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From: mangoe@umcp-cs.UUCP (Charley Wingate)
Newsgroups: net.railroad
Subject: Re: Green and Gold (and others) GG1
Message-ID: <2767@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 16-Jan-86 00:18:20 EST
Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.2767
Posted: Thu Jan 16 00:18:20 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 17-Jan-86 06:38:26 EST
References: <1625@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Organization: U of Maryland, Computer Science Dept., College Park, MD
Lines: 25

In article <1625@brl-tgr.ARPA> Chuck.Weinstock@a.sei.cmu.edu writes:

>I thought that, in addition to the hazards of the chemicals in their
>transformers, that the GG1's were retired because the power for the NE
>Corridor was being changed over to 60 cycle to be supplied by local power
>companies, and that the GG1's couldn't be modified to run on the new power.
>Is this true?  Has the power indeed been changed?

This was originally the reason, but (as someone else pointed out) the change
was never made.  Both the E60's and the AEM7's are built to run on the new
power, should the change ever be made.  Looking at the numbers I have, it's
clear why they remain out of service:

   (a) The PCB problem-- which I suspect could be remedied, but for

   (b) Their age  and

   (c) They are too slow: on the corridor over-100 mph is a necessity to
       maintain schedules.  (Ah, the day when 100 mph is too slow!)

There are a number of GG1s in the Wilmington maint. yard, all in black.  I
suspect some still run, but with enough AEM7s, scrapping or sale seems not
too far off.  (Although AMTRAK is holding onto some ancient diesels too...)

C. Wingate