MTH ELECTRIC TRAINS

In the late 1920s, Great Northern received eight Alco-GE box cab electrics, classed Y1. They were used over the heavily tunneled and steeply graded Cascade Mountains in Washington, where heavy freight had to be muscled to the coast. Two motor generators in each unit converted 11,000v a.c. to 550v d.c. for the six axle-hung GE motors. GN ended electric operations in 1956, and the Pennsylvania Railroad bought all eight Y1s a year later. The Pennsy reclassified the engines as FF2s after shopping them for operations on the Pennsy lines. Used mainly in helper service between Philadelphia and Paoli and Thorndale and Columbia PA, these eight electrics did the work of 15 diesels, which were transferred elsewhere.

Did You Know?

There were so many long tunnels on the Great Northern's 72-mile-long Cascade Mountain route that the line had to be electrified to prevent crews and passengers from asphyxiating in the exhaust of steam locomotives powering up the steep grades.