[Moved from page 5 on 11 Oct 04 and expanded.]
BW/Baldwin/PRR Class T3 Oil-Fired Cab-Forward.
BW/Baldwin/Virginian 2-4-6-8-10-12 Multiplex.
The ELEGARNT (Elegant Energy-Efficient Elephant-Garratt)
12,000HP SD90MAC2.
ALCo-GE-BW FPA-1.
On the Berlinerwerke Apocrypha Continuation Page 7:
9,000HP GE-BW Turbine (B-B+B-B)-(B-B+B-B)-T.
9,000HP UP Turbine (B-B+B-B)-T-(B-B+B-B).
12,000HP GE-BW Turbine (C-C+C-C)-(C-C+C-C)-T.
Because the Apocrypha and Guest Apocrypha indices exceeded the capacity of the
individual pages, they are now presented in full on a separate
Berlinerwerke Apocrypha Index (including the
Guest Apocrypha Index).
Before I continue, I should note that all this started with a secret project that is still unfinished and the next major development of the
Berlinerwerke was their fabled DDP45:
For more about her and her family, see my EMD page.
PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD/
BERLINERWERKE
Class DD3 Boxcab
Triple-Power Diesel-Electric Locomotive
2-B+3-3+3-3+B-2
[Moved from main BW Aprocrypha page on 11 oct 2004.]
THE REMARKABLE PENNSY DD3 - (Juniata '11/Alco '47/BW '62)
Printed in the Winter 1990 NMRA/NER/SRTD CANNONBALL, Vol. 20, No. 4, on Pp. 8 with silhouette asking "What is it?" and on Pg. 9 as "Why It's a DD3, Of Course",
by Sam Berlinger. Also printed in the NER Coupler.
In 1962, a PRR Class DD1 side-rod/jack-shaft electric 2-B+B-2 #3932 (Juniata, 1911) was semi-permanently coupled with a pair of PRR Class AP20 diesel electric B-units
(Alco PB-1, 1947). The Alcos' traction motors were removed but the 2,000 h.p. turbocharged 16 cylinder Model 244-B engines and original-equipment generators were
retained to run the DD1's 2,000 h.p. Westinghouse 315-A D.C. motors via inter-cab jumpers. The PB's were spliced between DD1 halves, thus placing an engineer's cab
at each end. For convenience, the unofficial designation DD3 was coined (yes, Virginia, there really was a DD2, a 2-B-B-2 mini-GG1, complete with streamlined Raymond
Loewy cowl body). These 4,000 h.p. monsters were cobbered up by the Berlinerwerke for the PRR as an experiment in double-ended dual power. DD1's developed an
almost unbelievable 66,000 lbs. of starting tractive effort (25% more than a K4!) and 79,200 lbs. was once recorded under ideal conditions. They weighed 313,000 lbs.
the pair and rode at up to 80 mph on 72" drivers. The intent was to utilize the enormous pulling power of the DD1 running off over-running third rail in electrified
territory and with the surplus B-units' diesel generators supplying the juice in non-electrified territory. Because PRR management was even then still hoping to
fully acquire the New Haven's New York commuter lines and convert them to over-running third rail, the equipment was secretly tested late at night in commuter territory
around New York's Penn Station (I'll bet not many old-time LIRR people even remember this!). The equipment worked well enough but, partly because of its extreme
length (190'), the experiment was not continued. Plans were then laid by the PRR to acquire dual-powered EMD FL-9 units or equivalent, for the same purpose, but this
idea also came to nought.
With the Berlinerwerke's usual flair for collecting old "junk" (not to mention odd histories), the BW management managed to squirrel away DD1 pair #3932 (S. Soho #10),
long thought to have been scrapped. With the BW's equal flair for getting anything to run that might please the railfan, they acquired and completely restored
a pair of motor-less old PB-1 Alco B-units (new Athearn #3361 dummies).& It goes without saying that the idea of recreating the old DD3 lashup came up rather quickly.
No sooner said than done! The old DD1 was cosmetically back-dated to its as-new configuration, with over-hanging roofs and large headlights, and the 244-B engines
were completely overhauled. Two more pair of jumpers were fabricated and, voila, the recreated DD3 rides again! Thus, railfans, and particularly Pennsy
fan(atic)s, once more, or for the first time in their young lives, have the incredible thrill of seeing and HEARING the majestic and historic DD1 running.
Seeing the side rods, connecting rods, mainshaft cranks, and jackshaft cranks all flailing around in synchrony beats the monkey motion of any steamer's valve gear all
hollow! Hearing the hum, whine, roar, and slap of a DD1 is something special. Couple all that with the simply-delicious sound of a 244 engine, not to mention
its unique smoke, even newly overhauled, and you've got quite a feast for eye and ear! The best part of this is that, for the first time ever, the DD1 can be run
in non-electrified territory anywhere. BW management expects that the huge DD3 2-B+3-3+3-3+B-2 quartet will be in great demand for conventions and fan trips all
around the country. Look for it in your neighborhood!
31 Aug 90 - S. Berliner, III {31 Jan 98 - it should be noted here that the original HO PRR DD1 pair were on open-ended loan and were called back about 1995; happily,
another (real) friend gave a me replacement pair, LIRR units, no less, in 1997, so the DD3 continues to run! Well, they sort of run - the DD1 pair
had hit the floor before I got them and are kinda sick and then a steel block dropped off a shelf in the workshop and clobbered one of the units! If you want a
real kick, the builder of the second set is ALCO Models!}
Everybody's gotta get into the act! Here's Josh Moldover's version of the DD3 (well, the right half, anyway):
(Image courtesy of, and reproduction rights held by, Joshua Moldover)
[BIG thumbnail! - Click on the picture for a VERY large image.]
Josh got a little happy, here. Being a purist, he doctored the DD1 roof line to match the PB1 and raised the diaphragm to even out the disparate floor levels. I, on the other hand, had no such
problem since Athearn's PB is probably too low or my DD1s too high (the latter is far more likely). So much for authenticity! I might even get around to checking which is which - one of these
daaaaaays.
Thanks, Josh!
Here are the ca. 1987 and Dec 2003 versions of the DD3:
DD3 - original version:
DD3 - substitute version (squashed DD1s):
For excellent line drawings from which to make your own kit-botching projects, visit Josh's outstanding Railroad Paint Shop.
As excellent as Josh's srawings are, and as much as I appreciate his effort above, and I really do, over the years it has grated on me because of the fairing on the DD1. Soooo, with some slight
trepidation over possibly upsetting le Maître, I have removed the offending fairing, adjusted the diaphragm ever-so-slightly downward, et voilà:
(28 Feb 2019)
(Image courtesy of, and reproduction rights held by, Joshua Moldover; altered 28 Feb 2019 and © 2019 by S. Berliner, III.
All rights reserved. Provided by the "Railroad Paint Shop", for personal use only. Used by permission.>
[BIG thumbnail! - Click on the picture for a VERY large image.]
Sorry, Josh; now, that's more like it! [O. K. - why would Josh use only 135# rail on a Pennsy drawing?
They are/were famous for their 155# rail! I could heavy it up but the as-rolled markings would then be wrong.
Secondary or yard trackage, of course. Yeah; riiight!]
PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD/
BERLINERWERKE
Class DD4 Boxcab
Dual-Power "Drei Eis" Dry-Ice-Electric Locomotive
2-B+2-2+B-2
The Pennsy had a need for a locomotive that could run on third rail where electrification had been accomplished but also under buildings and in tunnels in
non-electrified territory without any noxious emissions whatsoever. George Ersatz remembered a toy loco he and Ira had as kids and bounced the idea off Ira.
The toy had run on dry ice, which melted and gave off gaseous carbon dioxide, which, in turn, drove pistons. Ira, inspired by the sucess of the DD3, jumped right
in and they developed a design utilizing the chassis and body of another pair of DD1s and the shell and underframe of an ALCo FB-1, fueled by dry ice in an inverted
"U"-shaped tank running the length of the FB body:
(20/21 Jan 2006 picture by and © 2006 S. Berliner, III,
after J. Moldover on J. Moldover's "Railroad Paint Shop" - all rights reserved)
[Thumbnailed image - click on picture for larger image.]
[This image is based on the outstanding work of Joshua Moldover,
as shown on his "The Railroad Paintshop";
I am still unable to contact Josh]
Normal warming of the dry ice would run the loco but to get maximum power, the fuel tank of the FB was filled with alcohol and a series of burners was arrayed under the
dry ice tank, controlled by the throttle. The CO2 was directed to the two DD1 units where the giant electric motors which drove the
jackshaft had been removed and huge 4-cylinder reciprocating engines substituted; the gas drove the pistons, which drove the crankshafts, which powered the jackshafts.
Third rail shoes picked up power to run the traction motors in electrified territory. Other features of these novel locos included a very-early cryogenic generator
for electrical power for headlights and such (working off the dry ice, of course) and ducting which could be stretched to the passenger cars on the Washington-Philly-NY
run. Those trains carried Congressmen and the ducts collected plentiful hot air to save on alcohol. In addition, when running downhill, heat from regenerative
braking was fed to the dry ice so that lots of gas issued for the climb back uphill.
The inverted "U" allowed passage through the FB unit and gave access to the dry ice tank and the burners.
Old German workers at the Berlinerwerke named the loco the "Drei Eis" because of it's power source and the fact that it was a three-unit machine.
[My deep appreciation to fellow NRHS/LIST member Doug Nash for the germ of this concept.]
ALCo-GE-BW FPA-1 dual-powered B-C
I always wanted ALCo to have made an equivalent to the dual-powered EMD FL-9, a diesel-electric pasenger locomotive with third rail shoes for service in electrified
territory and especially in tunnels, riding on a four-wheel lead truck and a six-wheel trailing truck (to carry the steam heat houskeeping power). Well, thanks
to the BW, there is such, the ALCo-GE-BW FPA-1:
13/14 Jan 06 image by and © 2006 S. Berliner, III, after S.
Lytle, J. Moldover, and J. Bélanger
on J. Moldover's "Railroad Paint Shop" - all rights reserved)
[This image is based on the outstanding work of Stan Lytle, Joshua Moldover, and Jacques Bélanger on Josh's "The Railroad
Paintshop"; I am still unable to contact Josh, Stan, or Jacques!]
The best part of this is that I have an Athearn HO PA-1 and a sort-of-Athearn FA-1/2 which work out perfectly for this project, so it can really run (decorated
as an LIRR loco). [The FA-1/2 is shown somewhere on my site; I'll have to find where.]
[See also FPA-1 vs. PFA-1.]
The Long Island Rail Road had diesel-only B-C units, the F-M CPA20-5 and CPA24-5 "C-Liners".
The Biffisch
[Moved from main BW Aprocrypha page on 11 oct 2004.]
Now, turn to the Berlinerwerke-Z Saga Continuation Page 2 for the story of the Berliners Bessere Biffi Bauerei (Berliner's Better Biffie
Builders); you haven't lived 'til you know all about these outhouses made from depleted uranium and the BIFFISCH (Biffie Schnabel) cars that
carry them! However, to reward you for reading this far, here are the whole Biffisch and the biffie itself (my first digital camera images - I've got a LOT
to learn!):
[Images restored 31 Dec 2011]
{If you saw the middle photo before, you SHOULD see that I'm getting the hang of digital microphotography;
the image didn't upload that well at first but now seems to have "healed" itself!}
What you can't really see, though, is that that's a real 1:87.1 roll of tissue on a core, hanging from a 1:87.1 wire coat hanger, the microscopic working door hinges, the
newspaper dropped on the floor (because it's now missing!), or the magazine sitting on the seat shelf. Wait - now you can:
The nubs on either side of the biffie are attaching devices (screws that fit keyhole slots in the load arms);
note also the train lines between the halves of the car.
I've always known there were real RR Porta-Potties; see the one moved to my RR page 4.
Genesis Redivivus!
Now, for us Pennsy fans, this is a Genesis engine what's a Genesis engine!
{duplicated from Apocrypha page 2}
[Sorry - I still can't remember who perpetrated this picture.]
However, #5825 plowed into a hack when a switch was thrown against her, smashing in her nose rather badly, and Herron Rail Services got the contract to repair her;
there weren't any spare Genesis nose assemblies available, so Jim Herron, an avid Pennsy Shark aficionado, got a wee bit happy, with this startling result:
(Image courtesy of James Herron - all rights reserved.)
Doncha just love it? Hey, Jim; she can't couple nose-to-nose!
BW-BLW-GE-WEC-PRR GG2
It seems that Pennsy crews complained about the strain of peering over Raymond Loewy's elegant but restrictive GG1 hoods, plus the cramped quarters inside for both
operators and maintainers and George Ersatz heard about this; knowing Loewy's sensitivity to criticism, he approached the great man with a positive suggestion, to
which Loewy assented, to combine two of the best features of Loewy's greatest designs in one. Ira Ersatz quickly laid it out, it was approved, and the result,
a combined effort of the BW, Baldwin, GE, Westinghouse, and the PRR, was the truly-awesome GG2:
16/20 Dec 2005 image by and © 2005 S. Berliner, III, after S. Lytle and J. Bélanger
on J. Moldover's "Railroad Paint Shop" - all rights reserved)
[Thumbnailed image - click on the picture for a larger image.]
{Which can couple nose-to-nose!}
[This image is based on the outstanding work of Stan Lytle and Jacques Bélanger on Joshua Moldover's "The Railroad Paintshop";
I am still unable to contact Josh, Stan, or Jacques!]
Karen Parker retaliated - oops, I mean responded - with this photo of a British Rail Class 55 Deltic diesel, from English Electric,
running in Pennsy livery:
Dec 2005 image by K. Parker - all rights reserved
[Thumbnailed cropped image - click on the picture for the full and larger image]
{Remember - "apocrypha" - look it up if you forgot!}
9,000HP GE-BW Turbine (B-B+B-B)-(B-B+B-B) - moved to Berlinerwerke Apocrypha Continuation Page 7 on 23 Jan 2006)
Because the Apocrypha and Guest Apocrypha indices exceeded the capacity of the individual pages, they are now presented in full on a separate
Berlinerwerke Apocrypha Index (including the Guest Apocrypha Index).
[See also the HO (1:87.1) Berlinerwerke saga or the Z (1:220) Berlinerwerke-Z saga.]
I always wondered at the incredibly tight security at the Berlinerwerke during WWII; now it can be told! See, for starters, the wild site of Sig Case,
Rails to the Stars - Steam in Space, files from the National Aeronautics and Steam Administration and the
tie-in to the Berlinerwerke V1 on Apocrypha Page 2.
See also the HO (1:87.1) Berlinerwerke saga or the Z (1:220) Berlinerwerke-Z saga
and Berlinerwerke Guest Apocrypha (for taller tales?):
NORTHEAST CORRIDOR FREIGHT ENGINES.
LEWELLEN NORTHERN GARRATTS.
CSXT AC100CBW and NSC CB100W-10 10,000 horsepower locos!
Also, see the fabled BW DDP45 and other EMD engines EMD may never have dreamed of!
If you like this sort of nonsense, take a gander at Jim Wells' incredible Whitby Locomotive Works;
Jim's overall Fantasonics "Model Railroad Magic Website" has become too complex for me to navigate. Unfortunately, the AW NUTS Magazine, site of the
A.W. N.U.T.S. Garden Railway Society is no longer available, nor are Lion Air (I'd be Lion if I didn't warn you to keep your tongue in your cheek on this one!)
or D. Dickens' The Patiala State Monorail Tramway site (whooie - and it's for real)!
You may wish to visit the Railroad Continuation Page, et seq.
LEGACY
What happens to all this when I DIE or (heaven forfend!)
lose interest? See LEGACY.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
See Copyright Notice on primary home page.
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Contact S. Berliner, III
(Junk and unsigned e-mail and blind telephone messages will NOT be answered)
of this series of Berlinerwerke Apocrypha pages.
© Copyright S. Berliner, III -
1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2011,
2019
- all rights reserved.
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- The vast bulk of my massive Web presence (over 485 pages) had
been hosted by AT&T's WorldNet service since 30 May 1996; they dropped WorldNet effective
31 Mar 2010 and I have been scrambling to transfer everything. Everything's saved but
all the links have to be changed, mostly by hand. See my
sbiii.com Transfer Page for any updates on this tedious process.
