iowa Pacific. They stopped paying on them, now we are getting a lawyer.
Tom 4 Aah okay. I remember going to the fair and wondering where they were lol. Thanks, and good luck as well.
I take it the transformers were taken out of this one as well?
Yes, after being decommissioned from Amtrak.
All that peeling paint is probably a lead based paint.
Where is this
New York State Fairgrounds
Are the transformers still present, or were they removed?
Removed due to PCBs
This GG-1 was gutted before our NRHS chapter took possession of it.
@@Thunderbolt_1000_Siren what are PCBs ?
@@Eric_Bassett Polychlorinated Biphenyl. A chemical once heavily used as an insulating agent for electrical components from the start of the industrial revolution until the 1970's. Was banned in North America and Europe in the 1970's due to its carcinogenic nature as well as being linked to several other diseases and birth defects. These gg1 locomotives had super powerful transformers that could (back then) only be cooled with pcb oil because it would absorb so much heat and never break down. After the gg1 was retired the epa mandated the removal and proper disposal of these transformers to avoid contaminating the environment when they sat. Odds are the engine compartments are still contaminated with pcb oil from when the transformers were refilled when the locos were still in service. Also note the insane amounts of lead paint flaking off the walls of the cab. I personally would not walk through this one without a hazmat suit and respirator.
@@paul06660 I don't know if you know about Cincinnati's WLW-AM old 500-kilowatt transmitter from the 1930's. The transmitter used two huge modulation transformers to generate the high RF current necessary to produce the 500-kW signal. These transformers ran very hot and required hundreds of gallons of PCB oil to cool them.
When the transmitter was decommissioned in the late 1930's, those two transformers sat, filled with their oil, for many decades, and they eventually developed leaks from years of non-use. They were finally drained after PCB oil was banned by the EPA in the 1970's, as with the GG-1's transformers.
holy crap, ive seen that one, its 926. i never could get inside, well i did not try.
I am part of the CNY NRHS. I help take care of the Train at the NY Sate Fairgrounds. We keep the GG-1 locked, but we do have to inspect it from time to time.
You people have a major project just to cosmetically restore the locomotive. Asbestos and lead abatement is a major project. Before even thinking about the repainting.
I guess it cost a lot money and time get one these legends operational. Of course the Voltage went from DC to AC and there isn't a really simple to convert these legends.
The line infrastructure is still there and pretty much the same as when these ran, it's the stepdown transformers in the loco that are the problem
I'm pretty sure they are AC
The GG1's ran on 11,000 volts 25 Hz AC, The NEC is now 25,000 volts 60 Hz AC (someone can correct me on this if I'm wrong).
To get a GG1 up and running they would need to put a new transformer in it and adapt it somehow so that the AC motors can run at 60 Hz and not 25 Hz (I have no idea how this would be done if indeed it could be done).
Also they had asbestos in them and that would all have to be removed.
Not cheap.
Like a submarine
Those are nice porcelain signs......
Probably lead paint
Talk about narrow pathways! I bet the crews hated operating the GG1 units.
They do love to operate the GG1s but you are right they hated how less space they had in them. But otherwise they still liked them.
The Fireman duties caused him/her to move inside between F&R end cabs to observe the pantographs enroute. Also the video travels from the R end to the F end passing the steam generator to the left. Overhead piping connects #2 water tank to #1 tank with a syphon valve moving the water by suction to the generator to make steam. It was a dirty important job operating the steam generator for the Engineer on his long Florida passenger train. The steam was the source of heat on the train and cooking stoves in the dining car.
Could you imagine being to over weight and getting stuck in here 😏
I never cared much for the GG1s, and even less since I saw the inside. Glad I never had to run any. All Diesel- Electric down here in SE Louisiana, except for the New Orleans Street Cars. They are electric.
Almost as sad as seeing a class 86 in a dilapidated state.
A GG1 was most definitely not a friend to a tall guy or fat guy.
Elon Musk needs to get some all electric telsa type beat energy going in these GG1's man, I'd love to see them run again.
Elon musk is not friend of electric railroads
@@solidarityrail2551 Musk is friend of stupid murder tunnels.
I wouldn't wish Elon Musk on them -- he'd probably launch one into space . . . .
@@solidarityrail2551 which I think is dumb tbh, cause electric railroads are way more sustainable than electric vehicles just by a battery/rider(s) ratio
@@JointedRail2024 that's exactly why he's against them. No profit I. Sustainability
Shame it's just rotting away
So is America, as a whole.
What a terrible setup! You couldn't even see anything out the window!
Disgrace!!
The don't look very pleasant and awful visibility with those small port hole windows
You do realize that theres aspestus in there so your in danger