Conrail replaced the Ignitron tubes with solid state rectifier in the late 70's. In fact, all the E33s got rebuilt just before Conrail pulled the plug on the electrics.
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
Lyon_Wonder Here’s a late 1970s pic of an electric loco in CR blue, road number #4608. Though the description doesn’t list the loco’s model, it looks more modern than a GG1. Were these used for freight or passenger service? http://www.locophotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=102624
Here’s a late 1970s pic of an electric loco in CR blue, road number #4608. Though the description doesn’t list the loco’s model, it looks more modern than a GG1. Were these used for freight or passenger service?
http://www.locophotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=102624
Yes, that's the E-33, I remember them well in New Haven colors. Noisey, they sounded like they were "grinding" along the tracks between New Haven, Fresh Pond Junction, and over the Hell Gate Bridge to Long Island. 12 were delivered to the "Virginian Railway" in 1956-57, called the EL-C, they put out 3,300hp and normally ran back to back in pairs, although some "Virginian" photos show a three unit lashup. Built by GE they used ignitron-rectifier tubes (Murcury Vapor tubes) to change the 11,00AC from the overhead wires to DC for the traction motors. Mercury!!!
Following the take over of the "Virginian Railway" by N&W in 1959, the remaining 11 EL-Cs were declaired "surplus" and sold in1962 to the bankrupt New Haven Railroad for, GET THIS, $25,000 each.
They were New Haven Class EF-4 (Electric Freight, fourth type on the NH), but known most often called today the E-33. The New Haven was included in the "PennCentral" merger and the E-33 became a part of the "black locomotive" pool. With the forming of Conrail, they could be added to the similar Pennsylvania E-44 group and entered the "Conrail Blue" era.
The Pennsylvania E-44s look much like the E-33s, except for the roof line. As delivery started, GE replaced the Mercury tubes with "solid state" rectifiers on the E-44s (and converted the ones already delivered to E-44a), rated first at 4,400 hp, they now were rated at 5,000 hp.
Today Scale Models of the E-33 can be bought in both "O" and "HO" gauge in the four colors that they were painted.
Don U. TCA 73-5735
IIRC the two EMD experimental locomotives were 1975, which had two six- wheel trucks (C-C) and 6000HP and 1976, which had three four-wheel trucks (B-B-B) and 10,000HP. Later on they may have been renumbered to 4975 and 4976. Don't know much about the 1976, but the 1975 had two control stands in the cab so either end could lead. They were very similar to regular diesel control stands and had 8-notch throttles and cruise control. As I recall the enginemen liked them, but would have preferred throttles with more notches to better handle all the horsepower.
EDIT:
Should have mentioned 1975 was equipped with cab signals.
Back to E-33s. They had one control stand set up for short hood forward operation and were equipped with cab signals.
The E-44s had two control stands with the short hood end designated as the F end. They were equipped with cab signals and speed control.
Awesome! Wow! I never seen this type of locomotives. Did they make the trip from NY to Washington?
Wow! I never seen this type of locomotives. Did they make the trip from NY to Washington?
Yes they did.I saw a pair of those units in Pot Yard ( just south of Washington) in 1978.
In 1979, Conrail had:
66 E44s
10 E33s
51 GG1s
7 E10Bs (Niagara Jct.)
5 S2Es (NYC)
The were all stored by the end of 1980 except one E44 that went to GE for a rebuild to demo the ability to run on multiple catenary voltages and frequencies. It came back from GE in the early 80s, ran a few test trips...and that was it for Conrail and electric locomotives.
Conrail has a stable of electric locomotives originally, used on the electrified routes I believe largely to Potomac Yard. I don't know how long they had them for but by the end I am sure they were all gone.
Minor correction, H. Reid's "mis-shapen bricks" were EL-C's. The EL-3's were the original power on the VGN electrification. The EL-C's were classified as EF-4's on NH.
The E-33's were originally built for the Virginian as VGN class EL-3. They were sold to the New Haven after the VGN was merged with the N&W and the resulting traffic patterns would have required that the combined roads string up more wire or de-electrify.
It is a GE E-33 Locomotive, they were heavy frieght locomotives, they beloged to the New Haven before Conrail got them, i can't remember who the New Haven aquired them from.
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