A glass gob distributor for delivering gobs of molten glass to sections of a glassware forming machine, in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, includes at least one electric motor, a ball screw coupled to the electric motor and a carriage slidable on a carriage shaft and coupled to the ball screw. At least one gear rack is coupled to the carriage and at least one scoop is coupled to the gear rack for rotation around a scoop axis as a function of linear motion of the gear rack and the carriage. A pair of slides are slidably disposed on opposite sides of the carriage and are disconnected from the carriage. A pair of fluid cylinders are disposed adjacent to the slides. The fluid cylinders are responsive to an absence of power at the electric motor for pushing the centering slides toward each other to abut and slidably position the carriage on the carriage shaft, the gear rack and the at least one scoop at a home position. In exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, a plurality of scoops are coupled either to individual associated electric motors through associated gear racks, carriages and ball screws, or are coupled to a single electric motor through one or more gear racks, a single carriage and a single ball screw.