The PRR E44 was an electric, rectifier-equipped locomotive built by General Electric for the Pennsylvania Railroad between 1960 and 1963. The PRR used them for freight service on the Northeast Corridor. They continued in service under Penn Central and Conrail until Conrail abandoned its electric operations in the early 1980s.

Aug 27, 2024 · The E44 freight electric locomotive was an Ignitron-rectifier built by GE in 1959 as the PRR needed a new freight locomotive to replace its aging fleet of P5s and supplement its GG1s (which by the late 1950s were used in both freight and passenger service).

With a starting tractive effort of 96,0000 lbf and a dynamic brake, the locomotives are ideal for heavy freight trains on mountainous routes. The E44s were only used in exceptional cases to pull passenger trains, as they could only go 70 mph and had no boiler for train heating.

The E44 class electric, built with a silicon rectifier, delivered an amazing 5000 horsepower. Referring to its pair of three-axle trucks and boxy carbody, train crews often called the E44’s “bricks.”

Jun 2, 2023 · Amtrak E44 electric locomotives are eight roster oddities that likely never turned a wheel in revenue service for the passenger carrier. The Pennsylvania Railroad acquired 66 of the 5,000-hp, six-axle E44 electric locomotives from General Electric, Nos. 4400-4465.

The Pennsylvania Railroad Class E44 were electric locomotives that were built in 1960-1963 by General Electric for the Pennsylvania Railroad. For much of the 1950s, the Pennsylvania Railroad searched for a replacement for its aging fleet of P5a electric freight engines.

The original group of E44's consisted of 66 units built for the PRR between 1960 and 1963. Forty-four were class E44 in 1976 and numbered 4400-4437 and 4460-4465, while units 4438 to 4459 totaling 22, were class E44A having been rebuilt to 5,000 horsepower from …

The PRR E44 was an electric, rectifier-equipped locomotive built by General Electric for the Pennsylvania Railroad between 1960 and 1963. The PRR used them for freight service on the Northeast Corridor.

Early on, steam locomotives were given single-letter classes. As the 26 letters were quickly assigned, that scheme was abandoned for a more complex system. [1] This was used for all of the PRR's steam locomotives, and — with the exception of the final type bought (the E44) — all electric locomotives also used this scheme.

PC Class E-44.