Model Railroading - DC or DCC?

With the popularity of model railroading (and I should know as I have started again after about 10 years of being away from it) the options are now endless - it used to be that all you had to do was decide on the scale and a company you liked (Life-Like, Lionel, Athearn, Walthers, etc.). Not only do you still have these choices, but now you have a choice of power (and indeed capability). Will it be DC or DCC?

The old school, as it were, DC, is very simple and should be the choice of all beginners. DC works by providing power and direction to the trains on the layout by a wired controller. This controls the amount of power (which equals speed) by sending a current to the train on one track and back to the controller; this completes a circuit. Note however that it doesn't matter how many trains you use, all of them will go in the same direction on the track, no matter which way they face using DC.

DCC or Digital Command and Control allows multiple trains to be used on a layout, independent of each other by the use of coding a unique address to each train. A chip is mounted within the train itself with it's "signature" - the controller needs only to select that "signature" and it controls that train.

Prices for train engines are higher with DCC and can also come with digital sound effects, which are linked to the speed of the train - a REALLY cool feature! DC has the option as well with sound effect rolling stock or even using sound effect machines...but with sounds coming from the engine as opposed to a box...no comparision.

Note also that you should not run DC and DCC on the same line. DC runs a 12V and DCC at 16V and can cause serious issues and possible damage to the engines.

Which option you choose, the really important part is in the enjoying of your layout - if you are just starting out, stick with DC. If you are an old hand at model railroading, give DCC a look - just in the increased capabilities alone, it's worth your time.

GG1 - Ugly Duckling or Beautiful Survivor

When people think about the locomotive, most don't think about the electric side of the family. Of the many past and current electro-trains, none, save the modern super trains, brings the emotional appeal like the GG1...and maybe even not then.

Some have commented on the design by Raymond Loewy (who did not design the shape - just made is prettier) as a beautiful form, symetrical and deco-stylish, while others (probably steam loyalists) find it to be an eye sore. PRR, the primary user, had some lovely examples in the traditional rust brown, green and black - some, as you will read below, still survive to be admired even now.

Below is a brief history and listing of the survivors - whether you find it beautiful or not, the longevity of this elegant workhorse (the last left in 1983!) is something even modern diesels should be envious.

History:

The GG1s were large locomotives, 79 ft 6 in (24.23 m) long and weighing 477,000 lb (216,000 kg). The main body was a single unit formed as a bridge-truss framework and clad in welded steel plate. The driving cabs were set up high about a third of the way along the locomotive from each end for greater crew safety in an accident. A narrower section of nose in front of the cab windows was lowered to improve the view forward, although the nose remained full height to carry the current-collection pantographs. The bodywork as a whole was smoothly rounded.
This was mounted upon two great cast steel locomotive frames linked by a hinge at the locomotive's middle which allowed side-to-side movement. Six driving wheels (three axles) were fitted towards the center of the locomotive on each truck (twelve in total) and a four-wheeled, unpowered guiding truck was mounted toward each end. In the Whyte notation for steam locomotives, each frame comprised a 4-6-0 locomotive; in the PRR's classification system, 4-6-0s were class "G". The GG1 consisted of two such locomotive frames mounted back to back, so it was classified GG—4-6-0+0-6-4. This arrangement is called 2-C+C-2 in AAR wheel arrangement notation. Each driven axle was powered by two 385 hp (305 kW) GEA-627-A1 traction motors mounted above and to either side of the axle. Drive was through a reduction gear and a quill drive assembly.

While the famous industrial designer Raymond Loewy did not design the shape of the GG1 electric locomotives, he did improve their looks by recommending a smooth welded construction be used (rather than riveted construction), along with a pinstriped paint scheme to highlight their smoothly rounded forms; the "streamline" style, evoking speedy travel, was popular at the time. The real design behind the GG1 came from the New Haven Railroad EP3 electric. The New Haven allowed the PRR to borrow a pair of EP3s for testing, and the PRR was quite impressed with their performance and decided to base the design of its electric locomotive on the EP3.

The Gs served the Penn Central after the merger and routinely ventured onto New Haven track. After PC's brief life, most Gs went to Conrail where they served until 1979. 40 units were transferred to Amtrak, and 13 to New Jersey Transit where they served until 1981 and 1983 respectively. Despite their sturdy construction, the millions of miles racked up by these units eventually caused frame cracks too extensive to justify repair, given that parts were getting hard to find. The last nail in the coffin was to be the expected catenary frequency change from 25 to 60 Hz. The later rectifier locomotives could use either, but not the all-AC GG1.
Of the 16 units still in existance, 3 are under cover and 8 have been restored to the Pennsylvania paint scheme.

Current survivors:

PRR 4800 — Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, Strasburg, PA (a.k.a. "Old Rivets" — the prototype GG1 and was the only GG1 that had a riveted body; was formerly painted in Bicentennial colors and was the only GG1 to receive Conrail blue).

PRR 4859 — Transportation Center, Harrisburg, PA (designated as official electric locomotive of PA in 1938).

PRR 4876 — B&O Railroad Museum, Baltimore, MD (as of Spring 2006, in rapidly deteriorating condition); the GG1 was languishing in a CSX Yard south of downtown Baltimore (seen from Interstate 95 northbound between Washington Boulevard and Maryland 295), but as of summer 2006 has been moved back onto museum property. Restoration plans are unknown.

PRR 4877 — New Jersey Transit yard, Morristown, NJ. Currently undergoing renovations at Lebanon Station (Raritan Valley Line).

PRR 4879 — URHS of NJ. PRR 4882 — New York Central Railroad Museum, Elkhart, IN (currently painted as Penn Central 4882)

PRR 4890 — National Railroad Museum, Green Bay, WI.

PRR 4903/Amtrak 4906 — Museum of the American Railroad, Dallas, TX (pulled Robert Kennedy's funeral train along with GG1 4901 from New York to Washington on June 8, 1968).

PRR 4909/Amtrak 4932 — Cooperstown Junction, NY (arguably the most confused ownershipped surviving GG1; cited and/or supposed owners have ranged from Steamtown National Historic Site to the Henry Ford Museum).

PRR 4913/Amtrak 4913 — Railroader's Memorial Museum, Altoona, PA.

PRR 4917/Amtrak 4934 — Leatherstocking RY Museum, Cooperstown Jct, NY (one of 75 GG1s built with Westinghouse components, the other 64 GG1s used GE devices and motors).

PRR 4918/Amtrak 4916 — Museum of Transportation, St. Louis, MO (was once the property of the Smithsonian Institution).

PRR 4919/Amtrak 4917 — VA Museum of Transportation, Roanoke, VA.

PRR 4927/Amtrak 4939 — Illinois Railway Museum, Union, IL (Amtrak's renumbering in 1976 to 4939 bucked 42 years of numbering by making it the highest numbered GG1).

PRR 4933/Amtrak 4926 — Central NY Chapter NRHS, Syracuse, NY (plans are to make it run via a diesel motor).

PRR 4935/Amtrak 4935 — Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania (a.k.a. "Blackjack" — arguably the best-restored and best-displayed GG1 due to its display in a climate controlled environment).

Class F7 4-6-4 Hiawatha

I have always loved the look of the streamlined, art deco locomotives of the 30's - none more so than the Milwaukee Road Class F7 4-6-2 Hiawatha.

These locomotives not only showed the look of modernism but still held on to details from the past. These colorful locomotives gave the illusion of flying over the rails, even when standing still.

Many other locomotives, such as the J3as, the Northerns and of course the Zephyrs and indeed the E and F-Classes of diesels, used streamlining to reflect speed (of service), but none captures the rare beauty and elegance of the Hiawathas.

Addendum: Steam versus Diesel

Those reading the post below might be interested in seeing the image of the Chessie Experimental Steam engine - here's a quick blurb:

The unit was to have been called the ACE3000 4-8-2 COALS (Coal Oriented Advanced System). It was not a separate locomotive and a tender but a combined unit - note the standard diesel trucks on the aft section.

Will Steam Locos Come Back?

When I think about steam power, I think back to simpler times - when ironworks were king, when travelling cross country was an adventure, and around every turn, something new and exciting was waiting to be discovered.

Aside from the romantic times, steam power had it's draw backs - it was dirty, labor intensive, costly to run and more power meant larger and heavier locomotives. Diesel seemed to be the answer in the early part of the 20th century - it was cheaper, relatively better to the enviroment and though the locomotives were more expensive than steam units, they earned their money back in reliability and a better cost per ton ratio. But now, with ever increasing fuel costs, and the ever present truck freight alternative still looming, perhaps the scales have shifted back to steam.

Cleaner burning coal technologies are continuing to be more and more eco-friendly, and even in the late 80's, the Chesapeake and Ohio (Chessie) line was to have experimented with a new steam powered locomotive prototype (kind of a cross between a streamlined diesel body with steam powered attachments - pictures can be found on the last pages of Brian Hollingsworth's 1984 book, North American Locomotives, Historical Directory of America's Greatest Locomotives from 1830 to the Present Day, ASIN: B000NDBA6W). With fuel costs such as they are, coal powered locomotives might be the way to go...again....now if they could just work on the size versus power issue....

Welcome to Trains and Rails

Welcome to a new blog dedicated to trains, railroads and days gone by (or have they?).

Since I was a child, the sound of the whistles and horns of locomotives, both steam and diesel, have filled me with a sense of adventure - to travel the country, seeing all the beauty of the prairies, the hustle of the cities and the majesty of the mountains.

I know now, as an adult, that railroading can be lonely as well - crews travelling all the time, away from loved ones, and always on the crew standby lists.

This blog is dedicated to those of us who have fond (or not-so fond) memories of trains and life on the rails. I invite all of you to share your thoughts, as I will, as we follow the tracks together. Whether your memories are of the age of steam, or about freight hauling diesels to the future of high-speed rail traffic...or even if you work on your own model railroad...I want to hear from you!