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Bigelow,
Lewis S. (1913). The 1913 flood and how it was met by a railroad.
Pittsburgh: Pennsylvania Lines.
On March
21st, 1911, a powerful windstorm blew through western Ohio uprooting
trees, downing telegraph poles and snapping telegraph lines, but this
was only a prelude to the devastation of the coming deluge. Rain began
to fall in northwestern Ohio on the morning of March 23rd, and during
the succeeding four days central and western Ohio received an amount
that would normally have fallen in three to four months. The deluge
produced raging lakes, some over 50 miles long, that completely
destroyed 22,000 houses in Ohio alone and covered the PRR main lines
between Pittsburgh and Columbus and between Pittsburgh and Chicago. The
powerful currents tore out embankments and swept away steel-girder
bridges and tracks on Pennsylvania and all other railroad lines all
through central and western Ohio and eastern Indiana. Dayton,
Zanesville and Columbus each had the food of their existence. Bigelow's
lengthy narrative recounts the difficulties and describes the Herculean
efforts of the PRR employees to restore rail service to provide much
need relief to the devastated population. Near the end of this short
history, he states, "It was co-operation between all the parts of this
great machine of men which enabled order to come so quickly out of this
chaos of flood an destruction." Included are before-flood and
after-flood maps of the Pennsylvania Lines west of Pittsburgh showing
the vast disruption of train service in Ohio and Indiana. See also
Garrett, C.W. (1913) and (1937) under PRR Publications. (71 pages, PRR
publication)
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Boyd,
Geo. W; Anderson, Jas. P.; & Bell, David N. (1916). Pennsylvania Railroad
system: a description of its main lines and branches with notes of the
historical events which have taken place in the territory contiguous.
Buffalo, NY: the Matthews-Northrup Works, Pennsylvania Railroad Company.
This
guidebook to the Pennsylvania System presents brief information about
significant places along each of the system’s main and branch lines. It
begins with a table of contents that notes page numbers for information
about places on each of the divisions and branch lines for the
Pennsylvania Railroad and the Pennsylvania Lines West of Pittsburgh.
The book is organized under trip descriptions, including New York to
Philadelphia, Philadelphia to Seashore, Philadelphia to Harrisburg,
Harrisburg to Altoona, Altoona to Pittsburgh, Philadelphia to
Washington, Washington to Harrisburg, Harrisburg to Williamsport,
Williamsport to Canandaigua, Williamsport to Emporium Junction, Emporium
Junction to Erie, Emporium Junction to Buffalo, Pittsburgh to Buffalo,
Pittsburgh to Brownsville, Pittsburgh to Crestline, Fort Wayne to
Chicago, Pittsburgh to Cleveland, Mansfield to Toledo, Pittsburgh to
Columbus, Columbus to Chicago, Columbus to Indianapolis (via Bradford
and via Xenia and Dayton), Indianapolis to St. Louis, Columbus to
Cincinnati, Cincinnati to Chicago, and Indianapolis to Louisville.
Under each trip heading, place entries include such information as
historical facts, population, noteworthy buildings or landmarks, and
other significant information. Under the Columbus to Indianapolis via
Bradford heading it is noted that through trains from the east to
Indianapolis and St. Louis via Bradford traverse the same route between
Columbus and Bradford as was discussed in other sections of the book,
and then the following entries are included: Greenville, New Paris,
Richmond, Cambridge City, Knightstown, Greenfield, Indianapolis, and
Vincennes. The book also includes many black-and-white photographs, and
a 19 x 31 inch foldout color map of the Pennsylvania System. (80 pages,
PRR publication, obtained from Elizabethtown College Library)
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Burgess,
George H., & Kennedy, Miles C. (1949). Centennial history of the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company, 1846 - 1946. Philadelphia: The Pennsylvania
Railroad Company.
This lengthy
and detailed chronicle of the origins and development of the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company is the result of a comprehensive
engineering study of the company conducted by the engineering firm
Coverdale & Colpitts. The authors were members of that firm and
obtained their information from the official records of the company and
its subsidiaries including minute books, annual reports, engineering
records, and other documents. The American Railroad Journal and the
Commercial and Financial Chronicle as well as daily newspaper accounts
were also consulted. Information is organized in chronological order by
the tenures of the first eleven company presidents. A forward written
by the eleventh president, Martin W. Clement, is included. This is an
excellent book on the history of the PRR's first one hundred years.
(835 pages, PRR publication)
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County,
A.J. (1906). Incorporation and organization of the Pennsylvania Railroad:
address of a railroad officer. Philadelphia: Pennsylvania Railroad
Company.
This paper focusing on the incorporation and organization
of the company was published as part of the The Pennsylvania Railroad
Company: Its Incorporation and Organization and The Work of the
Organization, Being a View of the Pennsylvania System at Present.
County, a railroad officer, delivered the speech to the transportation
class of the PRR Department of the Young Men’s Christian Association in
Philadelphia in March 1906. County discussed the company’s
incorporation, charter, directors, executives, and divisions. In
addition, County discussed each department separately including: *
Accounting Department * Engineering Department * Executive Department *
Freight Department * Insurance Department * Legal Department * Motive
Power Department * Operating Department * Passenger Department *
Purchasing Department * Real Estate Department * Telegraph Department *
Traffic Department * Treasury Department * others. An
organizational chart is appended. (35 pages, speech, obtained on
microfilm from Yale University Libraries)
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County,
A.J. (1906). The Work of the organization of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company, being a view of the Pennsylvania System at present: an address by
a railroad officer. Philadelphia: Pennsylvania Railroad Company.
This paper focusing on the incorporation and organization
of the company was published as part of The Pennsylvania Railroad
Company: Its Incorporation and Organization and The Work of the
Organization, Being a View of the Pennsylvania System at Present.
County, a railroad officer, delivered the speech to the transportation
class of the PRR Department of the Young Men’s Christian Association in
Philadelphia in March 1906. The accomplishments of the PRR System in
one year were discussed. Included are many statistical data regarding
assets, capital stock, dividends, earnings and expenses, equipment,
improvements, freight and passenger statistics, mileage, and more. Also
presented were descriptions of principal stations, and the tunnel
project to connect New York with Long Island. (21 pages, speech,
obtained on microfilm from Yale University Libraries)
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County,
A.J. (1907). The Economic Necessity for the Pennsylvania Railroad Tunnel
Extension Into New York City. Philadelphia: Pennsylvania Railroad Company.
This paper
was reprinted from The Annals of the American Academy of Political and
Social Science, March 1907. County, Assistant to Third Vice-President
of the company, addressed the Wharton School Association, University of
Pennsylvania, on February 13, 1907. In this address he provided an
introductory explanation of the PRR’s tunnel extension project. He
advised that he was not authorized to speak for management, but was
giving his personal views in an attempt to make the students appreciate
the foresight, courage, and energy of those who were undertaking the
project. He stresses not only the expected benefits to the company, but
also the benefits expected for the broader economic community and the
transportation industry. A map of the New York Tunnel Extension and
Connections is appended. (18 pages, speech, obtained on microfilm from
Yale University Libraries)
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County,
A.J. (1925). The growth of a great transportation system: an address
before the American Society of Mechanical Engineers at its National
Regional Meeting held at Altoona, PA, October 7, 1925. Philadelphia: [The
Pennsylvania Railroad Company].
Albert John County (1871-1944), Vice-President of the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company, outlined the growth of the company for
the 1925 ASME, Regional Meeting in Altoona. He began by stressing the
importance of serving the citizens for a railroad to be profitable. He
then reviewed the circumstances leading to the birth of the PRR. He
mentioned Philadelphia’s surrender of prestige and financial status to
New York City after the completion of the Erie Canal in 1825. He
explained that the failure of the State of Pennsylvania’s Public Works
canal and rail system aroused public support in Philadelphia and
Pittsburgh for construction of an all-rail route from Harrisburg to
Pittsburgh. The Pennsylvania Railroad Company gained its charter from
the Pennsylvania Legislature in 1846 over the objections of those who
favored a Baltimore & Ohio Railroad from Cumberland, MD to Pittsburgh.
County then discussed the work of Chief Engineer, and later President,
John Edgar Thomson, who built the road along the Juniata River valley to
Altoona (elevation 1181 feet) and then over the crest of the Alleghenies
at Gallitzin (elevation 2164 feet). Thomson’s route made a gradual
descent from Gallitzin through what later became important coal and
manufacturing centers to Pittsburgh. When this main line was completed
in 1854, the Public Works could not compete and they were purchased by
the PRR in 1857. The PRR then extended financial aid to railroads
extending west, which lead to eventual control of them. County also
discussed the acquisition of many rail lines throughout PA and adjoining
states and the development of the company to form three operating
regions. He discussed the rapid growth of the company, both in terms of
miles and earnings, during the Civil War, and the various financial
depressions, labor strikes, and expansions during the 1870s and 1880s.
He stressed the PRR management’s continued policy of gradual growth and
acquisition until 1899 when an aggressive improvement program doubled
gross revenues from 1899 to 1907. The New York Tunnel Extension and
construction of Pennsylvania Station were part of this program. County
also paid tribute to the Altoona Shops, which were the largest railroad
locomotive and equipment construction and repair shops in the World.
They represented an investment of over $27,000.000, employed 12,600
people, and paid over $1,500,000 in wages during August of 1925. County
also praised the sound policy of financing mostly through the sale of
capital stock rather than bonded debt. County presented an interesting
review of the growth of the PRR including statistical and financial data
and cautionary statements about the future. (28 pages, PRR publication)
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Ely,
Theo. N. (1893). Catalogue of the exhibit of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company at the World's Columbian Exhibition. Chicago: [The Pennsylvania
Railroad Company].
The World's
Columbian Exposition in 1893 was the last and the greatest of the
nineteenth century's World's Fairs. Ostensibly the fair was held to
celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus' discovery of America.
However, it was really a showcase and celebration of American culture
and society, especially its commerce, business and industry, at a time
when devastating economic depression and widespread unemployment where
beginning. The fair was held in Chicago because it was a railroad
center and because Chicago outbid New York, Philadelphia, and
Washington, D.C. with a guarantee of $10,000,000. Of course the
"Standard Railroad of America" prepared a monumental exhibit to convey
the early history of the company and of the lines merged into or
associated with it and to showcase the excellence of its management and
technology. This catalogue briefly describes the exhibits and includes
many photographs and drawings. (153 pages, PRR publication)
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Felthousen, D.N. (1926). Industrial directory of the Pennsylvania Railroad
System. Oak Park, IL: Delmont Railroad Advertising Agency, Printers.
Felthousen
complied this amazing directory that lists merchants and manufacturers
served by the Pennsylvania Railroad System including the PRR Company,
West Jersey & Seashore RR Co., Waynesburg & Washington RR Co., and The
Ohio River & Western Railway Co. The listings are arranged by product
or commodity and then by city and state. Entries consist of the company
names along with codes designating the type of business, i.e., whether a
receiver or shipper and whether a manufacturer, wholesaler or jobber,
stone quarry or sand or gravel pit, warehouse, contractor, electric
light and power plant, or grower. The directory was "prepared for the
purpose of classifying the various articles, manufactured, shipped,
received or consumed by patrons of the Pennsylvania Railroad System".
Strictly retail businesses were omitted from this directory, and it was
clearly intended to foster more freight tonnage for the Pennsy. "May
this volume be mutually helpful - new business for you, more traffic for
us." In addition to the company listings, the book includes a list of
freight traffic representatives, maps of the system, and information
about PRR warehouse facilities with photographs. (572 pages, PRR
publication, obtained from the University of Chicago Libraries)
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Garrett,
C.W. (1913). Pennsylvania lines west of Pittsburgh: a history of the flood
of March, 1913. Pittsburgh: Press of Wm. G. Johnston & Co.
Garret prepared this extensive report for the management
of the Pennsylvania Lines West of Pittsburgh. In it he describes the
damage sustained from the 1913 food in Ohio and Indiana and the
subsequent heroic restoration work by railroad employees, which was made
even more difficult by the almost complete disruption of means of
communication between the various railroad divisions and the
headquarters. The work begins with a day-by-day overview of the
worsening flood situation from March 24 through April 12. Detailed
information is presented through large, foldout, color-coded maps.
Those locations where it was impossible to ascertain roadbed conditions
because the rail lines were covered by water are shown in green. Those
locations where it had been confirmed that the tracks were damaged
beyond use are shown in red. Locations where passenger trains were able
to move for the public good are shown in yellow. Following the
day-by-day general report Garrett presents a brief history of the actual
damage sustained, and restoration efforts, by each division of the
company. Numerous photographs of the damage convey the enormity of the
disaster for both the railroad and the populace. Several tables provide
data about the situation including, rainfall amounts by location and
date, height of streams by location and date, marooned passenger trains
and the disposition of their passengers, relief supplies delivered by
the PRR, estimates of the amount of damage and cost of repairs, and a
balance sheet showing charges to the PRR March 1913 Flood account
through September 30, 1913. Garrett's work and Lewis Bigelow's work
provide an excellent description of difficulties faced by PRR employees
as a result of this March 1913 flood. See also Bigelow, Lewis (1913)
and Garrett, Charles W. (1937). (257 pages, PRR publication)
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Garrett,
Charles W. (1937). History of the floods of March, 1936 and January, 1937.
Philadelphia: Pennsylvania Railroad.
Garrett, PRR
Office of the Chief Engineer, presents a detailed account of the
destruction and hardship endured by the PRR, its employees, and the
communities inundated during the floods of March 17-20, 1936, and of
January, 1937. The 1936 floods followed three days of heavy rainfall
and overwhelmed the cities, towns, and countryside in all the river
valleys of Pennsylvania and parts of adjoining states. The early
destruction of telegraph and telephone lines in the region of earliest
and heaviest precipitation, the Appalachian divide, allowed little
warning of the inundation. Garrett claims the destruction was the worst
the state had experienced. The floods of January 1937, were the result
of storm after storm over the Ohio River drainage basin. The severe
flooding of the type that could be expected to occur only once every 500
years caused extensive damage to the communities along the Ohio River
and to the two PRR divisions serving Cincinnati and Louisville. Garrett
presents a day-to-day account of the conditions including many maps and
charts showing daily weather conditions and rainfall amounts, and
numerous black-and white photographs revealing the destruction and
hardship with an emphasis on the PRR. (150 pages, PRR publication)
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King,
John T. (1879). Guide to Pennsylvania Railroad, its connections and
timetables including the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad,
The Northern Central, and The Baltimore and Potomac Railroads. n.p.:
Pennsylvania Railroad Company.
The title of this PRR guidebook describes its contents
fairly well. It begins with timetables for the stated railroads and
presents very brief descriptions of lines. Then it devotes one page of
information to the construction of the PRR, one-half page to the safety
appliances of the PRR and one-half page to the equipment of the PRR.
The remainder of the publication provides brief descriptions about the
places (towns, cities, etc.) that the lines pass through. It is typical
of the numerous promotional publications issued by the PRR and other
railroads during the late 1800s. (27 pages, PRR publication, examined
at the Library of Congress)
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McPherson, L.G. (1888). The Hand-book of the Pennsylvania Lines. Chicago?:
Pennsylvania Railroad Company, Pennsylvania Lines West of Pittsburgh.
The stated purpose of this handbook is to provide
information that may be useful to travelers and “to present some facts
regarding the Pennsylvania System of Railways that may possess an
intrinsic interest beyond any effect as an advertisement.” It begins
with six pages of general information for passengers, which outlines
some rules and regulations and gives advice to PRR passengers. Topics
covered include purchasing tickets, limited and unlimited tickets,
children on the train, baggage regulations, stop-over privileges, time
tables, behavior and ejection from the train, parlor and sleeping cars,
complaints and grievances, and other topics. Next is a 25-page chapter
that presents brief information about many aspects of the Pennsylvania
Lines. These topics include the construction of the roadbed and track,
the use of automatic switches controlled from towers overlooking the
tracks, the use of interlocking apparatus for safety, the strong and
indestructible bridges on the line, the quality and classification of
PRR locomotives, the safety and comfort of the company’s more than 2,000
passenger cars, the progressive Pullman cars that were used, the
construction and safety of car wheels and axles, and the use and
superiority of the Janney coupler and buffer. In addition, the use and
advantage of Westinghouse air brakes, which were first used on the Pan
Handle section of the Pennsylvania Lines, and the implementation of
steam heat during 1888 are covered. Four pages are devoted to the
Altoona Shops and Testing Laboratory. The Altoona Shops “are larger and
more complete than any shops in the world devoted to railway
manufacture. … The shop buildings have an area of sixteen acres, employ
five thousand men and represent a value of $3,600.000.” An interesting
entry about the use of oil as locomotive fuel is included. The
Pennsylvania investigated the use of oil, and even sent experts to the
fields of Baku in Russia. It is suggested that burning oil to power
locomotives might be practicable, and might be introduced on some
Pennsylvania express trains. However the general use of oil power was
doubtful because “if it were adopted on all trains the Pennsylvania
Lines alone would consume one-fourth of the oil product of the world.”
Other topics covered are the control of the trains through the signal
system, the magnificent stations of the PRR, the requirements of
trainmen, and the esprit de corps of the PRR employees. The handbook
then presents one page on the scenery of the Pennsylvania Lines and a
page containing a table of rates and distances, which are followed by
brief descriptions and fairly detailed maps of the following cities:
Baltimore, Chicago, Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Harrisburg,
Indianapolis, Louisville, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and
Allegheny, St. Louis, Washington, D.C. Also included is a color map of
the entire Pennsylvania System. (81 pages, PRR publication, obtained
from University of Michigan Libraries)
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Pennsylvania Railroad Company. (1847). First annual report of the
directors of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company to the stockholders,
October 30, 1847. Philadelphia: Author.
This first
annual report contains a sixteen-page report by President S.V. Merrick,
who gratefully acknowledges the hiring of John Edgar Thomson as Chief
Engineer. He also urges the board to take immediate steps to raise
sufficient capital to complete the line from Philadelphia to
Pittsburgh. He states that the three million dollars already promised
are sufficient to "... put the road in operation to the base of the
Allegheny, and connect it with the State Portage". He touts the
importance of the Ohio trade, which could be acquired with connection to
planned Ohio railroads. One page of financial data is presented showing
$1,017,725 received from stockholders, and $64,421.14 expended, leaving
a balance of $953,303.86. A three-page report from Chief Engineer, J.
Edgar Thomson, is also included. (24 pages, PRR publication)
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Pennsylvania Railroad Company. (1855). Guide for the Pennsylvania
Railroad, with an extensive map; including the entire route, with all its
windings of interest, and information useful to the traveler.
Philadelphia: T.K. & P.G. Collins.
This guide book begins with a discussion of the importance
and beauty, of Philadelphia, “the eastern terminus of the Pennsylvania
Railroad.” The reader is informed that the Pennsylvania Railroad “is
the only direct highway between the cities of Philadelphia and
Pittsburg.” At the time, the line from Philadelphia to Pittsburg had
three owners. The State of Pennsylvania owned the double-track,
sixty-nine-mile, portion from Philadelphia to Dillersville, which was a
mile north of Lancaster. The Harrisburg, Portsmouth, Mount Joy and
Lancaster Railroad owned the thirty-six-mile portion from Dillersville
to Harrisburg. The Pennsylvania Railroad owned the 248-mile portion
from Harrisburg to Pittsburg. In Philadelphia the rail cars were hauled
from the depot by horse or mule out Market Street and across the
Schuylkill Permanent Bridge where a locomotive took over. The narrative
takes the reader on a trip to Pittsburg providing descriptions of
locations, towns, institutions, buildings, and geography along the way.
Extensive comments on historical events and people are included for many
locations. At Pittsburg the reader is informed of ways to continue the
westward journey via the Pennsylvania and Ohio Railroad and about the
planned connections to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in Cumberland,
the Indiana Road in Steubenville, and the Northern Ohio, Michigan, and
New York roads in Erie. The journey ends with the following statement,
“And so, courteous traveler, having accompanied you from Philadelphia to
Pittsburg, and pointed out what seemed likely to interest you on the
Pennsylvania Railroad, we bid you farewell.” The guide book ends with a
brief, two-page, history of the PRR and some predictions about the
business strength of the railroad when the double track would be
completed. It was estimated that tonnage would increase to one million
tons per annum requiring 300 locomotives of 200 horsepower each. 810
tons of coal or 2,000 cords of wood would be needed per day, and 3,000
laborers would be required to chop, haul, and prepare this wood. 4,500
cars would be required to accommodate one million tons per annum
traveling at ten miles per hour. The income generated by the road would
be at least $5,000,000, which would help support perhaps 100,000 people
either directly or indirectly. A foldout map showing the PRR line from
Philadelphia to Pittsburg is included. (40 pages, PRR publication,
obtained from Schaumburg Township Public Library, Schaumburg, IL)
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Pennsylvania Railroad Company. (1875). Corporate history of the Pittsburgh
Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway Company: together with the mortgages,
leases, deeds and agreements of that corporation, assumed by the
Pennsylvania Company, and in force August 1, 1875. Pittsburgh: Stevenson &
Foster.
In the 1860s the PRR leased several Midwest lines to
enhance its reach west of Pittsburgh. One of these lines, The
Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago, was a consolidation of the Ohio and
Pennsylvania Railroad, the Fort Wayne and Chicago, and the Ohio and
Indiana Railroad. The Pennsylvania Railroad provided financial
assistance to these lines as early as 1858, and a reorganization
resulting in the Pittsburgh Fort Wayne & Chicago consummated in 1862 and
paved the way for the PRR to lease the new line. This lengthy book is
described fairly well by its title. It begins with a nine-page
corporate history followed by all the legal documents and legislation
that took place in several states, which were necessary to accomplish
the reorganization. Included are copies of legal proceedings, lease
agreements, deeds, meeting minutes, ordinances, resolutions, and other
documents. This book provides a rich mine of primary documents for
research. (566 pages, book, obtained from the University of Pittsburgh
Libraries)
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Pennsylvania Railroad Company. (1876).
The Centennial
Exhibition and the Pennsylvania Railroad. Philadelphia: Author.
This
booklet was distributed by the Pennsylvania Railroad free of change
through its ticket agents and mailed at request directly to anyone. It
begins with a brief history of World’s Fairs, then moves to the
development of the Centennial Exhibition, and describes its buildings
and grounds. On March 3, 1871 a law was enacted that created the United
States Centennial Commission, which prepared and executed “…a plan for
holding an Exhibition of American and Foreign arts, products and
manufactures, under auspices of the Government of the United States, in
the City of Philadelphia, in the year 1876...” Over $5 million was
raised to bring the Exhibition to reality. Next, in two pages, the PRR
invited the public to “…patronize the Pennsylvania Railroad as the only
direct route from the West, North, and East to the Centennial
Exhibition” and presented information about the PRR’s area of coverage
and its block signal system, which facilitated safe and expeditious
travel. Then the cities and towns from New York City to Philadelphia
are described in sixteen pages, with a description of Cape May, NJ added
at the end. An appendix presents a list of hotels in Philadelphia
including addresses and rates, a list of suburban hotels and boarding
houses, summer resorts near Philadelphia, information about depot
accommodations, and places of interest and amusement in the city. The
booklet ends with fifteen pages of information about summer excursion
routes from New York to many locations, such as Altoona, PA; Montreal,
Canada; Niagara Falls; Richmond, VA; and many others. Several
interesting illustrations are included throughout this booklet including
one depicting the Pennsylvania Railroad Centennial Depot. (49 pages,
PRR publication, obtained from University of New Hampshire Libraries)
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Pennsylvania
Railroad Company. (1891). Ceremonies upon the completion of the monument
erected by the Pennsylvania Railroad Co. at Bordentown, New Jersey, to
mark the first piece of track laid between New York and Philadelphia,
1831, November 12, 1891. Washington, D.C.: W.F. Roberts.
This book
published for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company by W.F. Roberts
commemorates the ceremonies, and describes the monument, celebrating the
16th anniversary of the first movement by steam on a railway in the
state of New Jersey in November 1831. The ceremonies took place on
November 12, 1891 at Bordentown, NJ where the PRR erected a monument.
The first rails were designed by Robert L. Stevens and laid by the
Camden and Amboy Railroad in 1831. The book presents a brief history of
the Camden and Amboy Railroad written by J. Elfreth Watkins, C.E.,
Curator of the Section of Transportation and Engineering, U.S. National
Museum, Washington, D.C. The book also presents "The Semi-Centennial of
the Pennsylvania Railroad" by J. Elfreth Watkins, C.E., reprinted from
The Railroad Gazette, April 11, 1884. (102 pages, PRR publication)
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Pennsylvania Railroad Company. (1891).
Three spring pleasure tours to Washington, D.C.,
over the Pennsylvania Railroad, … covering a period of three days ... Philadelphia: Allen, Lane & Scott.
This
promotional publication advertises three 1891 pleasure tours to
Washington, D.C. leaving New York at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday February
19th, March 19th, and April 6th respectively and leaving Washington at
3:20 p.m. on Saturday February 21st, March 21st, and April 18th
respectively. PRR employees, including a tourist agent and a chaperon,
personally conducted these tours. The tourist agent handled the
arrangements and entertainment. “The Chaperon is especially charged
with the care of the ladies. She will be their companion and guide, so
that ladies who may be without male escort need not hesitate to join the
party.” Special trains of PRR standard coaches were used. The rate for
the round trip, including railroad fare, hotel accommodations, and all
necessary expenses was $12.50. Brief descriptions of Washington and its
points of interest are provided along with a foldout map. The PRR
published many similar publications to promote guided tours to many
locations. (22 pages, PRR publication, examined at the Library of
Congress)
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Pennsylvania Railroad Company. (1892).
Pennsylvania
Railroad to the Columbian Exposition, with descriptive notes of the cities
of New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Chicago, and a complete description
of the exposition grounds and buildings, with maps and illustrations.
Philadelphia: Author.
People traveled to Chicago from all over the world to see the World's
Columbian Exposition. Estimates range from 21 million to over 27
million visitors where awed by this celebration of American culture
which highlighted the relationship between technology and progress and
the importance of corporations in the power structure of the country.
Chicago's railroad access helped it win the right to host the fair, and
railroads carried most fair goers to the city. This book describes a
typical train trip between New York, Philadelphia, Washington, and
Chicago. It also outlines some of the sights in these cities and at the
exposition as well as along the way, including a journey through Altoona
and around the Horseshoe Curve. See also Ely (1893). (110 pages, PRR
publication)
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Pennsylvania
Railroad Company. (1896). 1846-1896, fiftieth anniversary of the
incorporation of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, held in Philadelphia,
April 13th, 1896. Philadelphia: Author.
To
commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the incorporation of the
company, the PRR hosted a program on April 13, 1896, in Philadelphia.
The program consisted of a reception of officers and heads of operating
departments, a reception of invited guests of the president and board,
and a meeting of the stockholders and invited guests. Speeches by
various dignitaries including George B. Roberts, Presidents of the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company; Daniel H. Hastings, Governor of
Pennsylvania; Charles F. Warwick, Mayor of Philadelphia; Clarence
Burleigh, city Attorney of Pittsburg; and others are printed in this
book. Photographs of the speakers and the board of directors are also
included. (79 pages, PRR publication)
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Pennsylvania
Railroad Company. (1905). The Pennsylvania Railroad at the Louisiana
Purchase Exposition; locomotive tests and exhibits. Philadelphia: Author.
The
Louisiana Purchase Exposition took place in Saint Louis, Missouri in
1904. This reprint of the 1904 edition presents a detailed description
of the PRR’s exhibits and activities at the Louisiana Purchase
Exposition. The PRR spared no expense in the creation of the company’s
exhibits, which won seven gold medals or awards. The exhibits were
designed to show the applications of civil and mechanical engineering to
railroading. The primary PRR exhibits occupied 31,185 square feet in
the Palace of Transportation. The exhibits included: a De Glehn
four-cylinder balanced compound locomotive that the PRR purchased in
France; a model of the West Philadelphia terminal yards showing how they
were modified to handle a much larger volume of traffic; a 31 foot by 16
foot model of New York’s Pennsylvania Station including the underground
areas; a 33 foot by 6 foot model of the Pennsylvania New York and Long
Island tunnel; a full-size section of the North and East River tunnels;
many maps, drawings and photographs; and a Young Men’s Christian
Association Exhibit. Other Exposition buildings also housed PRR
exhibits, such as the Pennsylvania Railroad Voluntary Relief and Pension
Departments and Employees’ Saving Fund exhibit in the Department of
Education and Social Economy building. The most significant and
impressive PRR contribution to the Louisiana Purchase Exposition was the
construction of a working locomotive testing plant. Instead of being
just an exhibit, this testing plant carried out a series of
comprehensive tests on eight different locomotives. This volume
contains a detailed description of the testing plant and the tests that
it conducted along with numerous schematic drawings, charts, graphs,
tables, and conclusions. Detailed descriptions of each of the eight
locomotives and information about their mechanical capabilities are
provided. These locomotives included a PRR consolidation locomotive, a
Lake Shore and Michigan Southern consolidation locomotive, a Michigan
Central consolidation locomotive, a Santa Fe type locomotive from the
Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe, a PRR De Glehn Atlantic type locomotive, an
ATSF Atlantic locomotive, a Royal Prussian Railway Atlantic type
locomotive, and a New York Central & Hudson River Atlantic type
locomotive. See also: Pennsylvania Railroad Company, Pennsylvania
Railroad Lines West of Pittsburgh. (1905). (734 pages, PRR publication,
obtained from University of Montana Libraries)
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Pennsylvania Railroad Company. (1946).
1846, one
hundred years of transportation progress, 1946: ninety-ninth annual report
for year ended Dec. 31, 1945. Philadelphia: Author.
This
special annual report commemorates the first 100 years of operation of
the Pennsylvania Railroad. Therefore, the management included a preface
to the 1945 annual report that provides a brief review of the company's
growth and progress, including the tunnel construction and extension of
PRR service to New York City, and the monumental electrification of the
lines between NYC and Harrisburg and between Washington, D.C. and NYC.
Also included are eight large color illustrations that promote the
company's importance to the nation's security and economy and to the
company's stockholders. The 1945 annual report is very interesting
because it describes the company's immediate post-war situation and
presents much data and information for the World War II years. (39
pages + 17 page preface, PRR publication)
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Pennsylvania
Railroad Company, Office of Engineer of Maintenance of Way. (1901).
Maintenance of way plans: containing plans approved as standard, also
those in use but not fully recognized as standards. Philadelphia: Author.
This book includes 122 schematic drawings, each
approximately 6.25 inches x 9 inches. These technical drawings
illustrate equipment and structures used by the PRR. Each drawing
contains detailed labels, measurements, notes, and dates. The first
section of the book contains 57 plans that were approved as standard and
the second section contains 65 plans that were in use but were not
approved as standard. There is an index by plan title in the front of
the book. The title page shows a publication date of November 1st 1899
and a revision date of July 1st 1901. The plans are dated from 1879 to
1901, and most are from the late 1890s. Arch culverts, bridge guards,
cattle guards, drainage for road beds, crossing frogs, yard siding
frogs, spring frogs, water tanks, guard rails, rail spikes, joint
material and rail sections, retaining walls, yard limit signs,
electrical cables, branch road shelters, timber trestles, track tools,
and many other structures are included in these drawings. This volume
is an earlier edition of the work from which Harold Smith selected 57
drawings for his book. See also on the PRR Books page: Smith,
Harold T. (1967) Pennsylvania
Railroad Standard Maintenance of Way Plans and Scherb, Jeff. (2002)
Trackside on
the Pennsylvania: Standard Plans of the Standard Railroad of the World -
Structures, Bridges, Signals and Signs. (122 pages, PRR
publication, obtained from the Smithsonian Institution Libraries)
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Pennsylvania
Railroad Company, Pennsylvania Railroad Lines West of Pittsburg. (1905).
Locomotive testing plant at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, St. Louis,
Missouri, U.S.A. Philadelphia: Author.
The PRR exhibits at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition
included a working test plant that was constructed on site and used to
conduct tests on eight different locomotives during the exposition.
This bulletin presents detailed information and data regarding the
locomotive tests of Pennsylvania Railroad Consolidation Locomotive, No.
1499. The various tests are described and the results are presented
using text and numerous charts and tables. This is the fourth and final
bulletin regarding the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. The first three
bulletins described the planning, organization, and construction of the
plant and its features and testing methods. The complete testing
results for all eight locomotives that were tested during the exhibition
were published in book form. See also: Pennsylvania Railroad Company.
(1905). The Pennsylvania Railroad at the Louisiana Purchase Exhibition;
locomotive tests and exhibits. (76 pages, PRR Publication)
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Pennsylvania
Railroad Company, Publicity Bureau. (1930). Allegheny Portage Railroad:
its place in the Main Line of Public Works of Pennsylvania, forerunner of
the Pennsylvania Railroad. Philadelphia: The Author.
This
publication was the February 1930 issue of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Information series. It commemorates the unveiling of the Portage
Railroad Monument on the William Penn Highway, near Cresson, PA on
October 1, 1929. It presents a brief, but very informative and cogent,
history of the Allegheny Portage Railroad, including the New Portage
Railroad. It includes some very interesting illustrations and
photographs. One such illustration shows a map of Pennsylvania showing
the counties and the route of the Main Line of Public Works. Another
depicts a profile of grades showing elevations, lengths and lifts (in
feet) of each inclined plane and level on the Allegheny Portage
Railroad. The booklet also includes excerpts from Peregrinations of
Peregrin Prolix, which was an account of a trip over the Main Line of
Public Works in 1835 by an English traveler who wrote a series of
letters about the trip that were published under the pen name of
Peregrin Prolix. Also included are comments on the Allegheny Portage
Railroad, which were written by Charles Dickens and published in
American Notes after his 1842 trip from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh over
the Main Line of Public Works. A brief tribute to “John Stevens, Father
of the Pennsylvania Railroad” is also presented, and the booklet ends
with “Transportation Progress In Portage Railroad Territory,” which
contrasts the Pittsburgh Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1930
to the Portage Railroad and the Western Division of the Pennsylvania
Canal during 1834 to 1853. In 1836 the Portage handled 52,700 tons of
freight and 25,000 passengers. In 1852 it handled about a quarter of a
million tons of freight and only about 11,000 passengers. The last
sentence in the booklet states, “The Pennsylvania Railroad at present
handles more traffic over the Allegheny mountains in one day than the
Portage Railroad, at the height of its usefulness, carried in a year.”
See also: Baumgardner & Hoenstone (1952). (45 pages, PRR publication,
obtained from the State of Wisconsin Division of Library Services
Reference and Loan Library)
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Schotter, H.
W. (1927). The growth and development of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company: A review of the charter and annual reports of the Pennsylvania
Railroad Company, 1846 to 1926, inclusive. Philadelphia: Allen, Lane &
Scott.
Schotter, an assistant treasurer for the company, reviews
the important events in the life of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company.
He covers over 80 years from the struggle to obtain a charter through
the company's period of prolific growth while John Edgar Thomson was its
president (1852 to 1874) until it became the largest transportation
system in the country. Schotter obtained most of his information from
the company's annual reports and selected other documents, and the book
includes much informative data. A detailed subject index is included.
(518 pages, book, obtained from South Dakota State University Library)
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Sipes,
William B. (1875). Pennsylvania railroad: its origins, construction,
condition, and connections. Philadelphia: Pennsylvania Railroad, Passenger
Department.
Read this book on
Google Book Search.
This work
presents a brief (approximately thirty-page) contemporary view of the
early history and development of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Sipes then
devotes over 200 pages to "...historical, descriptive, and statistical
notices of cities, towns, villages, stations, industries, and objects of
interest..." on the PRR lines between New Jersey and Pittsburgh. For
example, he locates Altoona, PA, at 237 miles from Philadelphia and then
presents a brief history of the city along with a description of its
station, several significant buildings, and its relationship to the PRR.
Appendix I provides information about the classification of locomotives
and Appendix II presents the "Rules of the Transportation Department".
This book was also published on microfiche as part of Library Resources'
(1970) Library of American Civilization and on microfilm as part of
University Microfilms' American Culture Series. (281 pages, PRR
publication)
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Temple,
Edward Brinton. (1926). Philadelphia’s new passenger terminal: an address
before the Engineer’s Club of Philadelphia, November 16, 1926.
Philadelphia: Pennsylvania Railroad.
Temple,
Assistant Chief Engineer of the Pennsylvania Railroad, informed the
Engineer’s Club about proposed improvement plans of the Pennsylvania
Railroad. These plans would construct two new passenger stations, one
west of the Schuylkill River between Market and Arch Streets and an
underground station at 15th Street, Pennsylvania Boulevard and the
Parkway, North of the Broad Street Station. The ambitious improvements
would include the construction of an underground railway east of the
river to the new underground station. Also included in the plans was
the destruction of the Filbert Street elevated railroad east of the
Schuylkill River, often referred to as the Chinese Wall. This would
free valuable property for construction of a new street to be known as
Pennsylvania Boulevard and the sale of PRR property for construction of
profitable new buildings. Temple also discussed the electrification of
all suburban lines to enable these trains to use the new underground
suburban station at 15th Street. The address also contained information
about the magnitude of passenger train service in the city. 510
scheduled revenue trains entered and departed Broad Street Station on
weekdays (220 long-distance and 290 suburban). An additional 77 trains
stopped at North Philadelphia, but did not enter Broad Street Station,
and 47 of these also stopped at West Philadelphia. About 50,000
suburban passengers used Broad Street Station each weekday. Maps and
drawings of the proposed improvements are included. (12 pages, PRR
publication, obtained from Johns Hopkins University Library)
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Woods, Katherine. (1927). The Broadway Limited,
1902-1927: a world-famous train celebrates its twenty-fifth birthday.
Philadelphia: Pennsylvania Railroad.
This
delightful booklet commemorates the twenty-fifth anniversary of the
Broadway Limited’s inauguration in 1902. A note after the title page
states the publication “records the experiences of a writer who recently
took the trip … in order to note, from an outside viewpoint, the
impressions created…” However, it is completely obvious that this was
part of the PRR’s marketing program. It presents the PRR and its
employees and passengers as one big happy family. Woods described her
trip from New York to Chicago beginning with, “When the train pulled out
of the Pennsylvania Station I didn’t know it! … then I turned to the
window and saw that we were moving.” She expounded at length about the
comfortable and luxurious accommodations, including descriptions of each
car on the train, the “harmony of decoration”, and the services that
were available. “There is a leisure here, of body and sprit, leisure
and charm and quiet thoughtful comfort, against the beautiful background
of those soft gray-green cars.” She also complemented the PRR services
and crew including the “famous” meals in the dinning car, the maids who
brought her early coffee in bed and hot or cold wet towels, the
stenographer who helped send telegrams and letters at stations, and the
train and engine crews. Woods also discussed many of the efforts taken
to ensure the safety of the passengers such as the inspections of all
the cars and locomotives that take place before, during, and after the
runs, and the tests that were routinely completed such as testing the
air brakes. She also included many digressions about such topics as the
construction of the Pullman cars that were “built like battleships,” the
construction and maintenance of the road bed and track that required a
$92 million maintenance-of-way budget in 1927, the operation of the
semaphores and block signal systems, the scheduling of trains, and many
other topics. Although this work is certainly not an objective look at
the Broadway or the PRR, it is a very interesting and enjoyable read,
and surprisingly it presents useful information about the Pennsy. (47
pages, PRR publication, obtained from Indiana University Libraries)
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Woodward, James T. (1905).
A statistical analysis of
the operations of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. New York: Orlando C.
Lewis & Co.
Woodward compiled a detailed statistical analysis of the company and all
its operations covering a six-year period from 1899 through 1904.
During this period the company experienced a phenomenal expansion of
earnings under the leadership of President A.J. Cassatt. Almost any
characteristic that could be described with statistics is covered.
Emphasis is placed on the following: growth in mileage and earnings of
the system as a whole and its integral parts, the ramifications of the
PRR's wide sphere of influence, the use of money derived from the
increased capitalization during the period, the expenditures for
property improvement, the extent and diversity of the traffic handled,
and details of the operation of the road and the management of its
finances. Selected data: * Average Mileage Operated: 1899 - 9,237.32;
1904 - 10,917.79 * Gross Earnings: 1899 - $152,399,088; 1904 -
$238,242,402 * Operating Expenses: 1899 - $106,723,376; 1904 -
$171,457,694 * Net Earnings: 1899 - $45,675,912; 1904 - $66,784,708 *
Tons Freight Carried: 1899 - 210,101,653; 1904 - 284,619,214 * Number
of. Passengers Carried: 1899 - 76,769,080; 1904 - 119,948,663.
(57 pages, [PRR
publication assumed], obtained from Yale University Library)
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Wornom,
Douglas C. Ed. (1974). History: passenger train and through car service,
Pennsylvania Railroad, 1849-1947. Chicago: Douglas Wornom, Distributed by
Owen Davies.
Wornom presents a reprint of a 1947
PRR publication that was issued by the Passenger Traffic Department at
Philadelphia. It provides a brief history of PRR passenger service
ending "with the introduction of through car service to California
shortly before the decline in service began." The inter-territorial and
inter-line coverage was limited to through car operation, i.e., not
covering service between points on the PRR and other sections of the
country when they could first be made entirely by train. The original
compilers used many sources including works by Samuel Church, E.H.
Schotter, J.E. Watkins, PRR annual reports, American Railroad Journal,
Railroad Gazette and others. The main section of this work consists of
a very interesting twenty-page chronology of the development of
passenger service on the PRR. The first entry is: "September 1, 1849 -
first passenger train service between Dillerville (Lancaster) and
Lewistown." Other selected entries include: "July 18, 1858 - First
through trains without change between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. One
train carried Woodruff sleeping cars." ... October 1891 - New York and
Chicago Limited changed to the Pennsylvania Limited in Lines East
representation. Lines West had used this name for some time. ...
November 24, 1912 - The Pennsylvania Special was renamed Broadway
Limited and changed to a twenty hour schedule." The last entry is: "
December 12, 1947 - The Silver Star - new train via the Seaboard Air
Line between New York - Miami and St. Petersburg was placed in
service." The remainder of the book consists of appendices presenting
the same information in “Geographic – Chronologic” and “Geographic –
Alphabetic” arrangements within corporate limits and for interline car
lines. The last appendix presents a five-page history of the
development of Trans-Mississippi through cars. Period PRR advertising
is also included. (57 pages, PRR publication reprint, obtained from the
State Library of Pennsylvania)
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Young Men’s Christian Associations, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania Railroad Department. (1905-1906). Railway transportation: a
course of lectures dealing primarily with the organization of the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Philadelphia: Author.
Officers of
the Pennsylvania Railroad Company presented these lectures to the
transportation class in the Institute of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Department of the Young Men’s Christian Association. They deal with the
organization and business of the PRR and the impact of geographical,
climatic and agricultural factors upon the railroad. Each lecture is
printed in full and followed by printed discussion, questions and
answers. Unfortunately, there is no index or table of contents.
Printed copies of the lectures were given to the students for their own
exclusive use. (461 pages, PRR publication, examined at the Library of
Congress)
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