Pennsylvania R.R. Let's see them!

Pennsy GG-1 entering station,

@Sitka posted:

Pennsy GG-1 entering station,

@Sitka:

The above photo brings back fond memories of many times waiting to catch a train on the platforms of both 30th Street Station, Philadelphia and Penn Station, Baltimore where you could see from a distance, the headlamp and the pin stripe "cat's whiskers" of the GG-1 silently approaching the station platform. That anticipation never got old for me.

@Randy Harrison posted:

@Sitka:

The above photo brings back fond memories of many times waiting to catch a train on the platforms of both 30th Street Station, Philadelphia and Penn Station, Baltimore where you could see from a distance, the headlamp and the pin stripe "cat's whiskers" of the GG-1 silently approaching the station platform. That anticipation never got old for me.

Thanks for sharing your memories Have to say the Williams GG-1 is a great running engine.

Just doodlin' around.....

What better place to "debut" my newly-reworked 1955 2340-25 GG1 than PRR Everyday! She needed a fair amount of work because she was damaged in shipment due to poor packing on the part of the seller. Here she is pulling the MPC-era PRR FARR #5 consist from 1984 including the stock car from 1989:

This loco is scale width and height with the length reduced by about 25% so she could negotiate the tightest O-gauge curves of the time. She couldn't have been run on "027" curves. I'm amazed at how quietly she runs. I understand she has been nicknamed "Ugly Duckling" by some, but not for me! I'd even get another one if the price is right!

@Bill Swatos posted:

What better place to "debut" my newly-reworked 1955 2340-25 GG1 than PRR Everyday! She needed a fair amount of work because she was damaged in shipment due to poor packing on the part of the seller. Here she is pulling the MPC-era PRR FARR #5 consist from 1984 including the stock car from 1989:

This loco is scale width and height with the length reduced by about 25% so she could negotiate the tightest O-gauge curves of the time. She couldn't have been run on "027" curves. I'm amazed at how quietly she runs. I understand she has been nicknamed "Ugly Duckling" by some, but not for me! I'd even get another one if the price is right!

WTG Bill, nice looking GG-1 runs great and nice looking stripes!! Hope the seller gave you a few bucks off for damage God Speed! Mark

DC. Where Maryland Ave crosses New York Ave (US Rte 50) and becomes Bladensburg Rd (MD Rte 450)……..that’s the old Pennsy Main line into Union Station, now used by Amtrak.

Let me help with the orientation......I am on Bladensburg Rd, coming from College Park into DC. The intersection after the bridge is with New York Ave. Maryland Ave is on the other side of the intersection. Union Station is perhaps two miles to the right in this shot.

Since technically, the Pennsy went out of business, in 1967, that paint has held up pretty well! Or, it’s been repainted……I don’t know……

Have a great and safe weekend, everyone!

Peter

Here is a Quality Craft N6B Cabin car kit.  I added the end detail with brass wire and brass strip and fabricated the brake stand from styrene.  I used Microscale Decals as the kit decals aged out of commission.

Bob

@Putnam Division posted:

DC. Where Maryland Ave crosses New York Ave (US Rte 50) and becomes Bladensburg Rd (MD Rte 450)……..that’s the old Pennsy Main line into Union Station, now used by Amtrak.

Let help with orientation......I am on Bladensburg Rd, coming from College Park into DC. The intersection after the bridge is with New York Ave. Maryland Ave is on the other side of the intersection. Union Station is perhaps two miles to the right in this shot.

Since technically, the Pennsy went out of business, in 1967, that paint has held up pretty well! Or, it’s been repainted……I don’t know……

Have a great and safe weekend, everyone!

Peter

Great picture thanks for sharing! Mark

My wife and I passed under that bridge many times while commuting to work in DC and Arlington from Maryland.

Patsburg celebrates Pennsy Everyday!  I bought this Pennsy trailer at one of the first York shows I ever attended.

@RRDOC posted:

Here is a Quality Craft N5B Cabin car kit.  I added the end detail with brass wire and brass strip and fabricated the brake stand from styrene.  I used Microscale Decals as the kit decals aged out of commission.

Bob

Bob,

I think you meant N6B? Either way, it came out well.

Tom

@PRR8976 posted:

Bob,

I think you meant N6B? Either way, it came out well.

Tom

Oops!

Thanks, Tom.   I corrected it.

@RRDOC posted:

Here is a Quality Craft N6B Cabin car kit.  I added the end detail with brass wire and brass strip and fabricated the brake stand from styrene.  I used Microscale Decals as the kit decals aged out of commission.

Bob

Bob great looking caboose Mark

Since we are talking about cabooses... Here's a Brassworks PRR ND and it's real life inspiration (down to the road number!)

While we are showing brass PRR cabin cars, here is a Williams, 3-rail (don't let the 2 rail- track fool you), O gauge brass ,PRR, N-5-C. It is lightly weathered for me by Harry Hieke. The photo is on Harry's finished product photo track in Harry's back yard.

Pennsy switcher moving coal cars, have a great Easter all!

Have a Great Easter Pennsy Fans,

3rd Rail F3 ABA

Have a Pennsy of a day.

Waiting in Hawley, PA today…

Hi Paul,

   Is that cabin car part of a museum?

Tom

@PRR8976 posted:

Hi Paul,

   Is that cabin car part of a museum?

Tom

Hey, Tom… hope you’re enjoying your retirement!!! The cabin car belongs to a PA short line - the Stourbridge Line which runs from Hawley, PA to Honesdale, PA.

https://www.thestourbridgeline.net

Someone told me that, until recently, it occasionally ran further south of Hawley, but one of the big storms of the last few years wiped out some tracks.

I remember seeing a story on the local news about one of the lines trips and you could ride in one of there cabeese!!! Although I’ve lived in NEPA for almost 30 years, I’ve never actually ridden on it. On another of my trips through Hawley a couple of years ago, they had a NYC Bay Window caboose on display.

Paul,

  Thanks for your thoughts ...all is well in retirement! Hope you are well, too.

   The PRR cabin car and NYC caboose looked amazing, part of American history that has mostly disappeared, sadly. Thanks for sharing pictures of both.

   Tom

Here is #477594 N5E built in 1929 at the Pennsylvania Altoona shop, was later rebuilt by the PRR with a streamlined cupola, later in life was transferred to Penn Central and then Conrail. The interior was redone the exterior still awaiting refurbishing. It found its new home in private ownership at the Remsen Depot in Remsen, NY.

The steps must have been in bad shape and were cut off/rusted off or taken off to prevent climbing on.

Thanks for posting.

Tom

@PRR8976 posted:

The steps must have been in bad shape and were cut off/rusted off or taken off to prevent climbing on.

Thanks for posting.

Tom

Have to get my truck inspected, will take ride and see if I can get some photos inside, The Adirondack Scenic Railroad still use the station, good eyes on the steps, seen that when I went to take photos couple years ago. Thanks for all the post keep them coming! Mark

Added this Custom Brass Brill model 660 diesel-electric railcar to the roster.  Modeled after road number 4666, this car still exists on the Allentown & Auburn Railroad and at least according to the website, was under restoration as of 2019.  I'm not sure of the current status.  Retired in 1965, it served briefly on the New Hope & Ivyland and then for many years on the Black River & Western after it's PRR days.  Built as a gas electric, PRR repowered their Brill cars with diesels engines in 1940.

More importantly for me, this car saw service on the NY&LB as shown in this photo taken in Sea Girt.

@GG1 4877 posted:

Added this Custom Brass Brill model 660 diesel-electric railcar to the roster.  Modeled after road number 4666, this car still exists on the Allentown & Auburn Railroad and at least according to the website, was under restoration as of 2019.  I'm not sure of the current status.  It served for many years on the Black River & Western after it's PRR days also.  Built as a gas electric, PRR repowered their Brill cars with diesels engines in 1940.

More importantly for me, this car saw service on the NY&LB as shown in this photo taken in Sea Girt.

Looks like folks were really enjoying the ride that day there in Sea Girt, NJ!

@GG1 4877 posted:

Added this Custom Brass Brill model 660 diesel-electric railcar to the roster.

@GG1 4877  Jonathan,

I'm surprised you do not have 3rd Rail's version of the Brill 660.

@Bill Swatos posted:

Looks like folks were really enjoying the ride that day there in Sea Girt, NJ!

I think this may have been an excursion looking at the decoration on the front.  I did some research, and it appears two Brill cars were used in service between Red Bank and Trenton using the Freehold Agricultural Branch.  I found an old map, but I'm not sure what the exact route was.  Time for more research or better yet, find some old train schedules!

I can say I'd enjoy that ride.  I think I may have ridden this car when it was on the Black River & Western in the 1970's.  I know we rode the train there as a family vacation as a child, I just don't remember if we rode behind the steam locomotive or the doodlebug.

@CAPPilot posted:

@GG1 4877  Jonathan,

I'm surprised you do not have 3rd Rail's version of the Brill 660.

I've been outbid on those more times than I care to admit!

* Edit - I just saw a 3rd Rail one on that auction site.  I can say I paid quite a bit less for my Custom Brass version!

A little extra electric HP for those PRR freight trains in a KTM built Custom Brass FF2*.  Edited to reflect the fact that I mistyped this!  This is a former Great Northern Y-1 that the PRR purchased in 1955 to supplement their freight fleet of electrics and classified as FF2.  Thanks Bob for pointing that out!

GG1 4890 sits on siding waiting for its' next assignment.

@GG1 4877_ - WOW what detail!  Beautiful engine Johathan

Best Wishes

Don

@GG1 4877 posted:

A little extra electric HP for those PRR freight trains in a KTM built Custom Brass FF1.

Jonathan, I'm pretty sure you know that the ex-GN Y-1 boxcabs became PRR class FF2.  The one and only FF1 was "Big Liz" from 1917.  That is a nicely-detailed model.  How does it run?

@Bob posted:

Jonathan, I'm pretty sure you know that the ex-GN Y-1 boxcabs became PRR class FF2.  The one and only FF1 was "Big Liz" from 1917.  That is a nicely-detailed model.  How does it run?

Bob - Wow.  I meant to type FF2 and typed FF1.  I need to fix that!

It just arrived yesterday and I have not test run it yet. It's pretty basic.  Vertical can motors with a worm that turns a main gear on the center driver of each driving truck and a chain drive to the other drivers.  I suspect it will run a bit rough, but overall with some lubrication I think it will be an okay runner. 

More GG-1s running the rails

@GG1 4877 posted:

A little extra electric HP for those PRR freight trains in a KTM built Custom Brass FF2*.  Edited to reflect the fact that I mistyped this!  This is a former Great Northern Y-1 that the PRR purchased in 1955 to supplement their freight fleet of electrics and classified as FF2.  Thanks Bob for pointing that out!

Jonathan and Bob.  Your back and forth got me interested in knowing a bit more about this PRR engine.  I'm not much into motors, plus these 7 engines were bought beyond my layout's era, but it was interesting reading.  Unlike Pennsy's GG1 and P5a, which had an transformer to lower the AC line voltage for the AC traction motors, these ex-GN engines had DC traction motors and used motor-generator sets to rectify the AC line voltage into DC.   That seems like an inefficient way to do it.

@CAPPilot posted:

Jonathan and Bob.  Your back and forth got me interested in knowing a bit more about this PRR engine.  I'm not much into motors, plus these 7 engines were bought beyond my layout's era, but it was interesting reading.  Unlike Pennsy's GG1 and P5a, which had an transformer to lower the AC line voltage for the AC traction motors, these ex-GN engines had DC traction motors and used motor-generator sets to rectify the AC line voltage into DC.   That seems like an inefficient way to do it.

The history of these motors on the PRR is certainly a brief one.  They were purchased cheaply to fill a gap between the aging and ailing P5a fleet until the E44 fleet would ultimately come online.  PRR did not treat these motors well either.  They had plain bearings designed for 35 mph maximum speeds, but the PRR operated freight trains at 50 mph.  I have read that the bearings frequently overheated in service.  However, the 7 motors served their purpose and are an interesting note in PRR motive power.  They only lasted on the roster for 10 years between 1956 and 1966.  Since I am pretty loose with my PRR modeling eras and locales, this will work well even if it never truly saw the rails of the N&YLB.  I'll find an excuse as to why one made its way to South Amboy.  It probably came via Jamesburg if anyone asks!

I honestly am not sure on the reasoning to use DC traction motors.  However, if I were to surmise, I would suspect it is due to GEs long association with Alco in the diesel electric market.  Alco started producing diesel electrics around this time and GE provided the electrical components.  Diesel electric traction motors have traditionally been DC.  DC motors also have the benefit finer control.  Not sure if that maters on a heavy electric locomotive.  I would love to learn more on this topic as well.