map]]
The was an
American Railroad that was founded in 1846 and merged in 1968 into
Penn Central Transportation . Commonly referred to as the '''Pennsy''', the company was headquartered in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania . The company's symbol was a
Keystone (
Pennsylvania 's symbol) with the letters PRR intertwined inside it. When colored, it was bright red with silver-grey edges and lettering (although it also appears in metal leaf outline on a wooden background on station benches).
The PRR was the largest railroad by traffic and revenue in the US throughout its
20th Century existence and for a long while was the largest publicly traded corporation in the world. The corporation still holds the record for the longest continual dividend history: it doled out annual payments to shareholders for more than 100 years in a row.
Like the
Reading Railroad , the PRR served
Atlantic City, New Jersey ; one of the four railroad squares in the board game
Monopoly is called ''Pennsylvania Railroad''.
.]]
For a long time the PRR called itself the ''Standard Railroad of the World'', meaning that it was the standard to which all other railroads aspired, the "
Gold Standard ". For a long time that was literally true; the railroad had an impressive lists of firsts, greatests, biggests and longests. The PRR was the first railroad to rid itself of wooden-bodied passenger cars in favor of the much safer steel-bodied cars. It led the way in many safety and efficiency improvements over the years. This advantage lessened as the years progressed, and the PRR eventually abandoned the use of the phrase.
The Pennsylvania Railroad was ''standard'' in another way, too - it was an early proponent of standardization. While other railroads used whatever was to hand or available, the Pennsylvania tested and experimented with solutions until they could decide on one, and then made it standard across the whole company. Other railroads bought
Locomotive s and
Railroad Car s in small lots, taking whatever was available from manufacturers at the time. The PRR produced huge numbers of standardised designs. This gave the railroad a feel of uniformity and greatly reduced costs. The PRR was also an early adopter of standard liveries and color schemes.
The eastern part of the PRR's main line was built by the
Commonwealth Of Pennsylvania as part of the
Main Line Of Public Works , a railroad and
Canal corridor across the state. The system opened in
1834 , consisting of the
Philadelphia And Columbia Railroad from
Philadelphia west to
Columbia on the
Susquehanna River , a canal from Columbia to
Hollidaysburg , the
Allegheny Portage Railroad from Hollidaysburg to
Johnstown , and another canal from Johnstown to the terminus in
Pittsburgh . The Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad had one
Inclined Plane at each end; the Allegheny Portage Railroad had ten.
The was chartered by the Pennsylvania legislature on
April 13 ,
1846 . Construction began in
1847 and the first section opened from
Harrisburg west to
Lewistown on
September 1 ,
1849 (including the original
Rockville Bridge across the
Susquehanna River ). Further extensions opened to
McVeytown on
December 24 ,
Mount Union on
April 1 ,
1850 ,
Huntingdon on
June 10 , and
Duncansville (west of
Hollidaysburg ) on
September 16 ,
1850 , taking it to a connection with the
Allegheny Portage Railroad on the east side of the
Allegheny Ridge . On the other side of the ridge, the main line opened from
Conemaugh (on the Portage Railroad east of
Johnstown ) west to
Lockport on
August 25 ,
1851 . On
December 10 ,
1851 , sections opened from Lockport west to
Beatty (west of
Latrobe ) and from
Pittsburgh east to
Brinton , with a temporary
Stagecoach transfer between via the
Southern Turnpike and a short turnpike branch built to Beatty. Part of that gap was filled on
July 15 ,
1852 , from Brinton east to
Radebaugh , and on
November 29 the full line was completed, forming the first all-rail route between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
Plane Number 1 of the Portage Railroad was bypassed on
April 1 ,
1852 . Other planes began to be bypassed by the New Portage Railroad, completed in
1856 , but on
February 15 ,
1854 the PRR's new line opened, leaving the old one on the east side of the ridge in
Altoona and running west via the
Horseshoe Curve and
Gallitzin Tunnel , only using a short portion of the old Portage Railroad near
South Fork and a longer adjacent section of New Portage Railroad. A reciprocal
Trackage Rights agreement made
March 18 ,
1854 allowed the PRR to use that section for free.
On
March 21 ,
1849 the PRR contracted with
Eagle Line , primarily a
Steamboat company, for through service over the
Philadelphia And Columbia Railroad . The PRR obtained
Trackage Rights over the
Portsmouth, Mount Joy And Lancaster Railroad , opened in
1838 , on
April 21 , providing a route from Harrisburg to the Philadelphia and Columbia at
Dillerville , just west of
Lancaster . On
September 1 the first section of the PRR opened, with all arrangements in place for service from Philadelphia to Lewistown. On
December 20 ,
1860 the PRR formally leased the line west of Dillerville, renamed the
Harrisburg, Portsmouth, Mount Joy And Lancaster Railroad in
1855 .
map, including the planned
Lancaster, Lebanon And Pine Grove Railroad ]]
In
1853 the PRR surveyed the
Lancaster, Lebanon And Pine Grove Railroad from Philadelphia west via
Phoenixville to
Salunga on the Portsmouth, Mount Joy and Lancaster Railroad. This was done in order to show the state that the PRR was willing to build its own alignment around the Philadelphia and Columbia. On
July 31 ,
1857 , the PRR bought the whole
Main Line Of Public Works . The
Philadelphia And Columbia Railroad was integrated into its system. Most of the
New Portage Railroad , just completed the previous year at a cost of $2.14 million, was abandoned, while short sections became local branches. The canals were abandoned, and short sections were filled and covered by rails. In
1904 the New Portage Railroad east of the
Gallitzin Tunnel s (through the "
Muleshoe Curve ") was reopened as a freight bypass line.
map of "Lines East" territory]]
In the early
1860s the PRR gained control of the
Northern Central Railway , giving it access to
Baltimore along the
Susquehanna River (via connections at
Columbia or
Harrisburg ).
{Link without Title}
On , which included the original
Camden And Amboy Railroad from
Camden , across the
Delaware River from
Philadelphia , to
South Amboy , across
Raritan Bay from
New York City , as well as a newer line from Philadelphia to
Jersey City , much closer to New York, via
Trenton . Track connection in Philadelphia was made via the United Companies'
Connecting Railway and the jointly-owned
Junction Railroad .
The PRR's
Baltimore And Potomac Rail Road opened on
July 2 ,
1872 between
Baltimore and
Washington , but with a required transfer via
Horse Car in Baltimore to the other lines heading north from the city. On
June 29 ,
1873 , the
Baltimore And Potomac Tunnel through Baltimore was completed, and the PRR initiated the misleadingly-named ''Pennsylvania Air Line'' service via the
Northern Central Railway and
Columbia . This service was 54.5 miles (87.5 km) longer than the old route via the
Washington Branch Of The Baltimore And Ohio Railroad and
Philadelphia, Wilmington And Baltimore Railroad , but avoided a transfer in Baltimore. The
Union Railroad opened on
July 24 ,
1873 , eliminating the transfer, and the PRR contracted with the Union Railroad and the PW&B. New York-Washington trains began using that route the next day, ending ''Pennsylvania Air Line'' service. The PRR acquired a majority of PW&B stock in the early
1880s , forcing the
Baltimore And Ohio Railroad to build the
Baltimore And Philadelphia Railroad to keep its Philadelphia access.
Around
1900 , the PRR built several
Low-grade lines for freight to bypass areas of steep
Grade s. These included the following:
The
Pennsylvania And Newark Railroad was incorporated in
1905 to build a low-grade line from
Morrisville, Pennsylvania to
Colonia, New Jersey . It was never completed, but some work was done in the
Trenton area, including bridge piers in the
Delaware River . North of Colonia, the alignment was going to be separate, but instead two extra tracks were added to the existing line. Work was suspended in
1916 .
On
February 1 ,
1968 , the PRR merged with arch-rival
New York Central to form the
Penn Central . The
ICC required that ailing
New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad be added in
1969 . Penn Central declared bankruptcy in June
1970 .
Penn Central rail lines were split between
Amtrak (
Northeast Corridor and
Keystone Corridor ) and
Conrail in the 1970s. After the breakup of Conrail in
1999 , the portion which had formerly been PRR territory largely became part of the
Norfolk Southern Railway .
- 1915 PRR electrifies its Philadelphia-Chicago mainline between Central Philadelphia and Paoli .
- 1916 PRR adopts new motto, "Standard Railroad of the World".
- 1916 First I1s 2-10-0 "Decapod" locomotive completed.
- 1916 A5s 0-4-0 and B6sb switching locomotives introduced.
- 1918 PRR stock bottoms at $40¼ due largely to Federal railroad control, lowest since 1877 .
- 1918 Emergency freight routed through New York Penn Station and the Hudson tunnels at night by the USRA to relieve congestion.
- 1918 N1s 2-10-2 locomotives introduced for Lines West.
- 1918 PRR electrifies Chestnut Hill Commuter Line between Central Philadelphia and Chestnut Hill.
- 1928 - 1938 PRR electrified its New York-Washington Mainline, the Chicago-Philadelpia Mainline between Harrisburg and Paoli, several Philadelphia and New York area commuter lines, and major through-freight lines.
- 1968-02-01 Pennsylvania Railroad absorbs New York Central to form the Penn Central .
- issues 33-cent ''All Aboard! 20th Century American Trains'' commemorative Stamp s featuring five celebrated American passenger trains from the 1930s and 1940s . One of the five stamps features an image of a GG-1 Locomotive pulling the '' Congressional '' along Pennsy's route between New York and Washington, D.C. , and whose slogan was "Every Mile Electrified!"
PRR colors and paint schemes were very standardised.
Locomotive s were painted in a shade of green so dark as to be almost black, called DGLE (Dark Green Locomotive Enamel) but often called Brunswick Green. Underparts were painted true black.
Passenger Car s were painted Tuscan red, a brick-red shade. Lettering and lining was originally real
Gold Leaf on passenger locomotives and cars, but in the post
World War II period became Buff, a light yellow shade of paint. Some
Electric Locomotive s and most passenger-hauling
Diesel Locomotive s were painted in Tuscan also. Freight cars were painted Freight Car Color, an iron-oxide red.
Trackside, the PRR was virtually alone in its exclusive use of position-light
Signals .
map of "Lines East" territory]]
For most of its existence, the PRR was conservative in its motive power choices and pursued a path of standardization, both in locomotive types and their component parts. Almost alone among American railroads, the Pennsylvania designed most of its
Steam Locomotive classes itself and built a fair proportion of them in its own
Altoona Works. In fact, the PRR is believed to have been the 4th-most prolific U.S. builder of steam locomotives, after the three largest commercial builders.
Outside builders were, of course, used - the sheer number of locomotives the PRR ordered was far greater than its own works could produce. Unlike most roads who left the majority of the decision-making and design to the locomotive builder, giving only a broad specification, the PRR generally used a commercial builder as a subcontractor, building exact replicas of an existing PRR design.
When it needed to use a commercial locomotive builder, the Pennsy favored
Philadelphia 's
Baldwin Locomotive Works . Baldwin was a big PRR customer, for one thing — receiving its raw materials and shipping out its finished products on the PRR. Moreover, the two companies were headquartered in the same city, and PRR and Baldwin management and engineers knew each other well. When both the PRR and Baldwin shops were at capacity, orders generally went to the
Lima Locomotive Works in
Lima, Ohio . Only at a last resort, it seems, would the PRR use
Alco , the
American Locomotive Company , based in
Schenectady, New York - serviced by and favorite locomotive supplier to the Pennsy's arch-rival, the
New York Central Railroad .
The PRR had a definite style that it favored in its locomotives. The square-shouldered
Belpaire Firebox was a PRR trademark that otherwise found little favor in the United States; almost every PRR locomotive had it. It traded more difficult construction for a greater heating surface and simpler firebox staying. The PRR used
Track Pan s extensively to pick up water on the move, so the
Tender s of their locomotives had a comparatively large proportion of coal (which could not be taken on board while running) compared to water capacity. The PRR was wary of gadgets and its locomotives were not generally festooned with devices; the PRR also favored a neat mounting of such devices when necessary, leaving the lines of the locomotive comparatively clean. Smokebox fronts bore a round locomotive numberboard (freight) or keystone numberboard (passenger) and were otherwise uncluttered except for a headlamp mounted at the top, with a steam-driven turbo-generator behind it. In later years the positions of the two were reversed, since the generator needs more maintenance than the lamp.
The PRR, until its final years, preferred a philosophy of smaller locomotives rather than buying the biggest.
Each class of steam locomotive was assigned a class designation. Early on, this was simply an alphabetical letter, but when these began to run out, the scheme was changed so that each
Wheel Arrangement had its own letter, and different types of the same arrangement were defined by a subsequent number. Subtypes were in turn indicated by a lower-case letter; superheating was designated by a "s" until the mid 1920s, by which time all new locomotives were superheated. Thus, for example, a 'K4sa' class was a
4-6-2 "Pacific" type (K) and of the fourth class of Pacifics designed by the PRR. It was superheated (s) and was of the first variant type (a) after the original (unlettered). See
PRR Locomotive Classification for details.
map showing the main lines]]
The PRR built several grand railroad passenger stations in major cities, either alone or in conjunction with other railroads. These architectural marvels served as the hubs for the PRR's extensive passenger service. Many of these stations are still in use today, served by
Amtrak as well as regional passenger carriers. See also
Pennsylvania Station , the name given to many of them.
Union Station served as a hub for PRR passenger services in the nation's capital, with connections to the
Baltimore And Ohio Railroad , and
Southern Railway . The
Richmond, Fredericksburg And Potomac Railroad provided a link to
Richmond, Virginia , about 100 miles to the south, where major north-south lines of the
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and
Seaboard Air Line Railroad provided service to the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida.
Penn Station was designed to be a replica of the
Baths Of Caracalla ; it was notable for its enormous railshed and infamous demolition in the railroad's waning years. The station was built in 1910 to provide direct access to Manhattan from New Jersey without having to use a ferry, and was served by the PRR's own trains as well as those of the PRR's subsidiary the
Long Island Rail Road . The demolition did not extend to the platforms, or the tracks, or even some of the staircases, however.
This Art Deco station was built in the 1930s as part of the Pennsy's
Northeast Corridor infrastructure. It still stands, unlike the enormous trainshed of the New York station.
In classical grandeur, the 30th Street Station displays its majestic - and traditional - architectural style with its enormous waiting room and its vestibules. The station, in spite of its apparent architectural classicism, was constructed in the early 1930s, when
Moderne and
Art Deco styles were more popular.
The Pennsylvania Railroad, along with the
Milwaukee Road and the
Burlington Route , built Chicago's Union Station, the only of
Chicago 's old stations to still exist as a train station (the rest of Chicago's operating passenger stations have been substantially remodelled). It was designed by
Graham, Anderson, Probst & White in the
Beaux-Arts Style .
Presidents of the Pennsylvania Railroad:
Chief Executive Officers of the Pennsylvania Railroad:
- Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society
- PRR Chronology - in depth
- PRR Corporate History
- Railroad History Database
- PennsyRR.com - comprehensive PRR facts and history site, comprising multiple individual websites.
- prr.railfan.net - contains a lot of Pennsy information, including equipment diagrams, freight car info.
- Keystone Crossing: Hobo's Guide to the Pennsy
- Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum ( 2005 .
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ( 2005 .
- President and Fellows of Harvard College ( 2005 .
- White, John H., Jr. ( Spring 1986 ), America's most noteworthy railroaders, ''Railroad History'', Railway and Locomotive Historical Society, , p. 9-15.
- Pennsylvania Railroad Company Inspection of Physical Property , Board of Directors November 10-11-12, 1948
