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July 13, 2011 - The M.T.H. HO GG-1 Electric will be shipping this Fall. Learn more about it in the story and photos below or click on the video icon to the left to see it in action.
For more than two decades, the Pennsylvania Railroad experimented with locomotive designs in search of a high-speed, mainline passenger electric. That search ended in 1934 with the GG1, a cooperative effort of the Pennsylvania, Baldwin, Westinghouse, and General Electric corporations that was based largely on neighbor New Haven's successful EP3 juice jack. Industrial designer Raymond Loewy cleaned up the original riveted body to create a design that looked contemporary for half a century.
The GG1 fleet hustled passenger traffic of all types along the Pennsy's multi-track raceway from New York to Washington and west to Harrisburg, including the famed Congressional and Broadway Limited. With 18 Pullmans in tow, a GG1 could hit 100 mph.
Regeared for freight service and run as double-headers, a pair of GG1s delivered about the same tractive effort as a Union Pacific Big Boy, with virtually no noise, no smoke, much less wear on the track, and significantly less maintenance.
Many real life GG1s racked up more than five million miles of service, outlasting the railroad that built them and serving its two successors, the Penn Central and Conrail. If there were a Locomotive Hall of Fame, the Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 would surely be one of the first inductees.
Add this fully die-cast Hall of Famer to your layout in one or more authentic Pennsy liveries, featuring station sounds for Pennsy name trains, smooth performance at any speed from a crawl to full throttle, a smooth, powerful motor to rival the prototype, and pantographs that automatically raise and lower according to the direction of travel.
Appearing for the first time in the M.T.H. HO product line, this scale recreation is sure to look just as stunning as the original. With prototypical rule 17 lighting and the excitement of Proto-Sound 3.0, this locomotive is certain to make a realistic addition to any collection.
If you are a fan of electrics, there are but few iconic models that are must-haves. Like the Milwaukee Road’s Bi-Polar, the Pennsylvania’s GG-1, defined an era in the transition from steam to electric to diesel motive power by establishing themselves as stubborn, defiant workhorses unmatched in ability.
The MTH GG-1 duplicates the brute strength and dependability of the original, complete with a 28-function DCC controller and remotely activated operating HO scale couplers.