The New Haven EP-1 was a class of

boxcab A boxcab, in railroad terminology, is a term for an electric locomotive in which the machinery and cab (locomotive), crew areas were enclosed in a box-like superstructure. Deriving from "boxcar", the term mainly occurs in North America. The ter ...

electric locomotive An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or on-board energy storage such as a Battery (electricity), battery or a supercapacitor. Locomotives with on-board fuelled prime mover (locomotive), ...

s built by Baldwin-Westinghouse for the

New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , commonly known as The Consolidated, or simply as the New Haven, was a railroad that operated principally in the New England region of the United States from 1872 to 1968. Founded by the merger of ...

. The locomotives were part of an electrification project undertaken by the New Haven between

Grand Central Terminal Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal station, terminal located at 42nd Street (Manhattan), 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York Ci ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and

Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, outside of New York City. It is the sixth-most populous city in New England. Stamford is also the largest city in the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Weste ...

. Baldwin-Westinghouse delivered 41 locomotives between 1905–1908, and the New Haven retired the last in 1947.

Design

The EP-1 had to support two electric systems and three collection methods. The

New York Central Railroad The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected New York metropolitan area, gr ...

's 660 V

third rail A third rail, also known as a live rail, electric rail or conductor rail, is a method of providing electric power to a railway locomotive or train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a track (r ...

DC extended from Grand Central to Woodlawn, where New Haven territory began. Westinghouse installed 11 kV

overhead line An overhead line or overhead wire is an electrical cable that is used to transmit electrical energy to electric locomotives, Electric multiple unit, electric multiple units, trolleybuses or trams. The generic term used by the International Union ...

AC from Woodlawn to Stamford. Finally, the New York Central employed overhead lines over

railroad switch A railroad switch (American English, AE), turnout, or (set of) points (Commonwealth English, CE) is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one Rail tracks, track to another, such as at a Junction (rail), ...

es in place of third rail electrification. To support these myriad methods, Westinghouse installed two sets of pantographs, one for AC and one for DC collection, and a

contact shoe A current collector (often called a "pickup") is a device used in trolleybuses, trams, electric locomotives and Electric multiple unit, EMUs to carry electric power (Electric current, current) from overhead lines, electric third rails, or ground ...

for third rail operation. Control devices within the locomotive prevented drawing power from multiple sources and enabled transition between them without stopping. The boxcab body was long and weighed . Beneath it, initially, were four axles in a pair of

trucks A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport freight, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction ...

( B-B arrangement). After oscillation problems the New Haven added an unpowered axle to each end (1-B-B-1), which resolved the issue. The EP-1 was capable of

multiple working On the rail network in Great Britain, multiple working is where two or more traction units (locomotives, diesel multiple units or electric multiple units) are coupled together in such a way that they are all under the control of one driver ...

, and was the first electric locomotive to do so regularly.

History

Westinghouse delivered the first prototype in 1905, followed by 34 production units in 1907–1908. One was loaned to the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad ( reporting mark PRR), legal name as the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, also known as the "Pennsy," was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At its ...

in 1907 for testing on the

West Jersey and Seashore Railroad The West Jersey and Seashore Railroad (WJ&S) was a railway company in the U.S. state of New Jersey with a connection to Philadelphia. It was formed through the merger of several smaller roads in May 1896. At the end of 1925 it operated of road ...

; the locomotive tested well but the Pennsylvania adopted DC electrification for its

New York Tunnel Extension The New York Tunnel Extension (also New York Improvement and Tunnel Extension) is a combination of railroad tunnels and approaches from New Jersey and Long Island to Pennsylvania Station in Midtown Manhattan. It was built by the Pennsylvania R ...

. The New Haven ordered six more in 1908. The EP-1 designation, applied later, stood for "Electric Passenger." The EP-1s handled passenger trains between New York and Stamford, and later

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

, when the New Haven extended electrification there. Retirements began in 1936 as equipment wore out and newer locomotives became available, but the last left service in 1947. The New Haven supplemented the EP-1 fleet with 27 EP-2 boxcabs, built between 1919–1927 and 10 EP-3 boxcabs in 1931. No New Haven EP-1s survive today.

Notes

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:New Haven EP1 11 kV AC locomotives 600 V DC locomotives B-B locomotives 1-B-B-1 locomotives Bo-Bo locomotives Electric locomotives of the United States EP-1 Scrapped locomotives Standard-gauge locomotives of the United States Westinghouse locomotives Multi-system locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1905 Passenger locomotives

Design

History

See also

Notes

References