While not a fan of the Pennsy, ( a friend's dad worked for USPS as an RPO supervisor out of Pittsburgh for a while and then out of his Ohio hometown served by the Pennsy), much other Pennsylvania history, railroad and other, interests me, including the East Broad Top, which l was lucky to ride, and the Strasburg. There were books done on ghost railroads of Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee, l'd like to see one on ghost railroads of Pennsylvania. I would guess that would be a thick book.
WftTrains posted:Moonson posted:My perspective on this would be as follows, and in no particular order:
1. I believe the entire Railroad real-world began in Baltimore, Maryland, which meant a whole lot of RR traffic passing through Pennsylvania, in route to the rest of the USA, acquainting many residents with trains, historically.
2. Farming in the middle and eastern parts of Pennsylvania made their own demands on the railroads, establishing a need for RR lines running through those parts of the state.
3. Western Pennsylvania, where my hometown is located, as part of metropolitan Pittsburgh, had the steel industry, located nearly everywhere, up and down the rivers, such as the Youghiogheny, Monongahela, Allegheny, and Ohio. Railroads ran through towns and around them, serving the mills which ruled life. The railroads were omnipresent in life, back in the 40's, 50's, and 60's....
And don't forget all thecoal that was mined in Pennsylvania and hauled away in railroad cars.
Bill (a Pittsburgh native with one grandfather working for the PRR and one a coal miner)
Bill. WftTrains, You make an excellent point by including the coal industry in the narrative of Pennsylvania's history with railroads.
FrankM
conrail5065 posted:I’m a Pennsylvania transplant. Born and raised in central PA and moved for work to the toy train desert of north Louisiana.
Ryan;
Mystery solved - in the last act of Puccini’s opera Manon Lescaut, Manon and des Grieux supposedly die in a Louisiana desert which no one could ever find!!!
Thank heavens for the Forum and the. Internet.
Alfred E Neuman posted:Bill DeBrooke posted:Back around 1950 when I still lived in Floresville (TX) I would go to my grandmothers house often. Her property backed up to the tracks. It was probably the Texas & Pacific.
You mean Southern Pacific, right? SP ran through Floresville. Missouri Pacific ran through Pleasanton. Texas & Pacific ran east to west across north Texas.
What, me worry?
That would have been my second choice.
Arnold, You sure are great at posting conversation starters!!
Well, being a native of Butler County Pennsylvania, and current resident, I will throw in my comments. My fourth great grandfather Boyce and his family moved in 1795 to the wilderness that became Butler County. It was the B&O that came through our area on the P&W division. The PRR was also in the area but I saw the B&O every day.
While all farmers, my great grandpa Boyce worked at the Downieville pumping station on the Bakerstown hill on the B&O.
My material grandfather was a fireman for the B&O out of Pittsburgh between his two stints in the Marines first in the Phillipines after the Spanish American War and second in WWI where he was disabled in the trenches of France. I have my grandmothers retiree spouse pass dated 1964. Maybe that was when passenger service ended on that line.
I always have loved trains, and bought my own set with money I saved for a year when I was 12.
Another great topic, Arnold!!!!!
Pennsylvania might be the O-gauge capitol of the world. But those of us who fled NY in the 70s might be partly responsible for that. lol
I think there is a lesson here worth mentioning. How many threads have we seen dealing with the declining interest in the O gauge railroading hobby? Seems the O gauge capital also coencides with a strong historical personal relavance to real local railroad activities, and seeing trains on a regular basis. How often does the public see trains today in comparison? I would say real trains are too often only found in tucked away out of sight places where the public seldom goes. Not much we can do about that now, except take the kids to see trains as often as possible.
Railgon posted:... How often does the public see trains today in comparison?
As a resident of NE Pennsylvania (Pike County), short of going to Steamtown in Scranton, pretty much the only time I see real trains is when they make it to the news... derailments... people or cars hit... too much noise going through grade crossings in some town... etc.
My take on Pennsylvania being the O-ga capital of the world. ;-)
TCA was founded 1954 in Yardley Pa. which host probably the largest train meet in the U.S. in York Pa.
Living in Bristol Pa in my younger yrs, I remember seeing GG1's running the rails. I'd sit on the bench at the Bristol station watching those G's fly by.
In 1978 I moved to the Bloomsburg Pa. area, landed a job as a millwright at Berwick Forge and Fabricating (BFF) which manufactured rail cars (gondola cars, box cars, bath tub cars) was the old ACF plant in Berwick PA. When ACF had it's plant in Berwick Pa. it was one of the oldest and largest rail car manufacturer in the U.S. Today approx 35 miles west of Berwick in Milton Pa. is an ACF plant.
The area in central Pa. is rich in the rail industry.
I thought these just went Jersey and New York Learn something new every day
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Dear Moonson,
I couldn't quite make out what you were trying to say in your post about the Erie Lackawanna Railroad. If it is helpful, the Erie and the Delaware Lackawanna & Western ("Lackawanna") were competitors in the Northeast. They were compelled, due to finances, to merge in 1960 to form the Erie Lackawanna. I followed them both, being the grandson of an Erie man and living most of my life along the Lackawanna main and Erie Wyoming division in Dunmore and Elmhurst PA and lastly working the old DLW main as a conductor for Steamtown for many years. Nearby Scranton once hosted 5 railroads, all coal haulers. We have a rich railroad history in these parts and have very active mainline and short line roads still making history everyday.
Regards
Earl
Conductor Earl posted:Dear Moonson,
I couldn't quite make out what you were trying to say in your post about the Erie Lackawanna Railroad. If it is helpful, the Erie and the Delaware Lackawanna & Western ("Lackawanna") were competitors in the Northeast. They were compelled, due to finances, to merge in 1960 to form the Erie Lackawanna....Regards Earl
Then, he told me the story in reverse, given what you have asserted here about the two railroads merging, not separating. Thank you for that correction. I won't mention this discrepancy to him as he has been getting weaker over these couple of years, and I don't want to upset him. Thanks again.
I have deleted my erroneous post.
FrankM
Railgon posted:I think there is a lesson here worth mentioning. How many threads have we seen dealing with the declining interest in the O gauge railroading hobby? Seems the O gauge capital also coencides with a strong historical personal relavance to real local railroad activities, and seeing trains on a regular basis. How often does the public see trains today in comparison? I would say real trains are too often only found in tucked away out of sight places where the public seldom goes. Not much we can do about that now, except take the kids to see trains as often as possible.
I agree 100%. I've posted in many another thread about how lack of exposure to the prototype is the main factor in the decline of the model railroad hobby.
Interesting post. I am biased. I currently live in Georgia but am from Ohio. I had a lot of trains around me growing up in the Ohio Valley. However, when I went about 30 minutes east to Pennsylvania it seemed like the trains around me quadrupled. The city of Pittsburgh was my train heaven as a child. I still think that before it's all said and done I may move back to that area and of course there are other factors that may determine if I do, but trains will be one of those reasons. Generally speaking the hobby seems to be more alive in that part of the country. This is not necessary a fact but a perception from where I currently live.
Dave
Not only the Pennsy, the Erie, the Reading, D&H, Strasburg (relatively new), the list goes on. I love my home state of Pennsylvania - beautiful mountains and stream valleys - gorgeous motorcycle riding country, and real steam locomotives as well as model versions.
