Hi All,
Returning after a long hiatus, and I find you all mucking around in my corner.
Romance of steam? Oh puleeze. Ever run one of those things on a 100 degree August day? Even for only 9 miles? I agree that there is something interesting about a machine that hangs all of it's underthings out for all to see. We have an engine modeled after a british loco, and it's a bugger to fire on a hot day, you can't get away from it. You wear long sleeves just to keep the hair on your arm.
The GG1 is a good engine for the bookkeepping department. Ever sit in one? You are running an engine from a phone booth. High voltage electrical gear just beyond your ear. Ergonomics wasn't Loey's strong suit.
There was a fella here that ran one of those things in mainline service. Had a three or four lightweight car intermediate length run. Tooling along at about 60 MPH coming up to a slow order. Dropped a couple of pounds of air to slow things down, no change on the speedo, or amp guage. Few more pounds, still no change. Few more. Radio crackles. Conductor swearing a blue streak. Seems that all of the car wheels are locked up and bouncing along. Loco never noticed.
The GG1 was rated at 5000 hp, with a 5 minute 3000HP overload rating for a total of 8000HP for hillclimbs, or starting.
My grandfathers collection has pictures of the first GG1 into Harrisburg PA.
I gotta scan some things if anybody's interested.
Power directors office Harrisburg PA, Catenary line crew Paoli PA
Power directors office is still there, and untouched except to black out trackage that is removed.
Have a picture of my grandfather sitting at his desk, and me, in the same pose, same desk 50 some odd years later.
Trainwire
