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).

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 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.”

In photo, new E-44 hauls train to Harrisburg." Shown here is Pennsylvania Railroad engine #4408, an E-44 built by General Electric in March of 1961, rated at 4,400 horsepower, and retired in February of 1984 after 23 years of service.

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.

Unique in many ways is this Conrail E44 #4465 unit. It was the final production unit built by GE, originally PRR #4465. It survived PRR, the PC merger, Conrail take-over and even moved onto the Amtrak roster.

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 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.

PRR 4400(E44) Views: 200 Comments: 0: Title: "The New Electrics," Page 2, 1960 : Description: Here is page two of a two-page article entitled "The New Electrics." It was published originally in the November-December 1960 issue of "Pennsy" magazine, page 2. Top Left Photo Caption: "At Erie, Pa., J.L. Trowill and E.H. Beatty, of PRR, check the ...