AN EARLY PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD TRAIN - This photo was taken in West Philadelphia in about 1876. It is from the Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division LC-USZ62-57212. See Albert J. Churella, The Pennsylvania Railroad, Vol. 1, pg 327, U. Penn. Press, Philadelphia, 2013.
Contributed by rkohler3 on 8/24/19 - Image Year: 1876
The building of the Erie Canal in 1825 and the emergence of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad threatened Philadelphia's traditional position as a center of commerce. These modern, accessible transportation networks made New York and Baltimore major trade centers. In an effort to maintain Philadelphia as an important market hub, Pennsylvania merchants secured a legislative charter for the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) in 1846.
Construction on the railroad began at Harrisburg, where it would connect to the state-owned Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad, and then advance westward to Pittsburgh. The 245-mile segment between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh was open for service in 1854. Three years later, the PRR purchased the state-owned railroad east to Philadelphia. For much of the 1850s the railroad developers were occupied with upgrading the railroad's physical plant, buying new equipment, and experimenting with coal-burning fireboxes. By the beginning of the American Civil War (1861-1865), the PRR controlled a crucial segment of the nation's rail system. Despite the inflated economy and the railroad's deteriorating equipment, the PRR doubled its net profits during the war. By war's end, the Pennsylvania Railroad was the largest corporation in the world. Free of debt, it was poised for further expansion.
Expansion continued well into the 1870s, providing rail service throughout the state and beyond. Main rail lines emanated from Harrisburg to Erie, Buffalo, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Jersey City, and New York harbor. Additional lines were leased to provide connections to Midwest cities and extend PRR rails to the Mississippi River. By the end of the nineteenth century the railroad had ceased to expand, and it began to concentrate on consolidating the leased lines and making improvements in service.
Between 1899 and 1906 the passenger traffic on the main line between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh was the highest in the nation. To accommodate service demands, the railroad expanded by constructing four additional tracks and several new tunnels. In 1905 the PRR's premier passenger train, the Broadway, began running between New York and Chicago in eighteen-hour trips. In 1907 newly constructed tunnels under the Hudson River allowed passenger trains access to the newly constructed Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan, New York. By 1910 the Pennsylvania Railroad operated 10,000 route-miles in 13 states, owned more than 260,000 passenger and freight cars, and employed more than 215,000 people. The PRR had become a U.S. conglomerate-a corporate giant that referred to itself as "The Standard Railroad of the World."
Throughout this period the Pennsylvania Railroad carefully researched and implemented technological innovations. In the late nineteenth century the PRR pioneered the use of the air brake, steel rails, and automatic block signals. By 1908 the railroad was poised to introduce an all-steel passenger car. The PRR also began to use electric power, first in New York and then later in Philadelphia. The use of electric power reached full maturity in 1935 and completed the largest modernization process attempted by a U.S. railroad. In addition the PRR secured interests in Trans World Airlines, Greyhound Bus Lines, and numerous trucking companies in order to provide consumers with multi-modal transportation options.
The Pennsylvania Railroad did well enough in the first part of the century to survive financially through the Great Depression (1929-1939), but it began running into difficulties soon after. World War II (1939?1945) and the increasing cost of modernization placed a severe financial burden on the entire railroad industry. In 1946 the combination of large capital expenditures and postwar inflation produced the company's first annual net loss.
The need to replace its obsolete fleet of steam locomotives quickly became the company's most pressing issue. In spite of its deep ties and loyalty to the coal industry, the railroad replaced steam with diesel-electric power. This change offered many of the benefits of electric traction without the high initial cost. The completion of the transfer from steam to diesel, a $400 million investment, took place in 1957.
During the 1950s and 1960s the Pennsylvania Railroad continued to experience a drop in revenue and service. The company felt the impact of heavy industry's decline in the Northeast, as well as stiff competition from other emerging means of transportation. In the late 1940s the railroad's average annual ton-miles totaled 54 billion, but by 1960 the total annual ton-miles had fallen to 43 billion.
In 1968 after many years of negotiation to prevent further loss, it merged with the New York Central (NYC) and eliminated duplicate routes and facilities. Unfortunately the new company, Pennsylvania Central, proved to be unable to withstand the declining rail traffic or cope with the soaring labor costs and declared bankruptcy only two years later. In 1976 Conrail and Amtrak purchased most of Penn Central's rail holdings. This allowed Penn Central to return to financial solvency as a real estate development firm.
("Pennsylvania Railroad." Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History. . Encyclopedia.com. 24 Aug. 2019 <https://www.encyclopedia.com>)
Since its inception, the railroad company has been known by a variety of names:
Pennsylvania Railroad
Penn Central Railroad
Conrail
Amtrak
Norfolk Southern Railroad
Contributed by rkohler3 on 10/13/12 - Image Year: 1941
A 1941 Map of the Middle Division of the PRR. Port Royal can be found near the center of the map.
Contributed by rkohler3 on 8/26/19 - Image Year: 1935
TRAINS PASS AT PORT ROYAL - A cargo train heading westward passes a passenger train heading eastward. Portions of the roofs of both stations are visible in the photo. Also visible is the RAILROAD HOUSE, one of the POMEROY HOUSES and the WISEHAUPT GRAIN ELEVATOR.
(Photo courtesy of Wayne Taylor)
Contributed by rkohler3 on 8/25/19 - Image Year: 1900
STEAM TRAIN APPROACHES PORT ROYAL FROM THE SOUTH (Photo courtesy of Wayne Taylor)
Contributed by ray on 8/26/19 - Image Year: 1950
WESTBOUND STEAM TRAIN - A westbound steam locomotive and train passes under THE RAILROAD BRIDGE and by the PORT ROYAL STATION. (Photo courtesy of Wayne Taylor)
Contributed by rkohler3 on 8/26/19 - Image Year: 1891
PRR INTERLOCKING TOWER - This PRR Tower is located just west of Port Royal. The photo was taken about 1891. (An Interlocking Tower (aka Signal Tower or Block Tower) is a location from which junctions are configured, signals set and level crossings warned to allow trains to drive a path from one location to another with maximum safety and efficiency.) (Photo courtesy of Wayne Taylor)
Contributed by ray on 8/26/19 - Image Year: 1891
PRR INTERLOCKING TOWER - This PRR Tower is located just west of Port Royal. The photo was taken about 1891. (An Interlocking Tower (aka Signal Tower or Block Tower) is a location from which junctions are configured, signals set and level crossings warned to allow trains to drive a path from one location to another with maximum safety and efficiency.) (Photo courtesy of Wayne Taylor)
Contributed by rkohler3 on 8/28/19 - Image Year: 1895
TOWER AND SIGNAL JUST WEST OF PORT ROYAL - Track Crew works on the tracks near the INTERLOCKING TOWER AND SIGNAL just west of Port Royal. (Photo courtesy of Wayne Taylor)
Contributed by ray on 8/28/19 - Image Year: 1970
LOCAL SHIFTER WEST OF PORT ROYAL - Shifter used to divert cars onto a siding. The Shifter has the Penn Central logo so the photo must have been taken after the merger between PRR and NYC in 1968. (Photo courtesy of Wayne Taylor)
Contributed by ray on 8/25/19 - Image Year: 2000
NORFOLK SOUTHERN TRAIN CROSSES THE TUSCARORA CREEK BRIDGE (Photo courtesy of Wayne Taylor)
Contributed by rkohler3 on 8/26/19 - Image Year: 1916
PRR SUNDAY EXCURSION - This advertisement appeared in the Port Royal Times on April 2, 1916. For one dollar the traveler got a round trip between Port Royal and Harrisburg. (Photo courtesy of Wayne Taylor)
