Historic GG1 Locomotive Returns to Harrisburg Transportation Center

PennDOT announced Oct. 16, that the historic GG1 Pennsylvania Railroad locomotive No. 4859 will be returned to its display area at the Harrisburg Transportation Center following restoration of track at the station.

Amtrak managed the move.

Both the historic GG1 locomotive and a caboose were moved in April 2014 so a $36 million project to improve power, signals, track and switches into the Harrisburg Transportation Center could start in the station area. The upgrades will further improve Keystone service train times from Harrisburg to Philadelphia and New York City. Work started in late 2013 and will conclude by 2017, but the section of track in the station is ready for the GG1 and the caboose to be moved back.

An Amtrak locomotive will pull the GG1 and caboose from a siding about 750 feet away where they were stored during the project  The GG1 locomotive had been “shrink-wrapped” to protect it from the elements while it was located outside of the train shed.

Because of safety concerns during the move, spectators will only be able to view the move from an overlook area at the transportation center or from other designated, public areas away from the station. Parking is available at nearby parking lots or garages or metered spots on nearby city streets.

The GG1, one of the world’s most distinctive locomotives and a mainstay of the Pennsylvania Railroad, served the Harrisburg station on service to Philadelphia and New York City between 1938 and 1981. No. 4859 pulled the first electrically powered train into the Harrisburg station on Jan. 15, 1938. It was located at the station as a memorial to that service in 1986, designated as the official state locomotive and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Harrisburg Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society owns and maintains both No. 4859 and the caboose.