Standard Railroad of the World...For A Reason!

Here are a few images taken from the 100th anniversary annual report featuring the artwork of Grif Teller:

Bob

Been posted a lot but these really speak PRR... even the 1920 era H21 hoppers still in use in the 50's!   Some of the vintage PRR videos on you tube are simply marvelous even if the PRR isn't your thing. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...ture=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...&feature=related

I was on a bus tour in Philly, and we past Suburban Street Station and the PRR keystone logo caught my eye. I wish I could've gone in the station.

Around 25 rail miles west of Harrisburg,PA., on the old PRR Middle Division, (now NS Pittsburgh line) is the small town of Newport. This location has many PRR remains, I photographed a few in 2011.
The still-extant western stub of the original mainline had no active shippers, and appeared to be used by Hi-rail vehicles only.

From 1890 to 1921, PRR also interchanged in the freighthouse area with the narrow gauge Newport & Sherman's Valley.

All images by Warren W. Jenkins

Very Nice. Sad that the station is in disrepair. 

I also liked seeing a glimpse of one of the standard types of Pennsy railings on the Buffalo Creek Bridge...I was able to buy a small section of railing on eBay a few years ago. 

Tom 

I see Pennsylvania Railroad infrastructure every day as I grew up I Downingtown,PA and now work in Berwyn, PA Delaware County.  My favorite part is the former Philadelphia & Thorndale low-grade line that paralleled the main and connected with the Trenton Cutoff and main line yard in Thorndale. It had a flying junction at each end to keep the freight traffic on the inner of the four mainline tracks.  This dual-track line had little curve or grade and eliminated the need for pushers up the steeper grades on the main line out of the Brandywine River Valley. It also freed up congestion for commuter trains.  This is the mammoth Trestle Bridge in Downingtown complete with a curved portion and two trusses,one supported by two huge stone piers.

It was electrified by 1930, here is a Penn Central era pair of E44s. I would love if anyone else could share a photo with me of a consist crossing this bridge.

This branch also had a massive truss Flyover at Whitford Station

Here is the Whitford flyover as seen in Grif Teller PRR calendar art.  Excuse the presence of the J1 2-10-4 which supposedly never steamed east of Altoona.

Here is a shot of my current carpet central with my recreation of the previous picture of the trestle.  PRR on point followed by a Santa Fe high-cube.

Some more Pennsylvania RR, on my first layout.

As mentioned earlier in the thread, there was no reason for the PRR to transition to superpowered locomotive styles in the 30s.  They instead choose to devote resources towards electrification and the GG1 fleet.  This left the Pennsy with not only extras in the K4 class, but also extra L1 Mikado's that didn't see much service until needed for the war effort.  These home grown designs and the standardization of locomotive components were ahead of thier time, and stood the test of time.  

That said, ordering more of the K4 class in 1928 instead of additional 4-8-2 M1's that had already been introduced in 1926 was maybe a questionable decision.  Postwar designs like the T1 and the Q2 were never refined to the same standards as earlier classes. Maybe in part due to thier innovative design and but more due to the looming takeover of Diesel power.  But there was nothing faster than the T1 and the Q2 could pull freight as strong as the heaviest in the land.  These are now percieved as failures more as a result of the Pennsy's unfounded devotion to steam, when we know the better choice would have been early adoption of diesel power.  

The Pennsy will always live on as the Standard of the World and be remembered by history as the biggest and best for a reason.

There are several PRR bridges left in Indiana as well.  One was just recently demolished and replaced that goes over I-65 just north of Indy.

I had forgotten I had this photo of a decrepit PRR boxcar on my phone.

Picture was taken in March 2016 behind the former PRR station in Lewistown, PA.  If you enlarge the photo you can still make out part of the keystone emblem with interlocking PRR.

Curt

Rule292 posted:

Been posted a lot but these really speak PRR... even the 1920 era H21 hoppers still in use in the 50's!   Some of the vintage PRR videos on you tube are simply marvelous even if the PRR isn't your thing. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...ture=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...&feature=related

I've never seen the second episode.  Thanks for posting.

Dennis Holler posted:

There are several PRR bridges left in Indiana as well.  One was just recently demolished and replaced that goes over I-65 just north of Indy.

 

Dennis, there is one in Columbus, In. as well but they are going to replace it if they have not done so already. Wish i had gotten a picture of it but it's location would have made it dangerous to take one.

This is an awesome book on PRR advertising art. Lots of photos of never before seen posters and other advertising material.

Dan Padova posted:

Rule292 posted:

Been posted a lot but these really speak PRR... even the 1920 era H21 hoppers still in use in the 50's!   Some of the vintage PRR videos on you tube are simply marvelous even if the PRR isn't your thing. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...ture=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...&feature=related

I've never seen the second episode.  Thanks for posting.

If you liked those this was pretty good too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtcjqoGnpm0

Some unique camera angles, taken at speed and good crew discussion about the GG1. At one point it was said, how the GG1 was gliding along at 80mph, but only using 2/3rds of the power.

Tom 

Good morning Tom, it's looks like the beginning of the Go Pro Camera that is used today !!!!!

After watching some of these videos it's amazing the complexity of that Northeast Corridor.

More routes and switch's than you can imagine and to be running at 80 mph maximum speed at times.

Hi Mark (and all),

  I think I heard in one of the videos that their was never a GG1 crew death, quite an accomplishment for its many years of service.

Tom

The center cab design of the GG1 afforded the head end crew considerable protection. As cramped as the cabs were, you certainly felt well protected. Conversely, crewmen on box cab P5a locomotives were quite vulnerable given the location of the cabs at the car body ends. This provided the impetus for the redesigned P5a "modified" motors featuring  the same general center cab profile as the G.

Bob

The best modern steam locomotive on the PRR was the J-1 2-10-4 and it was designed by the C&O.  Here are a couple of photos I took in  the early 1950s of the J-1 in heavy freight service.

Lew Schneider

Lew, Those were 2 nice and unusual trains. Thanks for sharing. 

 Tom