Were they just worn out? Or did the railroad(s) decide to change the power distribution which obsoleted them?

Several reasons, the truck castings developed cracks which were continually welded in addition to other serious mechanical failures. The main transformer contained polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) which had multiple Government restrictions on usage. Therefore it became to costly for NJ Transit the last operator of the GG-1's to continue them in service and retirement was their only option. Jerry

Thanks. I was aware of the PCBs, but not the frame cracks.

I guess the bigger the truck frames, the more they were subject to cracks. That's what spelled the end to the Rock Island's famous Alco DL109, #621, many years ago.

Considering the current state of the economy and the fuel situation, would it not be worth looking into overhauling the ones that remain intact to comply with modern standards today? Or study them and see if one could be built using today's technology?

If I am not mistaken don't the gg1's require 25 hz ac current also?

It would be much more costly to try to replicate a GG-1 than buying new ALP-46 motors. NJ Transit uses these German designed engines to pull 10 double decker cars into NYP. Thus far, after a transformer glitch at delivery,they have performed with very few issues. As for using the remaining GG-1's (there are probably only 1 or 2 that could run) that would be out of the question for numerous reasons, perhaps the biggest being they would need a new step down transformer, parts would not be available and other than nostalgia there would be no economic reason to do so. And yes they did run on 25 Hz. Jerry

quote:

Several reasons, the truck castings developed cracks which were continually welded in addition to other serious mechanical failures. The main transformer contained polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) which had multiple Government restrictions on usage. Therefore it became to costly for NJ Transit the last operator of the GG-1's to continue them in service and retirement was their only option. Jerry

You also forgot the Amtrak power distribution upgrade to 60 cycles 50hz on the NEC... up from the PRR 12kw [I believe?] which NJT was also implementing on their electrified lines as well... esp the NY&LB. That along with your aging issues adding to the cost to maintain an almost 50 year old loco was the deathnell of the GG1. I believe the FRA has strict restrcitions on locos and cars 50 years and older for interchange.

I've always heard that the cycle conversion (25 to 60) was scheduled but never took place. Can any body fill in here? IMO, age and extreme use caught up with the GG1. They oulasted the K4's, E7's ad E8's and almost matched their first electric "replacements" the E60's. They were truly an amazing class of motive power.

One of the big benefits to PCB transformers is the fact that the oil that cooled the transformers was not flammable. That allowed transformers inside buildings, and in this case, inside an engine.

Maybe someone knows if there is an exact replacement. If not, that would be another nail in the re-use question.

25 kV 60 Hz Amtrak/MBTA: New Haven - Boston and NJTransit: Morris and Essex Lines.

12.5 kV 60 Hz MNCR: New Caanan Branch; Woodlawn - New Haven
NJTransit: North Jersey Coast Line (South Amboy to Long Branch)

11.3 kV 25 Hz NJTransit: Princeton Branch off NEC, North Jersey Coast Line (Rahway [NEC] to South Amboy) and Amtrak: Washingtom - New Rochelle (MP 14.9, between Mt. Vernon and Pelham), Harrisburg - Philadelphia

I believe these to be accurate.

I'll shill for the GG1 all day long, but the reality was that they were really showing their age by the 1980's. In 1983, NJT had 13 total and only 6 were operational with 3 being used regularly as I recall (I was only 14 then!). While they were much more reliable than the E60s, which only had a short stint on NJT, the fact is that most had run between 3 million and 5 million miles (most likely somewhere in between as NJT owned the remaining class of 1939 motors).

The list has already been pretty well spelled out so I won't go into repeating the details, but sadly their time had come.

Out of the remaining locomotives the only one that would have a prayer of operating again might be 4935 at the Pennsylvania Railroad Museum. Amtrak put a lot of work into it in 1977 before it was retired in 1981. While it is in pristine condition, the chance of it actually running is closer to 0% than 1%.

Now if I could just raise about $2-3 million in capital to retrofit one with modern equipment there would be a barely more realistic option. Anyone care to donate?

I was a North Jersey Coast Line commuter in 1983. The 4879 powered 3323, my regular train, on the evening of October 28, 1983. 3323 was the last revenue train pulled by a G as 3327, the next NJCL man scheduled out of NYP, was assigned an E60. NJ Transit threw the big farewell bash for the G's in Matawan the next morning and officially retired the locomotives from active service the following Monday.

From a hobbyist perspective, I was very fond of the G's but from a commuting standpoint, as Jonathan said, their time had come. In order to maximize my chances of avoiding G related road failures and subsequent late arrival at the office, diesel service operating on former CNJ schedules with connecting Amtrak "Clocker" service at Newark was a more reliable alternative in the mornings. I didn't care as much going home as I enjoyed the comfort of a single seat ride after a long day at the office.

Bob