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Thanks for reminding people of this.  We are members and my wife and I took the kids yesterday.  They enjoyed the toy trains, but really enjoyed seeing the big steam engines in the work shop behind the roundhouse. 

 

The only thing I don't like about the museum is that when you take the excursion ride, you see the dilapidated GG1 locomotive they were going to restore.  I hate to see a magnificent machine like that in such a state of disrepair.  That being said, the museum had to prioritize after the big roundhouse roof collapse, and it was inevitable there would be things that couldn't get done.

Last edited by RAL
Originally Posted by RAL:

Thanks for reminding people of this.  We are members and my wife and I took the kids yesterday.  They enjoyed the toy trains, but really enjoyed seeing the big steam engines in the work shop behind the roundhouse. 

 

The only thing I don't like about the museum is that when you take the excursion ride, you see the dilapidated GG1 locomotive they were going to restore.  I hate to see a magnificent machine like that in such a state of disrepair.  That being said, the museum had to prioritize after the big roundhouse roof collapse, and it was inevitable there would be things that couldn't get done.

I don't recall there ever being a plan to restore that engine. It is better off as scrap and is way to far gone. I seem to remember even the museum saying it may be to far gone. Not worth it especially when some of the finest GG1 examples are an hour or so away. 

 

The Museum will likely never restore that engine nor display it. Not enough room and ANOTHER GG1 should NOT take priority over the priceless artifacts at Mt. Clare such as the Mason, President Washington, Yellowbelly, 19th Century Steam collection, etc, etc, etc. 

In my opinion the GG1 number 4876, the one at the B&O Museum being mentioned here, is a historic GG1.  It is the one that crashed through Union Station back in 1953 as it lost breaks pulling "The Federal" bringing people to Ike's Inauguration.  This locomotive was removed from the station by cutting it up in pieces, hauled back to Altoona on flat cars, reassembled,  and was back in full service by the end of 1953.  Quite remarkable!  It should be preserved and,  again in my opinion, shares an importance somewhat parallel to 4800 ( Old Rivets ), which btw is rotting outside at the Pennsylvania RR Museum, and 4935 which is beautifully restored inside the Pennsylvania RR Museum.  These 3 GG1s are in my opinion the most important and its a shame that the B&O museum has let this engine, 4876, waste away.  

 

As I understand it, The B&O Museum was approached several years, and curators, ago with the idea of establishing a "Friends of the 4876" and the idea was rejected by the then curator.  This was really a most unfortunate decision on the part of the B&O museum because GG1s were part of Baltimore's ( and Maryland's ) rail history.  Yes GG1s are not B&O equipment but again 4876 has a most remarkable story.  There is a 1960s photo of 4876 pulling a passenger train through Arbutus, Md. 

 

Perhaps I'm slow to renew my membership at the B&O for this reason.... and the B&O is my favorite railroad too!  No doubt the B&O Museum is a great museum but they really blundered on letting the 4876 rot away.

Originally Posted by trumptrain:

In my opinion the GG1 number 4876, the one at the B&O Museum being mentioned here, is a historic GG1.  It is the one that crashed through Union Station back in 1953 as it lost breaks pulling "The Federal" bringing people to Ike's Inauguration.  This locomotive was removed from the station by cutting it up in pieces, hauled back to Altoona on flat cars, reassembled,  and was back in full service by the end of 1953.  Quite remarkable!  It should be preserved and,  again in my opinion, shares an importance somewhat parallel to 4800 ( Old Rivets ), which btw is rotting outside at the Pennsylvania RR Museum, and 4935 which is beautifully restored inside the Pennsylvania RR Museum.  These 3 GG1s are in my opinion the most important and its a shame that the B&O museum has let this engine, 4876, waste away.  

 

As I understand it, The B&O Museum was approached several years, and curators, ago with the idea of establishing a "Friends of the 4876" and the idea was rejected by the then curator.  This was really a most unfortunate decision on the part of the B&O museum because GG1s were part of Baltimore's ( and Maryland's ) rail history.  Yes GG1s are not B&O equipment but again 4876 has a most remarkable story.  There is a 1960s photo of 4876 pulling a passenger train through Arbutus, Md. 

 

Perhaps I'm slow to renew my membership at the B&O for this reason.... and the B&O is my favorite railroad too!  No doubt the B&O Museum is a great museum but they really blundered on letting the 4876 rot away.

I would hardly call an engine worthy of preservation just because it was involved in a wreck and it is in no way more important than the 19th  Century Steam Collection, C&O 490, E8, etc, etc . A group approached the museum but finances and moving it got in the way as I recall and I seem to remember an issue where they "didn't keep their mouths shut" further killing the deal. It was not, as I recall, an issue with museum management. The issue was with the outside group. 

 

If it was up to me, she'd already be pushed down to that scrapyard at the end of the "first mile" and the money used for far more important projects. 

Last edited by SJC

Very interesting discussion!  I guess I come down on the side of preservation, if only because of the historical timing of the accident, right before the Eisenhower Inauguration, and the fact that the locomotive was cut up into pieces and then reassembled at Altoona.  I also have the personal bias that I was 9 years old at the time and vividly remember the photos in the papers. Plus, the Federal was the train my Dad used to ride on business trips to Boston.

However, it does look in rough shape. Here's a photo I took from the excursion train on November 29 of this year.

 

 

4876gg1 11-29-2013 12-08-15 PM

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  • 4876gg1 11-29-2013 12-08-15 PM
Originally Posted by colorado hirailer:

Besides these three, before you scrap the one in Balitmore, are there other GG-1's

preserved?  Sounds like the B&O one might at least provide parts for the outdoors

one at Strasburg.  A tour of Altoona did not reveal a warehouse of parts for these.

16 GG1s are preserved, in various conditions. There are plenty to go around as it is. Plus, there ain't much left on the B&O's specimen...

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