PRR O1
Encyclopedia
The Pennsylvania Railroad
's class O1 comprised eight experimental boxcab
electric locomotive
s
built in 1930 and 1931.
They had the wheel arrangement
classified as 4-4-4
in the Whyte notation
(UIC
: 2'B2'; AAR
: 2-B-2). Although successful, they were not powerful enough for the railroad's increasingly heavy trains. For production, the PRR chose to concentrate on the P5 class
, effectively an enlarged and more powerful version of the O1 with an additional pair of driving wheels.
The eight locomotives were divided into four sub-classes — O1, O1a, O1b, and O1c.
Each sub-class was fitted with a different combination of traction motor
power output and drive gear ratio
. In addition, three O1 locomotives were fitted with General Electric
equipment, three with Westinghouse, and two with Brown Boveri. The O1b locomotives used a Buchli drive
system to link the traction motor
s to the driving wheels.
They were generally employed in pairs by sub-class, generally on short-distance passenger trains between Newark, New Jersey
and New York City
's Pennsylvania Station
. During World War II
they were used on the "Susquehannock" between Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
and New York City. Later in life, they were used for transfer work around Penn Station and Sunnyside Yard
, mostly hauling empty passenger stock. They were all out of service and scrapped by the mid 1960s.
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
's class O1 comprised eight experimental boxcab
Boxcab
A boxcab, in railroad terminology, is a locomotive in which the machinery and crew areas are enclosed in a box-like superstructure . It is a term mostly used in North America while in Victoria , such locomotives have been nicknamed "butterboxes"...
electric locomotive
Electric locomotive
An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or an on-board energy storage device...
s
built in 1930 and 1931.
They had the wheel arrangement
Wheel arrangement
In rail transport, a wheel arrangement is a system of classifying the way in which wheels are distributed beneath a locomotive.. Several notations exist to describe the wheel assemblies of a locomotive by type, position, and connections, with the adopted notations varying by country...
classified as 4-4-4
4-4-4
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-4-4 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and four trailing wheels on two axles. In the United States, this arrangement was named the...
in the Whyte notation
Whyte notation
The Whyte notation for classifying steam locomotives by wheel arrangement was devised by Frederick Methvan Whyte and came into use in the early twentieth century encouraged by an editorial in American Engineer and Railroad Journal...
(UIC
UIC classification
The UIC classification of locomotive axle arrangements describes the wheel arrangement of locomotives, multiple units and trams. It is set out in the International Union of Railways "Leaflet 650 - Standard designation of axle arrangement on locomotives and multiple-unit sets". It is used in much...
: 2'B2'; AAR
AAR wheel arrangement
The AAR wheel arrangement system is a method of classifying locomotive wheel arrangements that was developed by the Association of American Railroads. It is essentially a simplification of the European UIC classification, and it is widely used in North America to describe diesel and electric...
: 2-B-2). Although successful, they were not powerful enough for the railroad's increasingly heavy trains. For production, the PRR chose to concentrate on the P5 class
PRR P5
The Pennsylvania Railroad's class P5 comprised 92 mixed-traffic electric locomotives constructed 1931–1935 by the PRR, Westinghouse and General Electric....
, effectively an enlarged and more powerful version of the O1 with an additional pair of driving wheels.
The eight locomotives were divided into four sub-classes — O1, O1a, O1b, and O1c.
Each sub-class was fitted with a different combination of traction motor
Traction motor
Traction motor refers to an electric motor providing the primary rotational torque of a machine, usually for conversion into linear motion ....
power output and drive gear ratio
Gear ratio
The gear ratio of a gear train is the ratio of the angular velocity of the input gear to the angular velocity of the output gear, also known as the speed ratio of the gear train. The gear ratio can be computed directly from the numbers of teeth of the various gears that engage to form the gear...
. In addition, three O1 locomotives were fitted with General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
equipment, three with Westinghouse, and two with Brown Boveri. The O1b locomotives used a Buchli drive
Buchli drive
The Buchli drive is a transmission system used in electric locomotives. It was named after its inventor, Swiss engineer Jakob Buchli [Deutsch]. The drive is a fully spring-loaded drive, in which each floating axle has an individual motor, that is placed in the spring mounted locomotive frame...
system to link the traction motor
Traction motor
Traction motor refers to an electric motor providing the primary rotational torque of a machine, usually for conversion into linear motion ....
s to the driving wheels.
| Class | Numbers | Motors | Power | Gear Ratio | Maximum Tractive Effort | Continuous Tractive Effort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| O1 | 7850–1 | 4 × 500 hp | 2000 hp | 31:91 | 28500 lbf (126.8 kN) | 13200 lbf (58.7 kN) @ 56 mph (25 m/s) |
| O1a | 7852–3 | 4 × 625 hp | 2500 hp | 36:103 | 37500 lbf (166.8 kN) | 14900 lbf (66.3 kN) @ 63 mph (28.2 m/s) |
| O1b | 7854–5 | 4 × 550 hp | 2200 hp | 49:114 | 35000 lbf (155.7 kN) | 17800 lbf (79.2 kN) @ 46 mph (20.6 m/s) |
| O1c | 7856–7 | 4 × 625 hp | 2500 hp | 31:91 | 37500 lbf (166.8 kN) | 14900 lbf (66.3 kN) @ 63 mph (28.2 m/s) |
They were generally employed in pairs by sub-class, generally on short-distance passenger trains between Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's Pennsylvania Station
Pennsylvania Station (New York City)
Pennsylvania Station—commonly known as Penn Station—is the major intercity train station and a major commuter rail hub in New York City. It is one of the busiest rail stations in the world, and a hub for inbound and outbound railroad traffic in New York City. The New York City Subway system also...
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
they were used on the "Susquehannock" between Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
and New York City. Later in life, they were used for transfer work around Penn Station and Sunnyside Yard
Sunnyside Yard
Sunnyside Yard is a large coach yard, a railroad yard for passenger cars, in Sunnyside, Queens in New York City.-Description:The yard is owned by Amtrak and is also used by New Jersey Transit. The shared tracks of the Long Island Rail Road Main Line and Amtrak's Northeast Corridor pass along the...
, mostly hauling empty passenger stock. They were all out of service and scrapped by the mid 1960s.