raymac46 Posted June 12, 2021 Share Posted June 12, 2021 In the early 1960s the Pennsylvania Railroad needed to replace its fleet of streamlined GG1 electric locomotives which they had been operating since the 1930s. The E44 was their solution - powerful but ugly. It became known as The Brick. The E44 started out as a freight locomotive and the GG1s hung on for a while as the passenger loco of choice. The last GG1 was retired in 1983 after close to 50 years of use. At one point the Pennsylvania Railroad was thinking about electrification for its entire route, but financial problems, mergers and eventually bankruptcy put an end to their plans. The E44s were used by Conrail and eventually by Amtrak but they too have been retired. They were not fast enough for high speed passenger use. If you visit the Pennsylvania Railroad Museum in Strasburg you can see an actual E44 that has been preserved. And this is the classic Art Deco GG1 that it replaced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securitybreach Posted June 12, 2021 Share Posted June 12, 2021 I used to live in Altoona, PAl and while I do not really care about trains (besides having to wait for one to go by), at one time that was the largest rail hub in the US. They have huge train yards downtown in the city and some really old ones painted up for all to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raymac46 Posted June 12, 2021 Author Share Posted June 12, 2021 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securitybreach Posted June 12, 2021 Share Posted June 12, 2021 Neat but I thought it was a video about it or something. Neat live camera but nothing is going on it right now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securitybreach Posted June 12, 2021 Share Posted June 12, 2021 I was in Altoona for 3 years but it was just too cold for me. Beautiful place but 9 months of snow every year. Of course, it didn't help that I lived in Florida for 13 years before moving to Pennsylvania. Big change in climate...less than a month total of a very mild winter to full on winter for most of the years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raymac46 Posted June 12, 2021 Author Share Posted June 12, 2021 The Pennsylvania Railroad is now owned by CSX, which is a combination of many famous railroads - New York Central, Pennsylvania, Chesapeake and Ohio, Baltimore and Ohio, Louisville and Nashville, Seaboard, Atlantic Coast Line and many more. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raymac46 Posted June 12, 2021 Author Share Posted June 12, 2021 I visited Altoona many years ago and I agree it is beautiful. Of course winter doesn't bother me at all. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raymac46 Posted June 12, 2021 Author Share Posted June 12, 2021 That camera and many others is for train nuts who like watching out for train traffic. This is probably the best one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securitybreach Posted June 12, 2021 Share Posted June 12, 2021 Neat stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securitybreach Posted June 12, 2021 Share Posted June 12, 2021 I just find them a pain in the rear and find it ridiculous that people have been waiting for trains to pass for hundreds of years. You would think that we would come up with a better option. At least require all passes to have a road going above or below them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raymac46 Posted June 12, 2021 Author Share Posted June 12, 2021 Things are getting worse at level crossings as railroads have figured out how to make trains over three miles in length now, and their new scheduling practises mean that this happens more often than not. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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