| Pennsylvania Railroad E44 | |
|---|---|
| PRR #4465, preserved at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. | |
| Power type | Electric |
| Builder | General Electric |
| Build date | 1960–1963 |
| Total produced | E44: 22 E44a: 44 Total: 66 |
| AAR wheel arr. | C-C |
| UIC classification | Co'Co' |
| Gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Length | 69 ft 6 in (21.18 m) |
| Width | 10 ft 0 in (3.05 m) |
| Height | 15 ft 0 in (4.57 m) over pantograph locked down |
| Axle load | 64,043 lb (29.0 t) |
| Locomotive weight | 384,600 lb (174.5 t) |
| Electric system | 11 kV, AC, 25 Hz |
| Current collection method |
Pantograph |
| Traction motors | 6 × GE Model 752 of 733 hp (547 kW) or 833 horsepower (621 kW) (E44a) |
| Transmission | 11 kV AC fed through a tap changer supplying 12 Mercury arc Ignitron tube rectifiers (later Silicon diode rectifiers) providing power to 6 DC traction motors. |
| Top speed | 70 mph (113 km/h) |
| Power output | E44: 4,400 hp (3.28 MW) E44a: 5,000 hp (3.73 MW) |
| Tractive effort | Continuous: 55,500 lbf (246.9 kN); Maximum: 96,150 lbf (427.7 kN) |
The E44 was an electric, rectifier-equipped locomotive built by GE for the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) between 1960 and 1963. They survived through the PRR and its successors (Penn Central and Conrail) until Conrail abandoned its electric operations in the early 1980s. They were acquired by Amtrak and NJ Transit, where they lived short lives; all were retired by the mid-80s. Amtrak #502 (PRR & PC #4465) is preserved at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, restored to its PRR paint (Brunswick green with the PRR's Keystone logo).
Contents |
By the late 1950s, with its P5a fleet aging, The Pennsylvania needed new electric freight locomotives. The GG1s would have done well, but the PRR needed them for passenger trains. It had looked at E2b, E2c, and E3b prototypes but was not particularly impressed. As it had years before in the development of the GG-1, it turned to its neighbor the New Haven Railroad for inspiration. The New Haven had just acquired twelve former Virginian Railway VGN EL-Cs from Norfolk and Western (who had bought the Virginian in 1960), and were happy with them. The PRR then went to General Electric (GE), the maker of the EL-Cs (now classified as E33s), about a similar locomotive for the Pennsylvania.
The E44 was essentially a more powerful version of the E33, with 4,400 horsepower (3.3 MW) compared to the E33's 3,300 horsepower (2.5 MW). Twenty-two locomotives were upgraded to E44a specification, with 5,000 horsepower (3.7 MW). The upgrade consisted of replacing the original Ignitron rectifiers with solid state devices, technology not available when the E44s were built, and the original traction motors with 833 horsepower (621 kW) motors. Not surprisingly,like the E33, it was considered by many to be an ugly locomotive. "Brutish", "Beefy", and most of all "Brick", were used to describe it. Although there are subtle differences in appearances between the two locomotives, the most noticeable is the pantograph. The E33 had one double-arm pantograph, whereas the E44 had two single-arm pantographs.
The Pennsylvania used the E44s on just about any freight assignment imaginable, on all of its electrified lines. They could work both singly or lashed together in MU's. They quickly proved to be very versatile and could handle just about anything. They even occasionally hauled passengers, although being geared for only 70 mph (112 km/h), they were not very adept at this.
After the 1968 Penn Central merger, the E44s remained in freight service. Apart from venturing onto former New Haven tracks, the E44s did nothing remarkable during this time. The paint scheme for most units was Penn Central black with the "worms in love" logo. One wore the short-lived "red-P" logo, with the 'P' in the logo red instead of white.
In 1976, they were passed to the newly-formed Conrail. However, things abruptly changed when Conrail eliminated their remaining electrification in the early 1980s. They were painted blue with Conrail's white "wheel on rail" logo.
Despite their versatility, the E44's were suddenly about to be used in something they were never intended for: passenger service. Amtrak and New Jersey Transit, both short of electric locomotives, saw in the E44's an opportunity to obtain needed power at bargain-basement prices
Amtrak painted them in its standard switcher paint (gray body with black lettering), and switching work was mostly what they ended up doing. They did this adeptly for a some years, until Amtrak decided maintaining these aging locomotives was not worth it. Many were stored at Wilmington Shops in Wilmington, DE during the early to mid 1990 and they were eventually scrapped.
It is not certain what exactly NJ Transit was looking for, but it evidently was not the E44. All were sold to Amtrak. Like many of NJ Transit's second-hand locomotives, their paint scheme was the previous owner (Conrail)'s herald being painted out, and "NJDOT" (New Jersey Department of Transportation) written below the number.
General Electric constructed 38 E44's with engine numbers 4400-4437, and an additional 6 E44's with road numbers 4460-4465. GE subsequently upgraded some the units to an E44a designation, boasting 5,000 horsepower. The 22 E44a's were numbered 4438-4459. By the late 1960s, General Electric constructed two upgraded 5,000 horsepower (25,000 volt, 60 cycle) units of the same E44 body style (known as E50C's) for the Muskingum Electric Railroad, a private coal-carrying railroad owned by American Electric Power. Until it closed in 2002, MERR shuttled coal in two automated consists from the mine to a powerplant at Relief, Ohio (across from Beverly, OH).
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| A (0-4-0): | A1 · A2 · A3 · A4 · A5s | B (0-6-0): | B1 (s) · B2 · B3 · B4 · B5 · B6 · B7 · B8 · B1 (e) | C (0-8-0): | C1 · C29 · C30 · C31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D (4-4-0): | D1 · D2 · D3 · D4 · D5 · D6 · D7 · D8 · D9 · D10 · D11 · D12 · D13 · D14 · D15 · D16 · D21 · D22 · D23 · D24 · D25 · D26 · D30 · D31 · D32 · D33 · D34 · D35 · D36 · D37 · D38 · D39 · D61 · "Odd D" #10003 | ||||
| E (4-4-2): | E1 · E2 · E3 · E4 · E5 · E6 · E7 · E21 · E22 · E23 · E28 | ||||
| F (2-6-0): | F1 · F2 · F3 · F21 · F22 · F23 · F24 · F25 · F26 · F27 · F30 · F31 · F61 | ||||
| G (4-6-0): | G1 · G2 · G3 · G4 · G5 · G53 | H (2-8-0): | H1 · H2 · H3 · H4 · H5 · H6 · H8 · H9 · H10 | I (2-10-0): | I1s |
| J (2-6-2 and 2-10-4): | J1 · J28 | K (4-6-2): | K1 · K2 · K3s · K4s · K5 | L (2-8-2): | L1s · L2s · L5 · L6 |
| M (4-8-2): | M1 | N (2-10-2): | N1s · N2s | O (4-4-4): | O1 |
| P (4-6-4): | P5 | Q (4-6-4-4 and 4-4-6-4): | Q1 · Q2 | R (4-8-4): | R1 |
| S (6-4-4-6 and 6-8-6): | S1 · S2 | T (4-4-4-4): | T1 | ||
| Articulated steam locomotives: | CC1s · CC2s · HC1s · HH1s · HH2s | Articulated electric locomotives: | AA1 · BB1 · BB2 · BB3 · DD1 · DD2 · FF1 · FF2 · GG1 | Non-standard: | E2b · E2c · E3b · E44 |