New Haven EP4

January 9th, 2019

This is a picture that, I honestly admit, makes my heart ache. The photograph is from the John Dziobko collection, to be found at RailPictures.Net, which heavily features the NH and PRR East Coast electrification and does contain quite a few real gems. A New Haven EP-4 with its train of typical 1950’s Budd ribbed-side stainless steel coaches, stopped in a wayside station (observe those illegal crossing pedestrian-protected high-speed through tracks to the right of the machine) on its way somewhere between New York and Hartford or New Haven v.v. This is General Electric AC tap-changer technology from 1937 that, two years later, would feature on the iconic PRR GG1 with the same 2’Co’Co’2′ axle arrangement, but a machine that would sport a completely different look. Purely from the aesthetic side, this is the sort of stuff that cartoonist R. Crumb used; US Art Deco writ large. Clearly pre-dating Raymond Loewy’s influence, as he hated rivets that spoiled the smooth “streamline” looks. Speaking as an ex-train driver, though, I’d rather work this New Haven machine than a GG1, seeing the absurdly minuscule windscreen that a GG1 driver was allocated to do his job. There are some interesting in-cab video’s on YouTube, never mind Amy’s pics of number 4800 in the Pennsylvania Museum of Transport, to give you an idea what is talked about. This really is a locomotive that set the classic US mould, no doubt about it: much what the later NS class 1200 Co’Co’ was about as well.Details? Look at the low platforms, making an already big train appear to tower even higher. And to me, as an ex-driver; those windscreen wipers! On the Gatwick Express we had similar “oh sorry” afterthought-stuff like this on the class 73 ED locomotives as well, now duly changed on the few surviving refurbished and re-powered examples that are still around in Scotland. On the ones I worked they were still vacuum-operated and it took a lot of distraction from one’s primary job of observing signals to get them to work anywhere near properly. On top of which they had a tendency to self-destruct immediately you switched them on, due to the violence with which they would come to life and smash their rubber wiper bit against the window-frame. After that they wiped a quarter circle of about an inch width, which turned observing signals, especially coming through non-stop at East Croydon during a rainstorm, into a bit of a guessing job. I just suspect it could be the same here, seeing their rather diminutive size and the odd way in which they’re stowed. But also having seen pictures showing EP-4’s with two wipers, neatly parallel, per windshield window.Windshield wiper ructions were in fact the reason that I carried a a small adjustable spanner and screw driver in the bag. There were four windscreen wipers available (double-enders like this EP-4 machine in push-pull configuration with a remote control vehicle at the opposite end) and therewith one could perform quick exchanges of broken against healthy wipers at London Victoria or Gatwick Airport station. Got in fact ticked off for doing that, as during rainy weather one invariably ended up with one or two broken wiper blades for disposal in the cab and a same number of no-squeegee carrying wiper arms resting against windscreen windows. Which looked ridiculous, for which reason fleet people had an issue with us doing this: we should have telephoned them. But they’d never come out to Gatwick Airport or were late at Victoria due to staff shortage. And there was no answer against the claim that if we weren’t allowed to do this, we would have to stop operating during a downpour. Maybe British Rail as once was would actually have considered that option, but the privatised railway couldn’t forego the pennies.Then, sticking with the picture, there’s a Pullman rubbing bar above the coupler: something that can be seen on passenger stock fitted with Janney type knuckle couplers in the UK as well. The coaches behind the loco have the same type of bar incorporated in the covers for the walkways between the head-ends of two vehicles, which suggests that the door in the nose of the loco could be used for staff to transfer from loco to train and vice versa. On the other side, remembering the Washington Union terminal station accident on the 15th of January 1953, when a GG1 with The Congressional from Boston couldn’t stop due to “brake failure”, smashed through the bufferstop and sank into the undercroft into the postal area below, this feature might actually protect the brake air-pipe cocks behind it. The accident was triggered because a cock was pushed close by the vehicle that was coupled to the one where the problems started that day. The loco-headlight is the usual US version, not yet of the sealed-beam type, and the red marker/tail lights can be seen either side. Much to my surprise they are put together in a sort of reporting/ marker light cluster as first used by Loewy, but this machine has no loco-numbers in the sidewards showing lights that would make them into proper reporting lights. It was Loewy who did that in the early 1930’s when streamlining Pennsy K-4 Pacific steam locomotives and then developed the theme when streamlining the PRR T1a steam locomotive. After which they became a typical North-Eastern Corridor feature, the GG1 had them, and they are recognisable even on other US and foreign networks that used GE, Baldwin and Westinghouse plans. Even GM-EMD built a few diesel-electric locomotives sporting them.
Then, most of all, look at the driver/ engineer hanging out of his cabside droplight, looking back along his train: a classic railway operating picture. The door behind him open; probably his second man is standing there (or, somewhat unlikely here, but undeniably an issue on the NH and PRR electrics , it is hot on the machine). Looking further along the train there is a uniformed man standing with his back toward us. He can’t be anything but the conductor, looking back as well: Are they being delayed? What an absolutely glorious image of the working everyday railway!