#1423
Great Northern boxcab (3 phase)
🇺🇸 United States ·built by General Electric· from 1909· class of 4 American electric locomotives
what is it?
The GN boxcab locomotives were the first electric locomotives purchased by the Great Northern Railway (GN) for use through the Cascade Tunnel. Four locomotives supplied were built in February and March 1909 by the American Locomotive Company, and delivered in Pullman Green; they used electrical equipment from General Electric and weighed 115 short tons (104 t) each. They were three-phase electric locomotives with specifications calling for 1,000 hp (750 kW), but the actual output was substantially greater at 1,500 hp (1,100 kW) each, as described by the consultant engineer Cary T. Hutchinson.
who runs it
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 117 years ago, in 1909.
- 1.1 MW is about 13 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
- Weighs about as much as 17 African elephants (~6 t each).
- 13.4 m long: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
- Served for 18 years (1909–1927).
electric locomotive: Draws power from overhead wires or a third rail and pulls separate carriages.
spec sheet
- built
- 1909
- in service from
- 1909
- retired
- 1927
- status
- retired
- number built
- 4
- kind
- Electric
- traction
- electric
- origin
- 🇺🇸 United States
- builders
- General Electric, American Locomotive Company
- operators
- Great Northern Railway
- top speed
- 24 km/h
- power
- 1.1 MW
- gauge
- 1,435 mm standard gauge
- electric system
- 6.6 kV, 25 Hz AC (3-Phase)
- wheel arrangement
- Bo′Bo′
- length
- 13.4 m
- weight
- 104 t
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q1486098, Wikipedia: Great Northern boxcab (3 phase) (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.