![]() ![]() The frame of the locomotive was in two halves joined with a ball joint, allowing the locomotive to negotiate sharper curves. Most have been scrapped, but sixteen are in museums. ![]() The last GG1 was retired by New Jersey Transit in 1983. ![]() The GG1 entered service with the PRR in 1935 and later ran on successor railroads Penn Central, Conrail and Amtrak. The two most notable giants of railroading in New York City were both dead, with only Grand Central Terminal remaining as a reminder of what once was. The PRR and New York Central eventually merged in 1968 into an eldritch abomination called Penn Central, which only lasted a few years before going bankrupt. Architects and historical preservationists understandably freaked out and there were numerous protests, but ultimately, Penn Station was demolished starting in 1963, with only a few vestiges of the old building remaining underneath its tombstone, Madison Square Garden. Felt, who in 1962 announced that Penn Station would be demolished and the current Madison Square Garden would be built in its place. Both the PRR and the New York Central were hurting, and ultimately, the PRR made the decision to sell the air rights above Penn Station, first optioning them to real estate developer William Zeckendorf in 1954 and eventually quietly selling them in 1960 to Irving M. But after World War II, and especially in the 1950s as more people could afford cars and air travel began to become a more viable option, the railways began to decline. The PRR and the New York Central continued to duke it out, especially with their crack passenger trains, the New York Central’s 20th Century Limited (between Grand Central and Chicago) and the PRR’s Broadway Limited (between Penn Station and Chicago). As it welcomed in passengers, skyscrapers began to rise, and Manhattan continued to evolve into the center of culture it is today. Anyway, Penn Station had a good run as the most beautiful building in New York. ![]()
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