NJ Transit GG-1 Engine Change at South Amboy II | July 1983

More old home video footage of the engine change at South Amboy, NJ on NJ Transit's former New York & Long Branch RR (later renamed North Jersey Coast Line). At the time relatively newly created NJ Transit took over the commuter rail operations from Conrail who operated under contract with NJDOT. Most of the equipment during this visit were painted in the early NJ Transit paint scheme. This video shows the last few months of this tradition of changing from electric to diesel locomotives that was a carryover from the PRR/PC days.
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[@johnuhelski8613]

I remember this place well , drove overnight and the slept in my Pinto to spend the day shooting the engine changes , early 80's as I recall. G's to E's , what a great memory. Had the run of the place ; station , engine pit , nobody ever said anything.... Try that today...... Thanks for posting this !!

[@bdvids7930]

I would love to see a GG1 run again

[@ironstallion7784]

Sadly that would not likely happen During the fact they ran on a different kind of Electrical wiring they had back thenot to mention your Transformers are contaminated with some kind of chemical That's going to make Restoration to operational condition a nightmare

[@bdvids7930]

@@ironstallion7784 oh ok

[@ironstallion7784]

@BDvid’s No problem but on the brightside It won't be too long till 1361 Is back in operation That I am fully looking forward to I was never born when it was an excursion service back in 87 to 88 I can't wait to see Her pulling excursions over horseshoe curve

[@bdvids7930]

@@ironstallion7784 👍👍👍

[@southernpennsyrailfan8579]

@@ironstallion7784 they were contaminated with PCBs

[@floppaeditz123]

The most beautiful locomotive of all time. We'll never get another one like her. Nothing can surpass or replace her legacy.

[@WAL_DC-6B]

16 survive at various railroad museums across the country.

[@TheAnunnaki-NYC]

I unfortunately was born in 84 which I believe was the year these giant beauties were all retired. I missed these trains when they were on revenue service. Thanks a lot MOM!

[@josephseverino674]

Brings back memories i remember some of these buildings the station that had a ticket clerk,the conrail police station was right buy the southbound tracks on Augusta and broadway st, and the gate on Augusta steet was manualy operated.Even when up in age that GG1 was majestic locomitive,thanks for posting i enjoyed watching.

[@thomasbannister4372]

I remember this changeover well. I commuted from a Bay Head to Newark for about a year in the early 70s. My train in the morning was a Pennsy run that went into NY city and made the engine change at South Amboy. There used to be a house next o the tracks where a dog was kept on a roof deck. he used to run around the small deck the whole time,a,train was,sitting there barking like crazy.

[@NEFeldman]

Operations with the engine change in South Amboy remained until extension of catenary to Long Branch opened in 1988. The E60’s took over later in 1983 to take the place of the GG1 with the veteran steam heated cars still in place for the most part until more Comet II’s came. When the E8’s were retired in 1987, so did the old steam heated cars. 1990 was when the ALP44’s came finally bringing push-pull to electric powered trains even though they already had it in both Hoboken Territory, Raritan Line and some Bay Head Trains to Newark and Hoboken. South Amboy went automatic crossings later in 1983, but it took until 2009 when a new island elevated platform was built changing the scene forever.

[@johnoconnor6356]

The day this video was shot, the #1 song on the pop charts was more than likely, "I'll be Watching You" by The Police, which would end up being the #1 song for 1983. This was a very special time in my life, when this was recorded, it is good to see videos from then. Other songs from then were, Our Bus by Mad, Maniac by Michael Sembello, Putting on the Ritz by Taco, She's a Beauty by The Tubes, Lawyers in Love by Jackson Browne, Always Something there to Remind Me by Naked Eyes, Family Man by Hall & Oates, Cuts Like a Knife by Bryan Adams, I'll tumble 4 ya by Culture Club, Electric Avenue by Eddy Grant. These songs should bring back memories of those days, which I have fond memories of.

[@dennisrichardville4988]

GREAT SONG'S GOOD YEAR.....

[@patrickrancourt4782]

Great 80's decade The Police song's is"" Every breath you take " Thanx God for the 80's This decade feeling'z gonna be back again This USA splendor will be back soon too !!!!

[@johnoconnor6356]

That Police song can still be heard on the radio alot, even today, like on Classic Rock stations, and stations that play 70's and 80's music. A lot of people who weren't born yet, when the song came out, tend to think of the title as I'll be Watching You, since that is repeated so much in the song, where as Every Breath You Take is used only once, maybe twice, at the most.

[@yankinga]

I don't know whether you modified the aspect ratio from 4*3 to 16*9 or if KZbin did it but either way the geometry is off, making everything appear shorter in height and exaggerated in length. Would love to see it in it's proper aspect ratio. Very cool subject matter. GG1s were my favorite motors. I grew up in Flushing, Queens and on many a Saturday morning dad and I would take a 7 mile ride to Sunnyside to watch the action. We rode the first of the three round trips to Newark on "Farewell to the GG1" day, October 29th, 1983. I was 26 years old. Laugh if you want, but seeing one "alive" for the last time made me tear up. Sadly, because of numerous factors, we'll never see another one run.

[@captdavec590]

I remember when they used the Baldwin "Sharknose" diesel back in the 50's through the mid 60s

[@glendenig9962]

Amazing machines!

[@kimcooper4751]

Using wife's phone today not her opinions This is a great capture of one of America's greatest locomotives and the last GG-1s in service I was stationed overseas then so I couldn't go on a last ride I was hoping along with thousands of people that a Railroad Museums would get some and have excursions with them still do whoever shot this really captured something iconic thank you

[@workinghardusa]

Great video, well done!

[@toomanyhobbies2011]

Minimal setup and processing will provide the correct aspect ratio and cleanup that video. The audio seems very good. For example, even during streaming, VLC can correct this video. It should have been done during conversion from tape(?) to digital.

[@Neillan]

Wanna feel old? *This footage is 40.* (as of Sep. 2023)

[@lindarusso2557]

that little boy probably has kids of his own now!

[@russellgxy2905]

"NJ Transit GG-1 #4872 (fmr-PRR #4872)" Can we just appreciate how the GG1's had their numbers pretty much untouched throughout their careers? Hell, even the Amtrak ones were basically the same, they just dropped the first digit Also I'm just realizing there doesn't seem to be any sort of power car on this train. Considering the EL routes out of Hoboken were the first to get the Comets, would it be safe to assume the cars in this video were still steam-heated?

[@archibald.hamilton6610]

I remember when the steam engine ran and then the G G 1 would go then come back to South Amboy and then go to the mu yard and then the steam would make the Bay Head run I was born in South Amboy and I was born in December 19th 1951

[@V-max97]

She’s a beaut!

[@davebeedon3424]

Cool video. In 1971, while learning electronic theory at Fort Monmouth, I rode through South Amboy on the way to Manhattan and back. If there were an engine swap then I don't recall. Google Maps shows that the Augusta Street crossing (shown at 1:45) is no more. The passenger station extends through what used to be Augusta Street.

[@leroyjones6958]

That is Top G ! 💥

[@tableseven8133]

DJL Rail Productions, if you could please upload this in it's proper original aspect ratio. The wide screen stretch make the old pictures and video look very weird and of course things to short and to wide then they really are in real life. Otherwise thanks for the video. I recall from somewhere it was mentioned that these change overs happened, but never saw one in a video, nor in person. Saw it today on a video screen!

[@91_C4_FL]

Nobody thought a Big Boy would run again. All it takes is a lot of money....

[@mr.conductorfromsts4204]

9 Years before NJT 4103 EMD GP40PH-2

[@MidnightAspec]

….and well before the ALP-45DP. 😂

[@jaymorgenthal9479]

So beat up 🥲. it’s glorious days on the Pennsy just a memory

[@Woodbournephotoguy.mp26]

Do you have any videos of GG1 through Jamesburg NJ?

[@michaelpigott7271]

Just one question did the train engineer who bought the train from Bay Head switch and then operate the GG-1 into Penn Station?

[@Greatdome99]

Not if they were both moving at the same time. . .

[@earlknightjr.6161]

The answer to that question Is, NO!! Because the DIESEL Engineer took the GEEP40P into the( holding chamber) until the next Electric came along from NY. Then no doubt, that same Engineer would come back out of the hole and couple up to take that same train from NY. that's now in South Amboy, BACK TO BAY HEAD!! 11/8/23 Earl of El Barrio, NYC, NY.1:30AM

[@mtanyctrainatlantamartatra7164]

Is that a fan running from the GG1 locomotive?

[@yankinga]

Blowers to cool the traction motors.

[@frankortolano5886]

Horrible horn,Horrible bell,but it was the most beautiful of locomotives

[@HANKTHEDANKEST]

Hilarious how I was thinking the exact opposite about the horn and bell, but you'll get no argument whatsoever on the last point. Missing from the video: the feeling of being next to an ENORMOUS all-electric locomotive in motion. *VVWWWHHHHHHHRRRRRR*

[@truckspotting7473]

Thank god they don't exist anymore! Because this would be my nightmare. I wouldn't want to experience a ride on a GG1!

[@stephenrichmond917]

Would you prefer a ride behind a GG1? If so, you're out of luck.

[@trevormaxwell8134]

So would i 😮😅😊

[@HANKTHEDANKEST]

All the billionaires in the world, and NOT ONE of them is enough of a train nerd to fund a scratch-built, modern inside/vintage outside (I love Pyranol as much as the next guy, but cancer etc.) replica of the magnificent GG-1? Lame. Beautiful locomotive.