The Mighty 'G'

The Mighty 'G'

Nothing - but nothing - looked like the mighty GG1 electric locomotive of the
Pennsylvania Railroad, or, as she was often called by her intimates, the "G."

Designer Raymond Loewy was commissioned by the Pennsylvania Railroad
in 1934 to give their proud new high speed machine a distinctive aerodynamic shape.
Loewy did away with the riveted design of the already high-performing prototype and
created an Art Deco statement with the smooth flowing lines of this iconic design.

Not only was she beautiful to behold, but she was powerful, fast and super-
reliable. Indeed, GG1s served proudly for decades on the PRR and its
successor, the Penn Central, and soldiered on into the Amtrak years in the '80s.

This image is available in gallery prints, as well as in Custom Printed Photo Note Cards.

Image and Narrative ©1978/2011 Steve Ember

See her in color...