Pennsylvania Railroad 4859
40°15′45″N 76°52′40″W / 40.26250°N 76.87778°W
| Pennsylvania Railroad 4859 | |
|---|---|
GG1 | |
| First run | January 15, 1938 |
| Retired | November 22, 1979 |
| Restored | August 12–November 15, 1986 |
| Current owner | Harrisburg Chapter, National Railway Historical Society |
| Disposition | On static display |
| Official name | Electric Locomotive No. 4859 |
| Designated | August 19, 1982 |
| Reference no. | 82003797[1] |
| Official name | Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 Streamlined Electric Locomotive #4859 |
| Designated | May 5, 2004 |
| Reference no. | 04000399[1] |
Pennsylvania Railroad 4859 is a
Conrail. 4859 pulled the first electrically powered train from Philadelphia to Harrisburg on January 15, 1938. It was used in various freight and passenger service until November 22, 1979, when it pulled the last GG1-powered freight train on November 22, 1979. Originally located in Strasburg, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 and was moved to its current location in 1986. It was designated the state electric locomotive of Pennsylvania in 1987 by the Pennsylvania General Assembly
and was re-listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
Background
The GG1 was developed in 1930s by
R1. The Pennsylvania selected the GG1 over the R1, as the R1 was not articulated and the GG1's traction motors were similar to ones already in use.[3] An order for 57 GG1s was placed in November 1934 and the first locomotives were delivered in April 1935.[4]
pinstripes, nicknamed "cat's whiskers", which was eventually applied by the Pennsylvania to all of its locomotives for the next 20 years.[5]
History
4859 was built in December 1937 at the Pennsylvania Railroad's
sirens leading some residents, who were unaware of the event, to believe that Nazi Germany was invading.[9]
4859 was regeared to have a top speed of 90 miles per hour (140 km/h) when it was shifted to freight duty in 1964. Although used primarily for freight, 4859 continued to pull "Clockers", short-haul passenger trains from New York to Philadelphia, and commuter trains on the New York and Long Branch Railroad.[10] 4859, accompanied by PRR 4887, pulled the last freight train to be powered by a GG1 from the Enola Yard in Enola, Pennsylvania, to Edgemoor, Delaware, before being retired by Conrail on November 29, 1979.
Preservation
After its retirement, 4859 was purchased for $13,000 by the Harrisburg chapter of the
sandblasted, primed and repainted back to its original 1938 appearance.[13][14] The main transformer was removed and drained of the hazardous polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) used as coolant.[13]
4859 was listed on the
K4s locomotives as the state steam locomotives in the same bill.[16] 4859 was listed on National Register of Historic Places for a second time on May 5, 2004.[1] "Soft" materials, like insulation, were removed from the cab in 2005 on orders from the United States Environmental Protection Agency to remove residual contamination from the PCBs.[17] In 2010, 4859 received some cosmetic restoration of its truck assemblies which were re-painted black to eliminate a noticeable coating of rust. On April 5, 2014, the locomotive and its caboose were temporarily moved west of the Transportation Center, approximately 1,000 feet (300 m), to a siding, and covered with tarpaulins[18] to allow Amtrak to perform renovation work on the station's catenary, signals, switches and tracks.[18] By October 17, 2015, the renovations were complete enough to allow 4859 to return to the station, though the project overall remains in progress.[19]
See also
- List of Pennsylvania state symbols
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
Notes
- ^ PRR 4863 is often credited with pulling the inaugural train due to a mislabeling of an original print.[6] 4863 actually had pulled the first westbound train to Philadelphia, departing an hour after 4859 had arrived in Harrisburg. This mistake is also repeated in Bezilla's Electric Traction on the Pennsylvania Railroad, 1895–1968.[7]
Footnotes
- ^ a b c d "NPS Focus". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
- ^ Bezilla 1980, pp. 141–142.
- ^ a b Bezilla 1980, p. 145.
- ^ Bezilla 1980, pp. 145, 147.
- ^ a b Bezilla 1980, p. 146.
- ^ Cupper 1982, sec. 8, p. 5.
- ^ Bezilla 1980, p. 159.
- ^ Cupper 1982, sec. 8, p. 3.
- ^ Blankenship, Karl (January 15, 1988). "50 years ago, electric train rolled into city". The Patriot. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. p. B2.
- ^ a b Cupper, Dan (November 15, 1986). Remarks at GG1 4859 Dedication (Speech). Harrisburg. Archived from the original on December 31, 2008. Retrieved December 15, 2009.
- ^ "Work to begin on locomotive". The Patriot. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. August 12, 1986. p. A6.
- ^ Blankenship, Karl (August 13, 1986). "Train electrifies greeters". The Patriot. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. p. A18.
- ^ a b Cupper 1982, sec. 7, p. 1.
- ^ Cupper 1982, sec. 8, p. 4..
- ^ Cupper 2002, sec. 8, p. 4.
- ^ Act of Dec. 18, 1987, P.L. 421, No. 89.
- ^ Cupper 2002, sec. 7, pp. 1–2.
- ^ a b Kiner, Deb (March 28, 2014). "Historic locomotive at Harrisburg Transportation Center will be temporarily relocated". The Patriot-News. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
- ^ Miller, Barbara (October 27, 2015). "Historic GG1 locomotive to be moved today at Harrisburg Transportation Center". The Patriot-News. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pennsylvania Railroad 4859.
- Bezilla, Michael (1980). Electric Traction on the Pennsylvania Railroad, 1895–1968. OCLC 5336721.
- Cupper, Dan (July 12, 1982). "Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 Streamlined Electric Locomotive #4859". National Archives Catalog. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
- Cupper, Dan (August 2002). "Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 Streamlined Electric Locomotive #4859". National Archives Catalog. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
