User:Grefox/GN boxcab (3 phase)

A boxcab at Wellington (west side of the original Cascade Tunnel)

Great Northern Boxcab
Type and origin Power type Electric Builder ALCO carbody GE electrical Build date 1909 Total produced 4
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-4  • AAR B+B  • UIC (Bo′Bo′) Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Length 44 ft (13 m) Adhesive weight 230,000 lb (100 t) Loco weight 230,000 lb (100 t) Electric system/s 6.6 kV, 25 Hz AC Three-phase Current pickup(s) Trolley Pole Train heating None Loco brake Air/Regenerative Train brakes Air
Performance figures Tractive effort 80,000 lbf (360 kN)
Career Operators Great Northern Railway Class Boxcab Number in class 4 Delivered 1909 Retired 1927 Preserved none Scrapped ?

The Great Northern Railway's boxcab electrics comprised of four electric locomotives with AAR B+B wheel arrangements. The locomotives were used on the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) original Cascade Tunnel near Stevens Pass in the Cascade Mountain range.

The locomotive carbodies were built by ALCO, and the electrical equipment was supplied by General Electric. These four locomotives represent the only three-phase AC locomotives ever used in North America.

In 1925 construction on the current Cascade Tunnel began. The Great Northern would adopt a two-phase system for their electrification expansion. The new system was installed from Skyhomish, Washington to Wenatchee, Washington. In 1927 the boxcabs were replaced by the Z-1 class electrics. The new Cascade Tunnel opened in 1929 eliminating 9 miles from the mainline, including the original 2.5 mile tunnel.

References

Book: Middleton, William D. When the Steam Railroads Electrified. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Books, 1974

• "Great Northern Empire - Then and Now". 2005. Retrieved 2009-03-29.

Category:Great Northern Railway (United States) locomotives Category:General Electric locomotives Category:B+B Locomotives Category:Electric locomotives of the United States