Product Features and Details
Prototype: Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) type GG-1 heavy general purpose locomotive. Wheel arrangement 4-6-6-4. Built by General Electric and Westinghouse. Original version in Brunswick green design.
Model: With digital decoder, controlled high-efficiency propulsion, and sound effects generator with many functions. High-efficiency motor with centrally installed bellshaped armature. 4 powered axles in each draw frame. 4 traction tires. Articulated frame to enable unit to negotiate sharp curves with 2 sets of powered wheels and 2 sets of carrying wheels. Headlights are maintenance-free LED's. Headlights and interior lighting work in conventional operation and can be controlled digitally. Fan operating sound effects, as well as acceleration and braking delay can be digitally controlled with Control Unit or Systems. Additional operating sound effects can be digitally controlled with Systems. High-performance speaker. Large American design pantograph. Length over couplings 28.0 cm / 11-1/32".
Loewys Crocodile. In the 30's in the middle of the deepest depression, the Pennsylvania Railroad PRR ventured to electrify their main routes in the eastern United States. The gigantic project included the repair and reinforcement of railway track, construction of new tunnels with greater diameters, as well as integration of suburban railways. The first stretch extended from Washington via Baltimore, Wilmington, and Philadelphia to Penn Station in New York (including the suburban lines under the Hudson River). All that was missing was the suitable locomotive; up to that point the PRR's long distance passenger trains were steam-powered. A multi-year trial phase commenced. At the end of the trial a prototype built by General Electric and Baldwin in 1934 with 4-6-6-4 wheel arrangement, was declared the winner. The GG-1's data are impressive: 6 twin motors (a pair for each axle) output a total of 3445 kW (4620 HP) with peaks even exceeding 5965 kW (8000 HP). The pilot truck diameter is 1.45 m (57 inches) the total weight 208 t (460 000 pounds), the length 23 m (79.5 feet). The GG-1 reached speeds of 145 km/h (90 miles/h). The year before a designer, originally from France, applied for employment at the PRR. Most likely to get rid of him he was assigned to design the trash containers in Penn Station New York. The result was so impressive that he was invited to make a few suggestions for the design of the GG-1. Raymond Loewy, pursued the task with thorough precision. Instead of the coarse, riveted superstructures of the prototype, he came up with a smooth-surface design. He provided an elegant, dynamic package for the mighty power of this machine. The superstructures have the effect of all being from the same cast, they are harmoniously rounded and flow into each other without interruption. Five, sharply converging gold stripes on a dark green scheme underline the elegance. An the 10th of February 1935 the PRR placed the electrified stretch between Washington and New York in operation. Thanks to its power reserves, the GG-1 shortened travel times and compressed the timetable. Consequently the PRR also electrified its routes to the west. In total the PRR has 4300 km (2677 miles) under wire, that is more than 40 percent of the total electrified network of the USA. Daily 3500 passenger trains operate on the PRR network. The 137 GG-1's pull more than 900 trains a day, including the prestigious express trains between New York and Washington. After replacing the drive mechanism, the GG-1 has a second career pulling freight trains which it usually pulls as a double unit.
A wider shoe may be required for the pantograph for the operation of a catenary, which is tensioned in a zigzag or curve. A matching attachment is available as single part: 611073.
