PRR's GG1s - Where are they now?

At the start of the year, Gary Dolzall took a look back at the majestic GG1 electric locomotive which rivals even the most popular diesels when it comes to recognizable icons on America's railroads. At the end of the feature, which you can read here, he mentions that only 16 of the 139 examples built of the GG1 have been preserved, so in addition to our previous 'Where are they now?' articles on the 'Big Boy', A4 Pacifics and NSW C38s, we thought we'd take a look at where these GG1s have ended up after service. All examples will be listed below by their Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) number - some received alternative numbers with other operators during service.

A number of images in this feature are from the Roger Puta Collection, courtesy of Mel Finzer which are now in the public domain.

A number of GG1 locomotives are lined up at the Orangeville Roundhouse, Baltimore, MD in 1970. Photo: Roger Puta.

This map shows the locations (at time of writing) of all 16 GG1s on display in the USA. A number of museums have more than one example, like the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg and the Leatherstocking Railway Museum in Cooperstown Junction, New York. Map data ©2021 Google, INEGI

• No.4800 aka 'Old Rivets': Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, Strasburg, Pennsylvania
• No.4859 — Transportation Center, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

PRR No.4859 at Harrisburg, PA in 1987. Photo: Roger Puta.

• No.4876 — B&O Railroad Museum, Baltimore, Maryland
• No.4877 aka 'Big Red': United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey, Boonton, New Jersey
• No.4879 — United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey, Boonton, New Jersey
• No.4882 — National New York Central Railroad Museum, Elkhart, Indiana
• No.4890 — National Railroad Museum, Green Bay, Wisconsin

PPR 4890 is seen here in 1969 at Harrison, NJ. Today is resides at the National Railroad Museum at Green Bay, Wisconsin along with 'Big Boy' 4017 and an LNER A4 from the UK. Photo: Roger Puta.

• No.4903 — Museum of the American Railroad, Frisco, Texas
• No.4909 — Leatherstocking Railway Museum, Cooperstown Junction, New York
• No.4913 — Railroaders Memorial Museum, Altoona, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 4913 at the Railroaders Memorial Museum In Altoona, PA. This locomotive also ran under Amtrak No.(4)913. Photo by TrainAccount34515. CC0 1.0

• No.4917 — Leatherstocking Railway Museum, Cooperstown Junction, New York
• No.4918 — Museum of Transportation, St Louis, Missouri
• No.4919 — Virginia Museum of Transportation, Roanoke, Virginia
• No.4927 — Illinois Railway Museum, Union, Illinois

Amtrak 4939 undergoing preparation for repainting as PRR 4927 at the Illinois Railway Museum. It has now been fully repainted. Photo by Sean Lamb. CC BY-SA 2.5

• No.4933 — Central New York Chapter of the National Railroad Historical Society, Syracuse, New York. (On display at NYS Fairgrounds' Historic Train Exhibit).
• No.4935 aka 'Blackjack': Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, Strasburg, Pennsylvania

A GG1 running light engine at Middle River, Maryland in 1980. Photo: Roger Puta.