Pennsylvania Railroad Keystone Herald Logo Aluminum Sign 12" x 12" DL

Pennsylvania Railroad Keystone Herald Logo Aluminum Sign 12 x 12 . Ready for hanging in that Den/Garage/Train Room. From Wikipedia: Reporting mark PRR Locale Delaware Illinois Indiana Kentucky Maryland Michigan New Jersey New York Ohio Pennsylvania Washington, DC West Virginia Dates of operation 1846?1968 Successor Penn Central Transportation Company Track gauge 4 ft 8 1?2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Electrification 12.5kV 25Hz AC: New York City-Washington, D.C./South Amboy; Philadelphia-Harrisburg; North Jersey Coast Line Length 10,512 miles (16,917 kilometers) Headquarters Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Website prrths.com The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR) was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy," the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The PRR was the largest railroad by traffic and revenue in the U.S. for the first half of the twentieth century. Over the years, it acquired, merged with or owned part of at least 800 other rail lines and companies.[1] At the end of 1925, it operated 10,515 miles of rail line;[2] in the 1920s, it carried nearly three times the traffic as other railroads of comparable length, such as the Union Pacific or Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroads. Its only formidable rival was the New York Central (NYC), which carried around three-quarters of PRR's ton-miles. At one time, the PRR was the largest publicly traded corporation in the world, with a budget larger than that of the U.S. government and a workforce of about 250,000 people.[3] The corporation still holds the record for the longest continuous dividend history: it paid out annual dividends to shareholders for more than 100 years in a row.[4] In 1968, PRR merged with rival NYC to form the Penn Central Transportation Company, which filed for bankruptcy within two years.[5] The viable parts were transferred in 1976 to Conrail, which was itself broken up in 1999, with 58 percent of the system going to the Norfolk Southern Railway (NS), including nearly all of the former PRR. Amtrak received the electrified segment east of Harrisburg. History[edit] Main Line Main article: Main Line (Pennsylvania Railroad) Amtrak's "Pennsylvanian" operates daily runs between New York and Pittsburgh over the former PRR Main Line. Background[edit] With the opening of the Erie Canal (1825) and the beginnings of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (1828), Philadelphia business interests became concerned that the port of Philadelphia would lose traffic. The state legislature was pressed to build a canal across Pennsylvania and thus the Main Line of Public Works was commissioned in 1826.[6] It soon became evident that a single canal would not be practical and a series of railroads, inclined planes, and canals was proposed.[7] The route consisting of the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad, canals up the Susquehanna and Juniata rivers, an inclined plane railroad and tunnel across the Allegheny Mountains, and canals down the Conemaugh and Allegheny rivers to Pittsburgh on the Ohio River was completed in 1834. Because freight and passengers had to change cars several times along the route and canals froze during the winter, it soon became apparent that the system was cumbersome and a better way was needed.[7][8] Early history The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania granted a charter to the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1846 to build a private rail line that would connect Harrisburg to Pittsburgh.[9] The Directors chose John Edgar Thomson, an engineer from the Georgia Railroad, to survey and construct the line. He chose a route that followed the west bank of the Susquehanna River northward to the confluence with the Juniata River, following its banks until the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains were reached at a point that would become Altoona, Pennsylvania.[7] In order to traverse the mountains, the line climbed a moderate grade for 10 miles until it reached a split of two mountain ravines which were cleverly crossed by building a fill and having the tracks ascend a 220-degree curve that limited the grade to less than 2 percent. The crest of the mountain was penetrated by the 3,612-foot Gallitzin Tunnels and then descended by a more moderate grade to Johnstown. The western end of the line was simultaneously built from Pittsburgh east along the banks of the Allegheny and Conemaugh rivers to Johnstown. PRR was granted trackage rights over the Philadelphia and Columbia and gained control of the three short lines connecting Lancaster and Harrisburg, instituting an all-rail link between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh by 1854. In 1857, the PRR purchased the Main Line of Public Works from the state of Pennsylvania, and abandoned most of its canals and inclined planes. The line was double track from its inception and by the end of the century a third and fourth track were added. Over the next 50 years, PRR would expand by gaining control of other railroads by stock purchases and 999-year leases.[8] This line is still an important cross-state corridor, carrying Amtrak's Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line and the Norfolk Southern Railway's Pittsburgh Line. New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington lines Main article: Northeast Corridor Pennsylvania Railroad map November 3, 1857 In 1861 the PRR gained control of the Northern Central Railway, giving it access to Baltimore, Maryland, as well as points along the Susquehanna River via connections at Columbia, Pennsylvania or Harrisburg.[12] On December 1, 1871, the PRR leased the United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company, which included the original Camden and Amboy Railroad from Camden, New Jersey (across the Delaware River from Philadelphia) to South Amboy, New Jersey (across Raritan Bay from New York City), as well as a newer line from Philadelphia to Jersey City, New Jersey, much closer to New York, via Trenton, New Jersey. Track connection in Philadelphia was made via the PRR's Connecting Railway and the jointly owned Junction Railroad (Philadelphia).[13] The PRR's Baltimore and Potomac Rail Road opened on July 2, 1872, between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. This route 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. The PRR started the misleadingly named Pennsylvania Air Line service via the Northern Central Railway and Columbia, Pennsylvania. This service was 54.5 miles (87.5 km) longer than the old route but avoided the transfer in Baltimore. The Union Railroad (Baltimore) line opened on July 24, 1873. This route eliminated the transfer in Baltimore. PRR officials contracted with both the Union Railroad and the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad (PW&B) Railroad for access to this line. The PRR's New York?Washington trains began using the route the next day, ending Pennsylvania Air Line service. In the early 1880s, the PRR acquired a majority of PW&B Railroad's stock. This action forced the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) to build the Baltimore and Philadelphia Railroad to keep its Philadelphia access, where it connected with the Reading Railroad for its competing Royal Blue Line passenger trains to reach New York. In 1885, the PRR began passenger train service from New York City via Philadelphia to Washington with limited stops along the route. This service became known as the "Congressional Limited Express." The service expanded, and by the 1920s, the PRR was operating hourly passenger train service between New York, Philadelphia and Washington. In 1952, 18-car stainless steel streamliners were introduced on the Morning Congressional and Afternoon Congressional between New York and Washington, as well as the Senator from Boston to Washington.[14][15] New York-Chicago On July 1, 1869 the Pennsylvania Railroad leased the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway in which it had previously been an investor. The lease gave the PRR complete control of that line's direct route through northern Ohio and Indiana as well as entry into the emerging rail hub city of Chicago, Illinois. Acquisitions along the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway: Erie and Pittsburgh Railroad, Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad, Toledo, Columbus and Ohio River Railroad, and Pittsburgh, Youngstown and Ashtabula Railway gave the PRR access to the iron ore traffic on Lake Erie.[8] On June 15, 1887 the Pennsylvania Limited began running between New York and Chicago. This was also the introduction of the vestibule, an enclosed platform at the end of each passenger car, allowing protected access to the entire train. In 1902 the Pennsylvania Limited was replaced by the Pennsylvania Special which in turn was replaced in 1912 by the Broadway Limited which became the most famous train operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad.[16][17] This train ran from New York City to Chicago, via Philadelphia, with an additional section between Harrisburg and Washington (later operated as a separate Washington?Chicago train, the Liberty Limited). New York-St. Louis In 1890 the PRR gained control of the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad commonly called the Panhandle Route a line that ran west from Pittsburgh to Bradford, Ohio, where it split, with one line to Chicago and the other to East St. Louis, Illinois via Indianapolis, Indiana. This railroad company was the result of the merger of numerous smaller lines in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. The last line to be added was the Vandalia Railroad which Gave the PRR access to St. Louis, Missouri.[8] The line was double-tracked for much of its length serving the coal region of southern Illinois and as a passenger route for the Pennsylvania Railroad?s Blue Ribbon named trains The St Louisan, the Jeffersonian, and the Spirit of St. Louis.[18] "Low-grade" lines See also: Category:Pennsylvania Railroad Through-freight Lines Around 1900, the PRR built several low-grade lines for freight to bypass areas of steep grade (slope). These included: 1892: Trenton Branch (PRR) and Trenton Cut-Off Railroad from Glen Loch, Pennsylvania east to Morrisville, Pennsylvania (not only a low-grade line but a long-distance bypass of Philadelphia and shortcut) 1892: Waverly and Passaic Railroad (finished by the New York Bay Railroad) from Waverly, New Jersey to Kearny, New Jersey 1904: Reopening of the New Portage Railroad from the Gallitzin Tunnels east to New Portage Junction (abandoned), then continuing north over the Hollidaysburg Branch to Altoona 1906: Philadelphia and Thorndale Branch from Thorndale, Pennsylvania east to Glen Loch (abandoned by Conrail in 1989) 1906: Atglen and Susquehanna Branch from Harrisburg via the Northern Central Railway south to Wago Junction, then east to Parkesburg (the latter abandoned by Conrail in 1990) 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. Another low-grade line across the mountains of Pennsylvania, avoiding completely the congestion of Pittsburgh, was contemplated but never saw the light of day. Pennsylvania Railroad electrification Main article: Railway electrification system See also: Amtrak's 25 Hz traction power system Power plant for New York Catenary on the Northeast Corridor Early in the 20th century the PRR tried electric power for its trains. First was the New York terminal area, where tunnels precluded steam locomotives; a direct current (DC) 650-volt third rail powered PRR locomotives (and LIRR passenger cars). The system was put into service in 1910.[19] The next area to be electrified was the Philadelphia terminal area, where PRR officials decided to use overhead lines to supply power to the suburban trains running out of Broad Street Station. Unlike the New York terminal system, overhead wires would carry 11,000-volt 25-Hertz alternating current (AC) power: the system used for all future installations. In 1915, electrification of the line from Philadelphia to Paoli, Pennsylvania was completed.[20] Other Philadelphia lines electrified were the Chestnut Hill Branch (1918), White Marsh (1924), West Chester (1928), the main line to Wilmington, Delaware, and in 1930 the Schuylkill Branch to Norristown, along with the rest of the main line to Trenton. The former PRR electrified Main Line west of Philadelphia is now owned and operated by Amtrak and shared with SEPTA as far as Paoli and Thorndale. PRR's president William Wallace Atterbury announced in 1928 plans to electrify the lines between New York, Philadelphia, Washington and Harrisburg. In January 1933, through main-line service between New York and Philadelphia/Wilmington/Paoli was placed in operation. The first test run of an electric train between Philadelphia and Washington occurred on January 28, 1935. On February 1 the Congressional Limiteds in both directions were the first trains in regular electric operation between New York and Washington, drawn by the first of the GG1-type locomotives. All regular passenger trains between these cities were electrified by March 15. In 1934 the PRR received a $77 million loan from the New Deal's Public Works Administration [21] To complete the electrification project initiated in 1928, work was started January 27, 1937, on the main line from Paoli to Harrisburg; the low-grade freight line from Morrisville through Columbia to Enola Yard in Pennsylvania; the Port Road Branch from Perryville, Maryland to Columbia; the Jamesburg Branch and Amboy Secondary freight line from Monmouth Junction to South Amboy; and the Landover-South End freight line from Landover, Maryland through Washington to Potomac Yard in Alexandria, Virginia (now called the Landover Subdivision and RF&P Subdivision of CSX). In less than a year, on the following January 15, the first passenger train, the Metropolitan, went into operation over the newly electrified line from Philadelphia to Harrisburg. On April 15 the electrified freight service from Harrisburg and Enola Yard east was inaugurated, thus completing the Pennsy's eastern seaboard electrification program with a total of 2,677 miles (4,308 km) of track electrified?41 percent of the total electrically operated standard railroad trackage of the United States. Portions of the electrified trackage are still in use, owned and operated by Amtrak as the Northeast Corridor and Keystone Corridor high-speed rail routes,[22] by SEPTA, and by PATH. Railroad Main article: Altoona Works In 1849, PRR officials developed plans to construct a repair facility at Altoona. Construction was started in 1850, and soon a long building was completed that housed a machine shop, woodworking shop, blacksmith shop, locomotive repair shop and foundry. This facility was later torn down to make room for continuing expansion. In time additional PRR repair facilities were located in Harrisburg, Pittsburgh and Mifflin, and the Altoona Works expanded in adjacent Juniata, Pennsylvania. Inventor Alexander Graham Bell sent two assistants to the Altoona shops in 1875 to study the feasibility of installing telephone lines. In May 1877, telephone lines were installed for various departments to communicate with one another.[23] Fort Wayne, Indiana, also held a key position for the railroad. By the turn of the 20th century, its repair shops and locomotive manufacturing facilities became known as the "Altoona of the West." By 1945 the Altoona Works had grown to be one of the largest repair and construction facilities for locomotives and cars in the world.[24] During World War II, PRR facilities (including the Altoona Shops) were on target lists of German saboteurs. They were caught before they could complete their missions.[3] In 1875 the Altoona Works started a testing department for PRR equipment. In following years, the Pennsylvania Railroad led the nation in the development of research and testing procedures of practical value for the railroad industry.[25] Use of the testing facilities was discontinued in 1968 and many of the structures were demolished. Map of the Altoona Works circa 1931 Penn Central merger and Conrail Main article: Penn Central Transportation Revenue freight traffic, in millions of net ton-miles[26] Year Traffic 1925 48,890 1933 26,818 1944 71,249 1960 42,775 1967 50,730 Source: ICC annual reports Revenue passenger traffic, in millions of passenger-miles[27] Year Traffic 1925 4,518 1933 2,017 1944 13,047 1960 2,463 1967 1,757 Source: ICC annual reports On February 1, 1968 the PRR merged with its arch-rival, the New York Central railroad, to form the Penn Central. The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) required that the ailing New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad be added in 1969. A series of events including inflation, poor management, abnormally- harsh weather conditions and the withdrawal of a government-guaranteed 200-million-dollar operating loan forced the Penn Central to file for bankruptcy protection on June 21, 1970.[5] The 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 been PRR territory largely became part of the Norfolk Southern Railway. The few parts of the PRR that went to CSX after the Conrail split are (1) the western end of the Fort Wayne Line across western Ohio and northern Indiana, (2) the Pope's Creek Secondary in Maryland, just to the east of Washington, (3) the Landover Subdivision, a former Pennsy freight line in DC which connects to Amtrak's ex-Pennsy Northeast Corridor and CSX's ex-B&O Alexandria Extension on the north end and CSX's RF&P Subdivision on the south end via the ex-Pennsy "Long Bridge" across the Potomac River, and (4) the Terre Haute, Ind.-to-East St. Louis, Ill. segment of the St. Louis main line (the segment east of Terre Haute is former-New York Central). Timeline 1846: PRR is chartered to construct a rail line from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 1850: Construction begins on Altoona Works repair shop at Altoona, Pennsylvania. 1860?1890: PRR expands throughout the eastern U.S. 1869: PRR leases the Pittsburgh, Ft. Wayne & Chicago, formally giving it control of a direct route into the heart of the Midwest. 1885: The Congressional Limited Express from New York City-Washington, D.C. is introduced. 1887: Pennsylvania Limited service begins between New York-Chicago; first vestibuled train.[28] 1894: The Pennsylvania Pacific Corporation is formed by the PRR. 1902: Pennsylvania Special service begins between New York and Chicago replacing the Pennsylvania Limited .[29] 1906: An accident in Atlantic City kills 53 people 1910: Completion of the North River Tunnels under the Hudson River, providing direct service from New Jersey to Manhattan on electrified lines, terminating at the massive new Penn Station 1912: Broadway Limited was inaugurated, replacing the Pennsylvania Special. 1915: PRR electrifies its suburban Philadelphia lines to Paoli, Pennsylvania. 1916: PRR adopts new motto, Standard Railroad of the World. The first I1s Decapod locomotive is completed, and switching locomotives of the A5s and B6sb class are introduced. 1917: Completion of the New York Connecting Railroad and the Hell Gate Bridge 1918: PRR stock bottoms at $40¼ (equal to $631.09 today), the lowest since 1877, due largely to Federal railroad control. Emergency freight is routed through New York Penn Station and the Hudson River tunnels by the USRA to relieve congestion. Locomotive class N1s is introduced for PRR's western lines; PRR electrifies suburban commuter line to Chestnut Hill. 1928?1938: PRR electrifies its New York?Washington, D.C. and Chicago?Philadelphia line between Harrisburg and Paoli, several Philadelphia and New York area commuter lines, and major through freight lines. 1943: An accident at Frankford Junction, Pennsylvania kills 79. 1946: PRR reported a net loss for the first time in its history.[30] 1951: An accident in Woodbridge, New Jersey kills 85 people. 1957: Steam locomotives are removed from active service in the PRR fleet. 1968: PRR merges with NYC to form the Penn Central Transportation Company