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Pennsylvania Railroad 4876 was a
GG1 The Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 is a class of streamlined electric locomotives built for the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), in the northeastern United States. The class was known for its striking art deco shell, its ability to pull trains at up to 10 ...
-class
electric locomotive An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or on-board energy storage such as a battery or a supercapacitor. Locomotives with on-board fuelled prime movers, such as diesel engines or gas ...
built in January 1939 at the PRR's
Altoona Works Altoona Works (also known as Altoona Terminal) is a large railroad industrial complex in Altoona, Pennsylvania. It was built between 1850 and 1925 by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), to supply the railroad with locomotives, railroad cars and relat ...
in
Altoona, Pennsylvania Altoona is a city in Blair County, Pennsylvania. It is the principal city of the Altoona Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The population was 43,963 at the time of the 2020 Census, making it the eighteenth most populous city in Pennsylvania. ...
,
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. It is best known for being involved in an accident on January 15, 1953, when the locomotive overran a
buffer stop A buffer stop, bumper, bumping post, bumper block or stopblock (US), is a device to prevent railway vehicles from going past the end of a physical section of track. The design of the buffer stop is dependent, in part, on the kind of couplings ...
, crashed into the concourse of
Union Station A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...
in
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
and fell partway into the basement after the train's brakes failed. Due to the major crowds expected for the upcoming inauguration of
Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
, 4876 was lowered the rest of the way into the basement and a temporary floor was erected overhead. After the inauguration, the locomotive's frame and superstructure was essentially scrapped on site, with all the reusable components shipped back to Altoona,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, to reconstruct a replacement 4876, which operated for another 30 years.


Background

The GG1 was developed in the 1930s by
General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...
as the replacement for the Pennsylvania Railroad's then standard electric locomotive, the P5a, and was based largely on the New Haven EP3. The GG1 was capable of a top speed of , powered by its twelve
traction motor A traction motor is an electric motor used for propulsion of a vehicle, such as locomotives, electric vehicle, electric or hydrogen vehicles, elevators or electric multiple unit. Traction motors are used in electrically powered rail vehicles (ele ...
s. The prototype GG1, PRR 4800, was tested against Westinghouse's submission, the R1. The Pennsylvania selected the GG1 over the R1, as the R1 was not
articulated An articulated vehicle is a vehicle which has a permanent or semi-permanent pivot joint in its construction, allowing it to turn more sharply. There are many kinds, from heavy equipment to buses, trams and trains. Steam locomotives were someti ...
and the GG1's traction motors were similar to ones already in use. An order for the first 57 of a total 139 GG1s was placed in November 1934, with delivery starting in April 1935.


History

4876 was built in 1939 at the Pennsylvania Railroad's
Altoona Works Altoona Works (also known as Altoona Terminal) is a large railroad industrial complex in Altoona, Pennsylvania. It was built between 1850 and 1925 by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), to supply the railroad with locomotives, railroad cars and relat ...
in Altoona,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, and was the 77th locomotive in its class.Stauffer, p. 280. It operated between
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
on the electrified
Northeast Corridor The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston through Providence, New Haven, Stamford, New York City, Philadelphia, Wilmington, a ...
as well as
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
to
Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the List of c ...
on the PRR's
Main Line Mainline, ''Main line'', or ''Main Line'' may refer to: Transportation Railway * Main line (railway), the principal artery of a railway system * Main line railway preservation, the practice of operating preserved trains on an operational railw ...
.


Accident

At 8:38 AM on the morning of January 15, 1953, 4876 was the subject of a wreck while pulling the southbound ''Federal'' #173 from
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
,
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...
, to Washington, D.C. Upon nearing an "Approach"
signal In signal processing, a signal is a function that conveys information about a phenomenon. Any quantity that can vary over space or time can be used as a signal to share messages between observers. The ''IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing'' ...
about outside of Washington, the engineer applied the brakes to slow the train down from . Noting that the train still was not slowing after passing the signal, the engineer engaged the emergency brake and sounded the locomotive's horn. An assistant train director in Interlocking Tower 'C' observed the excessive speed of 4876, and radioed ahead to K Tower. The train director in K Tower already had the
switches In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most common type of ...
changed to allow 4876 to enter
Union Station A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...
on Track 16, its regularly assigned track. Having insufficient time to switch the runaway on to another track, the director alerted the
station master The station master (or stationmaster) is the person in charge of a railway station, particularly in the United Kingdom and many other countries outside North America. In the United Kingdom, where the term originated, it is now largely historical ...
's office, situated at the end of Track 16. The 4876 rammed the
buffer stop A buffer stop, bumper, bumping post, bumper block or stopblock (US), is a device to prevent railway vehicles from going past the end of a physical section of track. The design of the buffer stop is dependent, in part, on the kind of couplings ...
, still traveling at around , and continued into the
concourse A concourse is a place where pathways or roads meet, such as in a hotel, a convention center, a railway station, an airport terminal, a hall, or other space. The term is not limited to places where there are literally pathways or roadways or t ...
of Union Station, before partially falling through the floor into the baggage room below. An investigation by the
Interstate Commerce Commission The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was a regulatory agency in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads (and later trucking) to ensure fair rates, to eliminat ...
discovered a design flaw in the passenger car used by the
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , commonly known as The Consolidated, or simply as the New Haven, was a railroad that operated in the New England region of the United States from 1872 to December 31, 1968. Founded by the merger of ...
. If the handle of an angle cock came into contact with the bottom
crossmember A crossmember is a structural section that is transverse to the main structure. In the automotive industry, the term typically refers to a component, usually of steel, usually boxed, that is bolted across the underside of a monocoque / unibody ...
of the car's coupler pocket, the angle cock could inadvertently closed, rendering the brakes on any trailing cars inoperable. The third car in 4876's train, New Haven passenger coach 8665, exhibited this design flaw. The fourth car was not of the same design, and had a different style of coupler. The difference between the two couplers increased the frequency and the intensity at which the angle cock would hit the crossmember. On the morning of the day the accident occurred, the train had already reportedly stopped outside of Kingston,
Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
due to the brakes on the final two cars "sticking". Upon inspection, the angle cock on car 8655 was found to be closed and was reopened by the engineer. Later along the route, the locomotive changed crews. During the change, the previous failed to pass the issue onto the following crew and the matter was forgotten, leading to a repeat angle cock closure and the eventual crash of the train. With the
inauguration In government and politics, inauguration is the process of swearing a person into office and thus making that person the incumbent. Such an inauguration commonly occurs through a formal ceremony or special event, which may also include an inaugu ...
of
Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
set to occur on January 20, the passenger cars were re-railed and 4876 was lowered the rest of the way into the baggage room. A temporary floor was erected over the locomotive so as to not impede the crowds traveling to Washington, D.C. for the inauguration.


Rebuilding

After the crash, it was widely believed that after the presidential inauguration, 4876 was cut into three sections, hoisted out of the baggage room and reassembled in the Altoona shops. Since-published PRR documentation on the damage has surfaced that reveals the superstructure and frame were mostly scrapped in place. Wreck cranes were not able to penetrate deep enough into the station concourse to lift out sections of the engine that large. The GG1 had to be cut into much smaller pieces so that they could be hauled up the baggage ramp and placed into gondola cars for the trip to Altoona. The PRR determined it was less expensive to reassemble 4876 than to write it off and replace it with a completely new locomotive (which would have cost three times as much). Structurally, the majority of the locomotive was beyond repair. Many self-contained components, such as the traction motors, wheels, axles, bearings and brake cylinders etc. were able to be reused. Parts of the driving truck frames, the main cab underframe, the carbody superstructure, pantographs, and couplers had to be newly built. By the following October, a like-new 4876 was released for service, outshopped in
Tuscan red Tuscan red is a shade of red that was used on some railroad cars, particularly passenger cars. The color is most closely associated with the Pennsylvania Railroad, which used it on passenger cars and on its TrucTrain flatcars. It also was used ...
rather than the previous Dark Green Locomotive Enamel (DGLE).


Remaining Service and Preservation

The reconstructed 4876 was returned to DGLE by the mid 1960s. It remained in service for approximately 30 more years with the PRR, Penn Central, Conrail and finally New Jersey Transit. In 1983 the locomotive was retired and donated for preservation. Originally slated for donation to the
Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
, it was ultimately donated to the
B&O Railroad Museum The B&O Railroad Museum is a museum and historic railway station exhibiting historic railroad equipment in Baltimore, Maryland. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) company originally opened the museum on July 4, 1953, with the name of the Balti ...
in
Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
,
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
. Originally, the museum planned on cosmetically restoring 4876 and putting it on static display. These plans were placed on hold indefinitely when the museum's roundhouse roof collapsed in 2003, and the museum focused its efforts on restoring the equipment damaged by the collapse. Since the inquisition, the locomotive has been stored outside since it was acquired by the museum. It has become defaced with
graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...
and parts of its steel body have corroded.


See also

* List of rail accidents (1950–1999)


References


Sources

* * * * {{Cite book , last=Stauffer , first=Alvin W , year=1962 , title=Pennsy Power , publisher=Standard Print & Publishing , location=
Carrollton, Ohio Carrollton is a village in and the county seat of Carroll County, Ohio, located southeast of Canton. The population was 3,087 at the time of the 2020 census. It is part of the Canton–Massillon metropolitan area. History The village was ...
, lccn=62020878 11 kV AC locomotives 2-C+C-2 locomotives Individual locomotives of the United States 4876 Preserved electric locomotives Standard gauge locomotives of the United States