A Quick Look at the Abandoned GG1s in Cooperstown Junction
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- Опубликовано: 11 янв 2025
- Here we’ll take a look at the Abandoned GG1s in Cooperstown Junction, NY. Towed here by the Cooperstown and Charlotte Valley railroad, these units have been sitting, collecting dust and covered in rust. In this video we’ll talk about a brief history of the GG1s and also see these units left in an unfortunate state. I hope you enjoy!
Those engines belong in a museum
@@Arkay315 yes
I agree with both of you
One was supposed to go to the Henry Ford museum but got turned down due to costs associated with PCB remediation in the transformers. At least that's the local story.
When I was a kid growing up in Little Silver, NJ, I was big in to model trains and trains in general.
My Dad built me a big train table that folded out in to my bedroom for Lionel O-guage trains and I could sit in the middle of it and play "engineer."
My parents had some good friends in town . . . the Dorrances . . . and John just happened to be the head of passenger operations for the Pennsylvania Railroad. Since he had two daughters (who couldn't care less about trains), he was thrilled at my interest in the steel rail business.
So, one year for my birthday, he and my Mom and Dad came up with a grand plan. Since his office was in Penn Station in the City, he and my Dad took me on a train ride from the Little Silver station up in to New York which I really enjoyed. Back then, they used to change engines to electrics in Elizabeth (because a steam engine could not go through the tunnel).
Mr. Dorrance excused himself and said "I have to go up on the motor." We then continued in to Penn Station. Once there, we went with him up to his office for a while and then it was time to go home.
But, instead of going back on the Jersey Coast Line, he took us to the Main Line (that ran up and down the East Coast). What was going on???
Well, to my surprise and amazement, he took us up into the cab of a GG-1 electric locomotive . . . the big mother that hauled the big trains! And off we headed south.
Wow . . . we were cruising at about 90 miles an hour and Mr. Dorrance asked me if I would like to blow the horn . . . WOULD I!!!! (He had set this up with the engineer.)
Since, at the time, there was still one grade crossing (where motor vehicles drive across the tracks) between New York and Trenton, they had to signal as the train approached . . . and being a train buff, I knew how to do it . . . two longs, a short, and another long.
I'll never forget . . . the cord and handle (which for some reason was wrapped in tin foil) for the horn hung down in the engineer's compartment and when the time came . . . I blew the horn on a GG-1!!!!! What a thrill for a kid!
The train had to make a stop in Trenton and we got off and my Mom and Mrs. Dorrance met us there and then they took me out to dinner.
That was one great birthday present . . . and I was a very lucky (and thankful) little guy.
@@1761Charlie You’re a lucky guy! I’m happy for you. To have ridden a few trains but never been inside a locomotive before.
@@XTbrat Yeah, that was one big train set and an enormous kick for a kid! From what I recall, General Electric built 200 of them.
Fun Fact: in 1953 a GG pulling a passenger train lost its brakes and plowed into a terminal building in Washington DC. It and several cars dropped through the floor into the basement. The loco was cut into pieces, taken to the shop, reassembled and it continued to pull trains until the 1980s
I remember living in Rye, NY in the late sixties and going to the train station to watch the trains. Every once in a while, I would catch a GG-1. I thought they were wonderful machines.
I used to see these beautiful locomotives roar through Metuchen, NJ station on a regular basis. Classic design.
ugly-looking IMO. Great performance for its time. Now contrast these with German DB railways Class 103. Power-wise )and speed) a true beast, but with classic looks too, & utterly mindblowing speed/performance for the 1960s to 80s
These units are sitting on the Cooperstown and Charlotte Valley Railroad, a former branch of the late Delaware and Hudson. The Leatherstocking Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society is actively running trains on the line between Milford and Cooperstown. They hope eventually to regain the use of the southern part of the line to Cooperstown Junction where the rolling stock now sits. Not sure of the plans for the GG1s but, as someone alluded to, they are probably full of carcinogens and would take a mountain of cash to restore.
@@philarony4921 interesting. They say you learn something new every day
GG1 have some nasty chemicals used as coolant for their electrical transformers. None of the preserved GG1s are operational because they’ve had to have their transformers drained. As much as I’d love to see one run, these are just rusting away. I hope these locomotives have been properly decommissioned and aren’t going to start leaking PCBs into the environment.
GG1's were one of the finest electric locomotives ever made, and handsome too. I believe industrial designer Raymond Loewy designed the body.
A classic piece of artistic industrial design by Donald Roscoe Dohner and Raymond Loewy. I grew up in NJ living literally yards from the Northeast Corridor line from NY to Washington and it was always awe inspiring to see the GG1s.
Sweet!
Agreed, they NEED to be preserved. They don't deserve to be rusting away in the woods
The GG1 was he best looking locomotive ever. Sad to see them rusting away like this.
There's not a lot that can be done to save any of them due to the expense of removing the asbestos insulation from them
I'm not a railfan in the slightest but this was super interesting. Sad to see any old historical vehicle like this rotting away.
@@clunkCA Yeah, it was sad to see them sitting there. Who knows how long they will sit there
Just be happy they still exist.
@@lawnmowerdude They might as well not.
I am actually super impressed that they aren't covered in graffiti nor had every last piece of glass smashed out. Wonder if they have been looted on the inside for their copper and collector artifacts?
Awesome video, I'm glad to be seeing them again. I love GG1s very much, so much so that I have seen all 16 that remain. Thosw two were actually the last two I needed to see in order to complete my goal.
@@RustBeltRailfan Sweet! These 2 are in Cooperstown Junction in NY
@@XTbrat I know, I was saying I have seen all 16 in person. Are you a GG1 enthusiast too? If so, it is nice to be talking to another one.
@@RustBeltRailfan I’m slowly starting to gain a liking for the GG1. I always thought they were cool, but only after researching them for this video, I’d say I like them more than I did before
@@XTbrat That makes sense. I have loved the GG1s since 2015 when I first visited 4913 in Altoona, PA, but have since then gained more respect for them due to their phenomenal reliability, their ability to pull long freight trains as well as passenger trains, and the fact during their 49 years of service, not a single crew member died inside the cab of one, they were very safe locomotives.
I remember seeing those engines in Amtrak colours... back in the 70s. Neat looking machines. They should be preserved.
Very cool. Cooperstown Junction is teeming with history like this. You can't avoid it either, even Rte. 7 has an old coach sitting across from a church.
Hopefully one day these won't be rusty relics rotting in a forgotten siding.
It's also adjacent to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
This train was trapped in route by a Hurricane Agnes in 1972 which washed out bridges in both directions along with hundreds or other Railroad and Highway bridges. Low traffic on the line did not justify replacement. The train is permanently stranded.
Very cool history of some unique rolling stock!
@@randallfawc7501 Indeed!
@@XTbrat It's a shame to see them forgotten and rusting away
Hey, that's a GGI. Ant that number, 4934, means it was one of the last ever produced.
ambient somber Minecraft music over withering locos hits different man
Really captures the “ghosts from a better time” sort of feeling when you look at that rolling stock doesn’t it
The PRR used to send a freight train from South Philly to Norristown via what is now the Septa Cynwyd line. Often,they would use one or two GG1s to lead this train,whose ultimate destination was either the Trenton cutoff, or Phoenixville(with diesels). Seeing these gorgeous behemoths on the concrete arch bridge at Manayunk was an awesome spectacle. Sad to see them in rusting away. I have a detailed tattoo of one on my right forearm.
Recalling back a few decades ago, we had one of these rumble up the branch line to Danbury Ct one evening. Don't remember the details other than in was probably in the early 90s, and it was an older all black paint theme. Hadn't seen one since I was a kid. They have a distinctive sound!
@@rupe53 That’s cool!
The last operating GG1 was retired by New Jersey Transit in 1983.
@@paulfuchs6920 Yes, that would be retired from scheduled service. Privately owned equipment moves are known to happen and there are several RR museums in the northeast. Matter of fact, NY Central #3 (Vanderbilt's car circa 1929) was stored in the next town for years and went out seasonally via the Danbury branch midnight freight, then up to New Haven where it got connected to an Amtrak. There's a video of it on YT from 2022.
@@rupe53 indeed. Since the GG1s have roller bearings, moving them is less of a hassle than some other equipment.
@@JohnGeorgeBauerBuis The one I mentioned was moving under its own power.
I’ve driven past these several times. Thx!
Even I as a German know that this is a classic locomotive and I think that it should be taken to a museum instead of letting it rust away.
@@Astrofrank I agree, it would’ve looked good I’d bet
@@XTbrat At least it would look impressive. Btw., the German Baureihe E 95 (de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/DR-Baureihe_E_95) looks a bit similar, but not really good. On the other hand, it looks more bad-ass.
@@Astrofrank 70ks top whack isn't really all that badass.
@@pootispiker2866 Not fast, but in opposite to the sleek, streamlined design of the GG1, the E 95 has a brute design. It was meant for heavy coal trains, not passenger trains, so speed and design were less important than tractive effort.
@@AstrofrankThe GG1 was used for. The freight and passenger train.
I loved watching these beautiful engines roar past on the Northeast Corridor Line in NJ growing up and even one GG1 pulling the cars for Robert F Kennedy's funeral. They also have a really nice restored one at the Railroad Museum in Strasburg, PA.
Always had a love for RR. My late Uncle was the local, (Newport, RI) RREX agent during WWI, who unfortunately invested his retirement in NYNHH RR stock (non-rolling). While my father wanted to be an engineer on the ACL. At age 13, 1925, in Wilson, NC he used his earnings from a single bale of cotton, $125, to buy the works and case of Waltham RR grade watch which I use to this day. Narragansett Bay.
I remember the GG1's . Sad to see them in such a sorry state.
I’m going to check these out today! Thanks for a great video❤
That bourbon colored one @1:10 looked super, like a concept car.
I remember driving through there I guess 25/30 years ago when they arrived and were sitting on the siding at the Y, impressive sight!😮
A great locomotive. I have a model of one in my office.
Nice
Nice video on the GG1, an old favorite. Plus the music reminded me of Kraftwerk😊
Thanks for making this video. A long while ago i went to go see these locomotives 🚂 in CTown Junction. I was joined to be able to see them in person but always wished they were in museums or a museum made out of them right where they sit. Our state should do that.
❤
pov: well, well, well, no wonder this railways a mess, you belong in a museum
using pov wrong
This is so sad.
I never got to ride behind one - after I had moved to the East Coast in 1985.
Last I heard, 4917 was supposed to be owned by the Henry Ford Museum and go there for restoration and display. Sad that it has not happened after 16 years since they acquired it.
I wish they would’ve been preserved instead of sitting there
It was bought back by the LRHS some time in the last couple years, seems the Henry Ford museum never found a way to get it out west.
If u guys are unaware, the GG1s were capable of going 130 MPH back in 1930s
Wow! (I did not know that.)
Speed combined with power were the hallmarks of a locomotive ahead of its time. 🚂
There is a GG1 in Amtrak livery at the NYS Fair on display. Perhaps these can join it once it becomes transportable???
Thank you. This was very interesting.I like the GG1
Man, that's the AAR's second reporting mark, too. I wonder why they went through the trouble of stenciling what looks like fairly recent marks on them.
It would have been interesting, had you researched and explained how those two GG1's got to Cooperstown Junction and abandoned.
@@traderalex1 Basically what had happened was the Cooperstown and Charlotte Valley Railroad (CACV) had moved this units into the siding many years ago. And apparently they were supposed to cross a bridge, but they were heavy locomotives and the bridge might’ve collapsed. So the 2 units were left in the siding with no apparent future.
Wow. It’s sad to see the locomotives and boxcars sitting on the tracks rusting away. Someone should take them to a museum to be restored
*Cosmetic
How much would it cost to restore these wonderful locomotives? And is there any Man power to help restore or rehabilitate these locomotives ?
@@frankpearson8792 I would assume that it would be costly, since these locomotives are incredibly rusty and the logos are peeling off. And I don’t know anyone who thought of restoring these locomotives
@@XTbratcould it be possible if some one can restore a GG1 to Operating condition!??? It’s possible
@@frankpearson8792 a lot of time, sweat, probably a few years along the way and a lot of money and man hours! When do we start?
You know people are gonna want to know the plans on these GGIs and who owns them and how they got there.
Why are they just sitting there rotting away those beauties belong in a museum. I’m also really shocked to see that none of the equipment has been graffitied at all.
Nice usage of the Minecraft ambience music there in the beginning by the way
Really captured the feeling of “ghosts from a better time”
Thank goodness the Lionel GG1s in the 2024 V2 catalog don't have asbestos or PCBs! I ordered 2 of them.
@@davidjenkins1484 nice
I'm impressed. Those babies sell for about $1500 apiece.
Cooperstown Junction sounds like a depot in Railroad Tycoon 1 you added near Cooperstown Terminal when new resources popped up close by but too far away to be serviced by the terminal itself and there wasnt room for a bigger facility.
If only I had ridiculous amounts of money to preserve/restore one. No GG1 now is in operating condition. It would probably need an insane overhaul to get it's electrics running again.
It would be so cool to see one of them run again they were extremely fast and smooth
Great video, thank you.
Is that Boards of Canada playing in the background?
They used to be on a siding across the street before the connection was torn up .Not sure if the line between Milford and Cooperstown Junction is severed or in bad bad a shape but be nice if they could at least one of these up to Milford and restore for display at least . I thought one of them was to go to the Ford Museum but was not in good enough shape to move . Been a while since dive seen these but doubt the years gave been kind to these
There used to be another locomotive there, not sure what happened to it. I know one car was blown across the street by a wind storm. Those GGs and box cars still sit in the woods, Nov 2024.
I seen a old train the pagan destination was very faintly written could bearly see it past the heart of gold firmly stamped there didn't touch anything just looked and the beauty that ones was before people ruined something so timeless ill never go back people can be so destructive destroy things that can never be replaced or revived we are all guilty at some point in our life's of should have done better choices
I’m hoping they can be saved before they are lost to time❤
! Very nice, like !
You shouldve gotten 265 modern freight train passing those old history GG1s. Old history against modern freight is cool!
They were like rolling works of art. I'm surprised and glad no one has covered them in graffiti.
This is awesome and sad
Honestly. It’s sad seeing them rot non this siding
😥
😥😥Schade, dass der Zug und die Waggons so vergammeln.😥😥
There's at least one more GG1 sitting on a siding in Boonton NJ you can see it from I-287
Adoro a GG1, é uma das minhas locomotivas favoritas.
Sou do Brasil.
Tienen las mismas en Brasil?
@@antoniomonroy3351 No tenían un GG1 en Brasil, pero hay uno que usa el mismo chasis, el LITTLE JOE.
Those locos and rolling stock should be rescued and restored back to working order.🚂🚂🚂💯
@@randyrussell4331 I agree
Where would they run? There is no catenary or third rail anywhere nearby.
I feel like one of these should be restored
@@nekocraftguy you've got 2 to make one! Should work
@JamesSmith-pm4wz mind explaining? I don't understand
@@nekocraftguy lot's of parts!
Originally built by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) at their Altoona shops, I believe.
@@RichTheEngineer yep, however a small handful were built by General Electric
@@XTbrat I did not know that! Thanks for sharing that tidbit!
Has anyone done an assessment of these engines overall status and condition?
@@adailyllama4786 I don’t think so
The issue is the thing is full of asbestos but worse there may be PCB’s in the transformer oil .
Look up getting rid of pcb legally as it is a major hazard !
If it lesks you are in big trouble for clean up of the ground underneath .
the PCB issue will depend on when they were last in service. PCBs were being cleaned up back in the 70s so may have had the oil changed already.
Interesting video apparently there was supposed to be a musem of somethin like that there
ugly-looking beasts but seemed wat ahead performance-wise for its time. Shame you couldn't get into the driver's cab. Thanks for the video
These units need to be saved
I've always wanted to go sit in these - I wonder how dangerous that would be?
So sad
They should have donated to a museum
So why are these just rotting away instead of being preserved? Are they privately owned?
@@MrFusion these are under the reporting mark AARX. From what I’ve heard, there were plans to move these locomotives, but there is a bridge that isn’t able to support the weight of the locomotives.
It would be really neat if someone decided to throw a bunch of money at one of these to get them modernized and compatible with voltages used by today's electric railroads in the US. Imagine if NJT or the Keystone line ran one of these!
That would be awesome!
Very sad to see for such a majestic machine.
It’s sad to think that after being the latest technology of their time, now they just sit there and rust away 😢
Yeah. They should’ve been preserved ☹️
Just imagine that "latest technology" is now 90+ years old and Thomas Edison was still alive back then!
Unfortunately this is the American way. I agree it is sad!
@@dektold76 what makes you say this is the American way? Do you know something specific about this situation that you can tell us? Edit: A little research shows there were two of these. One belongs to a private collector in Florida and the other is owned by the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan. Rumor has it that one has been moved (the posts are confusing) and the issue has always been the cost of moving them because they are too heavy to transport by truck and likely not able to pass muster for rail travel without some work. Yes, even to be "towed" by another loco, it would need to have good wheels, bearings, and brakes.
@@rupe53 the excerpt here is that we do not care as much as we should about items that were/are technological wonders. When something ‘more advanced comes by’ we just throw away what was good, in favor of the ‘newest model..hence Disposable Society. Good explanation?
It’s an shame that there not running anymore
But at least they are still there
Until if someone buys it
@Robertmitchell2121 True. Hope someone buys them soon
Where are these operating GG-1's that you reference?
Had a unique cab mounted center so the engineer didnt have to switch it around. He sat in either way pending the direction needed to go.
*I would love to see a video of these things being made into bicycles in a non-OSHA approved shop in Pakistan*
Cool video, what is the music?
@@Roy_1 Key by C418 and Checkpoint 10 in the game Smash Hit
If I didn't live 2000 miles away I'd be temped to get that PRR plate before it ends up in the scrape yard. Surprised someone hasn't already.
I live nearby, and I am surprised that the owning group hasn't taken that off the loco for preservation. When I see those engines, I feel like I am looking at the pyramids of electrical railroading history.
Any other info on how these GG1's came to be located here? I've not been able to find any information that any GG1 is in operable condition? Have you come across any information to the contrary?
None of the remaining GG1s can be restored to operating condition. The transformers had PCBs in them and were removed from all units as they were retired.
@@CNW_Railfan Sure they can. Put in a new transformer. Why would that not be possible?
Heartbreaking 💔
@@sonnypruitt6639 fr
These locomotives were rolling Superfund sites with their abundant asbestos and PCB's. If they haven't been cleaned up they really should be as soon as possible.
These two GG 1s should be saved. They are American Railroad history.
Anyone have the GPS Coords for the location?
I just looked it up on MapQuest . . . and they are visible from the aerial photo.
My Uncle Pete Aceto worked for the Pennsy and built those trains. He died just as I was born from cancer do to asbestos being used on those trains.
Whos AARX?
American Association of Railroads. I just figured that out recently
@@XTbrat I wonder what there plans are with them?
Roughly how long have they been sitting there?
@@chrisscutchings3742 idk, I’d assume a long time since Therese a vid about them getting towed to the area. That vid is say is over 10 years old
I’m not an east coast Railfan but I can say these been there for decades bruh DECADES!!!
Thanks for the reply
Why is the background noise necessary?
Actually 16 GG1s exist today, this info is outdated
Noted
That is out of the original 200 that were built by General Electric.
@@1761Charlie oh ok i didn't know that
These trains aren’t “abandoned”. They have a title and registration. The owner is still responsible for them.
If the city has to dispose of the trains, then they send a bill to the owners.
Oh Lord please curse anyone who tags it.
I'd rather see a small diesel restored. I like the boxcar.
why not?
Please get that engine inside somewhere.
THEY ARE BOTH PRR
What a waste why don't they rescue them and restore 😮😊
The GG1 original components are highly toxic, like asbestos and such. Would pay cash money to see one restored and whoop Acela's ass!
1) Who is "They"? 2) $$$$$!
Music sucks
I love the music 😊
Electric trains just depress me. They're revolting to look at. They're the transportation system of miserable urbanites who will never have children or grandchildren. Its a shame meth addicts haven't stripped those trains of metal. Then again, they may have PCBs so hopefully no one scraps them if they have that oil.
Whaaatt???
car brainers aka people who fell into car propaganda will always say the most insane stuff to trains