Where was it built?
PRR at Altoona, with Westinghouse and Allis-Chalmers.
The museum’s B1 No. 5690 was built in 1934.
United States · Classic electrics
PRR B1
Classic electric
Pennsylvania Railroad’s B1 was a small electric switching locomotive. It arranged vehicles on electrified tracks. Its roof collector is the clue that it uses power from outside the locomotive.
- Speed
- Still researchingHistorical maximum not verified
- Year
- 1934Reference year
- Maker
- See the train file below
- Job
- Electric switching work
Turn it. Take it apart. Discover.
Explore your train
Interactive model loads here. Read the train guide below while it gets ready.
3D modelDrag to turn · Pinch to zoom · Tap a number to explore
What makes an electric train electric?
A collector takes electricity from the overhead wire. Electrical equipment prepares that power, and motors turn the wheels.
- 1The locomotive’s frontAt the front
Look at the cab windows, lamps and couplings. Older electric locomotives have many different body shapes.
Look deeper
A compact Pennsylvania Railroad electric switching locomotive. Its roof pantograph is a useful clue to its power source.
- 2The driver’s cabInside the car body
The cab is the driver’s workplace; the rest of this locomotive contains traction equipment.
Look deeper
A compact Pennsylvania Railroad electric switching locomotive. Its roof pantograph is a useful clue to its power source.
- 3An arm that collects powerOn the roof
This spring-loaded arm touches an overhead wire and collects electricity for the train.
Look deeper
This locomotive collects external electrical power. The B&O switcher uses a trolley pole; the other examples show pantographs.
- 4More than just wheelsUnder the body
A bogie is the frame that holds a group of wheels. Springs help make the ride smoother.
Look deeper
Wheelsets, suspension and braking equipment form part of the running gear. Powered bogies also carry traction motors. This simplified model does not reproduce a specific bogie or show every motor and brake.
- 5The equipment below your feetBelow the floor
Electrical boxes help turn electricity into the power the motors need. They share space with other equipment underneath the train.
Look deeper
Electrical equipment is housed within or beneath the locomotive. The separated model is a schematic teaching view.
Get to know PRR B1
How does it move — and what is its job?
Electricity from outside the train powers motors that turn its wheels.
Electric locomotives do not need an onboard diesel engine. Gearing, wheel grip, braking and the railway’s rules help decide their speed. A freight engine can be designed for strong pulling rather than fast travel.
When was it built?
1934 is a reference year in the supplied train book.
This may describe a design, a prototype or the photographed locomotive. We have not yet verified the exact construction date, so it is not labelled as a birthday.
Where does it run — or where did it run?
Electric coach-yard switching.
No. 5690 spent much of its career at New York’s Sunnyside Yard, moving empty passenger cars.
What are we still researching?
We leave gaps visible instead of guessing. The original catalogue and our learning model do not establish every real-world specification.
What is it made from?
A train uses different materials for different jobs: metals for strength, glass for windows and insulating materials around wires. Paint colour cannot tell us whether the body underneath is steel or aluminium.
Is it still running today?
Old photographs and launch announcements do not prove that a train still runs. A whole class may still work even after one member retires. We need a recent operator or museum source.
How power reaches the wheels
Follow these steps, then find the matching sections in the model above.
- 1
External power
A collector takes electricity from the railway.
- 2
Electrical equipment
It controls the supply reaching the motors.
- 3
Traction motors
Electric motors turn the drive system.
- 4
Wheels
Powered wheelsets turn against the rails.
Read the wheels
0-6-0 is the arrangement recorded for this exhibit. In common letter notation, B means two powered axles and C means three. A small “o” means the axles have individual motors. Wheel-count and axle-count systems are different, so always check the notation before comparing.
What does its speed really mean?
Historical maximum not verified
The driving game uses an approximate simulation speed. It is not a measured or documented speed for this locomotive.
A fast train is a whole system: vehicle, track, electricity or fuel, brakes, signalling and trained people. A race in the game is a simplified comparison.
What curious kids ask
Does an electric train need a big battery?
It can take electricity from the railway while it moves, using a roof collector or another pickup system. Some trains have batteries for special jobs, but electric does not automatically mean battery-powered.
Does the driver steer like a car?
No steering wheel is needed to choose a direction. The rails guide the wheelsets. At a junction, movable sections of rail called points or switches guide the train onto another track. The driver controls speed and braking.
Why can’t it stop straight away?
A moving train has energy. Brakes must remove that energy to slow it down. A heavy train travelling fast needs room to stop, so railway signals help keep trains safely separated.
Meet these trains next
Compare how they look, what they carry and where their power comes from.
BR Class 08 Phantom 
B&O Bo Switcher 
PP&L D Fireless Little railway dictionary
Bogie / truck
A frame holding wheelsets beneath a vehicle. It can turn relative to the body to help the train follow curves.
Gauge
The distance between the inside faces of the two running rails. Narrow gauge means closer rails; loading gauge describes the space a train may occupy.
Pantograph
A folding roof collector that stays in contact with an overhead power wire.
Traction
The force used to pull or propel the train. Grip between wheels and rails limits how much force can be used.
Multiple unit
A train with propulsion equipment within its passenger vehicles, operated together from one cab.
Locomotive
A powered vehicle whose main job is to move other railway vehicles.
Shunting / switching
Moving and arranging vehicles in a yard, often at low speed.
Livery
The colours, stripes, logos and other markings painted or applied to a train.
Service speed
The permitted speed for passenger or freight operation on a suitable section. It is not the journey average.
Record speed
A speed achieved on a particular test or record attempt, sometimes with special equipment and conditions.
Tender
A vehicle coupled to a steam locomotive to carry extra water and fuel. A tank engine carries water on the locomotive itself.
Prototype
An early vehicle built to develop and test a design before a production fleet.
Sources & reading
Follow the operator, builder and museum references below for more detail. Links beside an answer show which source supports that answer.
Edition 2026-09-27. Catalogue background is carried forward from the original collection; it is not a new independent verification. Engineering explanations describe principles. Portraits and 3D models are illustrations, with simplified parts and proportions. This is an independent learning guide, not an operator’s timetable.