GG1 An American Classic 2of4 

Speaking of the size of the GG-1 wheels, after the GG-1's were retired, a tourist railroad was in need of replacement tires for their steam locomotive. It turned out that some leftover GG-1 tires at the Wilmington Shops fit the steam locomotive fine.

Trivia: at speed, GG1's were impossible to communicate in. Full yells in the operators ear were barely audible. The noise was so tremendous, the rail road stopped hearing tests because of the pervasive deafness.

old trains are really beautiful

Man I love the old stuff like the GG1! Give it a thumbs up!

Raymond Loewy designed a real piece of railroad that people still are in awe of.

The large driver wheels were the characteristic that first attracted me to the GG1 as a toddler.

Eugene was the fastest engineer that we had here on the Pennsylvania railroad

The first time I seen a GG-1 electric locomotive was early 1963 it was pulling a Northbound freight through Ridley Park going past the SEPTA Crum Lynn station, I would see many more of the GG-1's pulling many freights, passenger trains such as The Broadway Limited, Silver Meteror, the Congressionals, the Florida Special, Silver Star on the Pennsylvania, later Penn Central, Amtrak. My very first Amtrak train ride was on the Silver Meteror from Richmond, VA to WIlmington, DE on 1/31/1974. from Washington, DC & on North to New York City the GG-1 would pull the trains. That was a great engine. Electric railroads is the smart way to go for high speed freight, passenger and commuter service.

I was a student engineer on the PC NJ Div starting in 1974. I swear that this is the late Cliff Underwood. I worked with him on many REL jobs out of Waverley 5. He and his brother where from Tennessee.

At 5:30 She's pulled long & regal trains and had her share of lore. The Broadway, The Crescent, The Silver Meteor. They're a part of this great land, they're a lasting legend. Racing down the mainline with the 4877. BTW, the stone arch bridge at 5:14 is in Elizabeth, NJ. The clock tower in the background (Elizabeth train station) is now restored.

Famous folks have rode behind her--Plain ones done it, too.There's congressmen & presidents--She got them all through. When Navy's played Army, her trains brought quite a few, But everywhere she goes is great when she takes me & you. Ol' Big Red--Speeding up & down the line. Ol' Big Red--Gets her people there on time. She's a mighty GG1--my favorite, you see. Her 50 years of service won a place in history.

"Lay right in there, steady as a rock"...

Wow! Look at the Arrows when they were nice and new. Those are still dying a slow death.

@157RANDOM According to the end credits on the last part, the vocalist was Altha Lynn Cook.

"The GG1 is the DC-3 of the locomotive indusrry"

"Give her twenty-five lbs and when she quits exhausting notch her back to the second notch. And she'd rock up there and stop as beautiful as you please."

Yes, the designers of the GGs used a NH EP-3 as the inspiration for the engine!!!

those GG1s are beautiful

Thanks for Posting this Treasure Olbidred4877 :)

Thanks this is so great!i can’t stop watching !❤️🙌🏻🔥

Beautiful!

Many locomotives share the same chassis - Under the Alco C628 is a PRR E44!!!

3:07 look at the suspension movement!

@157RANDOM The song's name is Old Big Red.

The PRR/PC/SEPTA Silverliner II/IIIs served even longer than the GG1...

3:33 AEM-7

Anyone else notice UP's 3985 thundering down the line around 1:18?

Mind blowing video.

I hope Alstom in Belfort France will produce a GG-1 look-alike in 2035 for the SNCF in European Berne loading gauge parameters able to use 25KV AC 50HZ, 15KV AC 16.7HZ. 1.5 KV DC and 3KV DC. It would be the perfect homage to the original GG-1.

Idk why people didn’t talk about those things that I just noticed, so let me just put the timestamps so you know what I’m talking about Amtrak AEM-7 pass by on the left side of the NJT GG1 locomotive 3:34 NJT Arrow III MU locomotive pass by on the right side of the NJT GG1 locomotive 4:26 Newark Penn Station in 1983 8:18 The Passaic River of Newark, and the Dock Bridge’s original color paint scheme in 1983 9:15

I never got to see one actually move but saw some as a kid that were in service near Washington DC.

wow a clip of 3985 when it still burned coal lol

That FDR at 0:15

It appears electric rail lines are rather rare in North America these days. The only electric line in Canada that I know of was the old Tumbler Ridge sub on the BCR, run by GMD GF6C locomotives. It was not a passenger service, but rather for hauling coal trains from the mines in Tumbler Ridge.

1:24 very rare footage of 3985 running on coal. She ran on coal after her restoration for a few years before she was officially switched to Bunker No.5 Fuel Oil.

I wish there was a gg1 going 185mph

And also In the United railroad historical society of new jersey, gg1 #4879 will be restored and it will be painted into a new jersey transit gg1 And it will be a reliable gg1 And new wheels and pantograph as the acs-64s and top speed up to 180mph and it can travel up to 170mph in prinction junction and in mamaroneck is from 85mph to 135mph and it will be pulling 4 coaches and one cab car will have a new top speed up to 180mph and it can travel up to 170mph too. And

@warszawianka Same I hate those "flying toasters" fro Amtrak

The B&O Railroad Museum has it's sister, 4876, which is awaiting restoration. Sadly, she has fallen victim to the elements and vandals.

No no no, the EMD F7 is the American classics

Did you use the 16mm or VHS as sold by the Autorino's? I bought a 16mm from MIke in 1984 and it is a prized film in my collection. Always a hit when it is shown to groups

@towringer thanks

@warszawianka spoken like a true railroader

How did that film camera survive @ :03?

A thought: If a G were to haul the Chattanooga Choo-Choo NYP-WAS, as would have been likely in the 1940s, would you have time to finish your magazine by the time you hit Baltimore?

3:56 How Did The Camera Was Looking Up At The GG1?

Has anyone uploaded the entire opening song?

The only GG1's ive ever seen were a static preserved units. (IF you count model,s I have a red Rivarossi one that I don't know how/.if it can accept Kadee couplers to pull my cars

So, where is 4877 today?

is this avabile on DVD? this is just classic wow one of the best locomotives ever built

jersey central clock tower at 5:15

@MrCagivaman Swiss Crocodiles?

I had no idea that the GG1 was so noisy. Why was that?

@BigRichMann Well, that particular engineer thought the GG-1 was "an engineer's engine".

What is the song and artist that we hear at the beginning?

@towringer wuts the name of that song

You know they would be brutal on the Concrete ties. The modern concrete ties couldn't handle an E-60 Which like the GG1 although the E-60 is UGLY, they both were VERY heavy. I think the AEM7's Swedish Meatballs. even as utilitarian built they are lighter and have far better power to weight than the old monsters.

I'll take a GG-1 over an HHP-8 or a Swedish Meatball any day.

is there any way to download that song? I cant find it on the web anywhere.

@towringer who sings it

Steam locomotive by itself I think was a challenger?

Isn't the GG1 is the express engine for New Jersey Transit?

Yo that camera is gone. 0:03

@ma7799 Check out swiss crocodile locomotive here and now on You Tube

The Swiss Crocodiles were still operating when this was made. So the large driving wheels story is wrong.

pantograph at 3:51

I'm a vampire.

4877 is going to run again?

I agree. The WCG1 series of locomotives which were based on the swiss crocodiles were being actively used in 1983 in the Mumbai suburban area of Indian Railways mostly as switchers and for light freight operations.

but soon, PRR/Acela #4859 will reach 185mph in prinction junction and Harrison and soon it will reach 190mph this year

and it will go under a restoration from February to march and it's very very very fast restoration

Underneath it's a New Haven Railroad EP-3.

"...en engineers engine?!? The last former GG-1 engineer i talked to (who works Amtrak) said they sucked to see out of, the seats (if you could call them that) were hard as he plywood they were made out of etc. He had nothing good to say about it... I love the engine but tell the truth!..