The Illinois Railway museum not only operates trolley and subway equipment, but also interurban and freight as well. Their Little Joe operates (albeit rarely).

There is another electric locomotive as well... I think it was from an Edison plant? The last time I was there in 2019 it pulled the passenger trains first run before 1630 was ready.

That would be Commonwealth Edison 4, a GE steeple cab from the Addison Street generating plant coal yard. Technologically it's an interesting piece as it has an articulated frame, same as many larger electric locos.

IRM has four or five "trolley" motors from various Midwestern properties, also a NYC S motor, a GG1, and the afore mentioned South Shore 800 series loco.

The "Little Joe" has run at least once; the technological hurtles of making something with DC traction motors run off 600 VDC overhead aren't all that high. Having sufficient power available to do something useful with it could be a different story, however.

I was there in September, and if I recall correctly they have two power sources for the overhead. Only one is used during normal operation (which led to my trolley getting stranded, unfortunately). I would assume that both were used when the Little Joe was last powered on.

As others have said, at a certain point you have to ask "what *is* the point?"

To me, the significance of operating an electric locomotive is to have it at the head of a train, pulling either coaches or freight cars as appropriate. It's not like there are a lot of seats inside the GG1 for visitors to ride on! So to have it just go down the track, being pushed by something else, seems semi-silly.

As for having an electric locomotive actually operate, under the wire, we have to ask what is the voltage of the loco? If it is designed for anything other than approx 600 volts, DC (including dual-modes) then you really have to go through a great deal of effort to create the required voltage from a 600V trolley line. Yes, you could "black box" the entire control package and make it so that when you move the throttle handle, the thing goes, even if the whole package of contactors, resistors and/or transformer taps isn't actually doing anything. It would probably make a whining sound like anything with modern AC motor drives.

Do a back-of-the-envelope type calculation of how much electrical power is required to accelerate one of these things (like a GG1) at a reasonable rate. Probably 500kW or more? What's the cost of a solid-state converter at that kind of rating? Not cheap. Where do you put it? I suppose since all of the GGs in preservation have been neutered of their transformer, there is a big empty cavity where you could mount all the electronic gear.

Straying a bit from the main topic... something that is quite possible is to have a photo-op at Leaman place with 4935 on Strasburg's interchange track so that it would look like it's under the wire. Maybe something could be arranged for Amtrak's 60th? Probably a bit late now to throw something together for the 50th.

The RRMPA hasn't done photo sessions in a while (that I know of). Would like to see them get back to them.

But I digress...

Well-said.

I would add that "appropriate" should also agree with the restoration objective of the museum. For example, the Western Railway Museum's objective has been to restore its operating line (Sacramento Northern) as closely as possible to its original condition as built in 1913. This includes 70-pound rail, which is not appropriate to a GG-1 or other large locomotive.

Attached are some photos of an SN local freight train which we assembled several years ago. A local farmer bringing products to the station at Rio Vista Junction would have seen similar equipment on similar tracks. The only anomaly is the modern wind turbines visible in some scenes.

Well, and how clean and shiny everything is.

I appreciate the input so far. I had a hunch that the GG1 would take reign on this topic. Considering the popularity of them, I'm not surprised. However, they would be the last thing I'd think about considering the deplorable mechanical shape they are all in. What it would take to repower one wasn't exactly what I had in mind, but it does bring up another interesting question:

Why are people so ardent about an electric locomotive being original and why would it be sacrilege to modify one?

Take any of the other electric units at the RRMPA, as I'm most familiar with the contents of their collection. If a little B unit boxcab was darting around with a generator car or a diesel engine in it, wouldn't the enjoyment be in seeing it operating? Or something as unique as the DD1 working under it's own power, regardless of source? Even the last P5 (I know that one isn't in Strasburg) in existence, despite their lack of any real interest to most, would still be an attraction since it too is the last of it's kind.

This isn't intended to come across as mad ramblings of a rail fan, so apologies if it seems that way.

Because the point of preservation is preservation. Not having a large, expensive toy train.

There are two obstacles to such an operational restoration, just as with steam and diesel:

1) the actual mechanical renovation/repair;

2) a place to RUN IT.

This fact needs to be emphasized: TROLLEY OVERHEAD IS NOT COMPATIBLE WITH PANTOGRAPHS. The IRM crew has emphasized that here in the past. You have to drop the pans on trolley wire frogs--or, more accurately, TRY to drop them and hope they drop fast enough!

Amtrak does NOT want anything to do with even the movement of a GG1, let alone running one. Amtrak's director of special movements had already nixed the movement of 4935 from Strasburg to Washington Union Terminal for the WUT centennial gathering, and it only happened when "orders came from above" from the top. Part of the excuse? "A once-in-a-half-century event!"

So that leaves you where? Wanna truck one to SEPTA or NJ Transit? I've learned never to say "never" even when high officials at whatever railroad say it'll never happen, but this idea has multiple strikes against it.

This is a good topic and I would like to see more operational electric locomotives. Despite what has been said here, electric locomotives has been and will always be special to a large percentage of railfans. Who wouldn't want to see a Milwaukee Road Bi-Polar run again? The GG1 would draw large crowds if it was running again.

Something to remember is we don't need them running to original specifications. As mentioned the operational Little Joe in Illinois is running on far less voltage then what it originally had. It works just fine. It can pull trains at a pretty good clip and everyone is happy. You don't need the original transformer in a GG1. Transformers have become smaller and cheaper over the years. I am sure there is a lot of replacements that require far less voltage.

I know of four museums that power Interurban cars with towed generators. Could you not power a electric locomotive by having a power car in the consist? I would imagine a 645 engine powering a AR10 generator would be sufficient, especially after running that amperage through a transformer. Could you take a HEP engine out of a passenger locomotive and put that in a electric locomotive?

For those interested there is only two electric freight railroads left. One is in Mason City, Iowa the other is in Dinosaur, Colorado.

Related to the topic at hand, SEPTA still currently owns a Silverliner II and III, parked at Frazer Yard. I'm fairly certain both still run and have PTC installed. I wonder if those might be viable excursion candidates?

I have mentioned it to people in SEPTA before to be met with "Oh, that would be neat!", only for it to go nowhere.

You mean the Deseret Power Railway - the electric power utility train.

Nobody said they aren't.