Date changed to tuesday this thread will end.
…And why would the thread be closing…?
That is a good question.
Bert
This thread was going to end tuesday but i think i will leave this thread alone.
…Now that sounds better…Surely we Pennsy folks can find a few thoughts to relay.
Just a minor one comes to mind…Once saw a Pennsylvania RR engine in ligonier, Pa on the Ligonier Valley RR…They used to bring passenger trains into Idlewild park near Ligonier…{On rt. US 30}. And I imagine the engine I saw might have been in Ligonier to turn there on the “Y”…Don’t know, just a thought…Maybe even to get some coal and water. Time frame: Probably early to mid '40’s.
Did pennsy get PC railroad engines when pennsy took it over???
Um, no…Pennsy did not take Penn Central over…PRR merged with NYCentral to form Penn Central…
…And then it all became successful Conrail.
I suppose that next to the New Haven and my Metro North ex Conrail ex Penn Central commute, I rode the Pennsylvania more than any other railroad, possbly over 200 times between NY and Washington. But one trip was unusual. In the summer of 1951 I was an ROTC cadet at Fort Monmouth. The Army had allowed me to do my summer camp training between Sophmore and Junior and Senior Years because they knew I planned on working for GM/EMD in La Grange the following summer. But my own MIT faculty advisor was a bit sceptacle and insisted that I take a draft-deferment test that summer just in case I flunked ROTC. Which I did not and have my discharge papers to show that I made 1st Lt. during my two years of active duty. The test was given at Princeton, and I had a weekend pass to go to Princeton from Fort Monmouth with the plan to then go by train to NY. From Ft Monthmouth I woke up at 5:30 in morning, left the back gate and showed up at Little Silver Station on the New York and Long Branch, now New Jerseu Transit and then a joint Central of New Jersey and PRR operation (“K4’s RULE the Long Branch” was a title of then current TRAINS article), to catch the Red-Bank - Trenton local, that operated over the NY&LB to Sea Girt, then over what became the Freehold Secondary track after it was downgraded at the end of passenger service, joining Camden and Ambay at Jamestown and then onto the Corridor at Monmouth Junction, with a stop at Princeton Junction and my connection to the “Princeton Jc. and Back” two-car mu shuttle. I was amazed when an E-6 showed up instead of the diesel-electric doodlebug and p-54 trailer I expected. An E-6 with one combine and one coach. I already knew all about the E-6, The Lindberg photo special, and its fast performance, but I never expected to ride behind one. Apparently the doodlebug had a "diesel d
…On the subject of clearance problems {as noted by Tom}, at Horseshoe Curve…What changed that that became a problem in later years…There must have been clearance for all 4 tracks early on as it was full of trains especially during WWII era…
Was it possibly the longer cars in use in later years…and that in itself might have been the reasoning…? Any thoughts.
Amtrak (through donations by Freinds Of the GG1) still owns 4935 ( repainted in its 5 stripe scheme) and as far as I know still is in running condition. Never heard of it doing any fan trips although that would be sweet!
My best memory of the Pennsy is an old pic I took on vacation of an E44 led freight zipping by Strasburg RR at Leaman Place.
But my all time fav is The Metroliners…Designed by Pennsy for 150 MPH operation on the Corridor back in '67. Too bad PC rushed them into service and didnt spend enough on maintenance…and it’s only taken Amtrak 35 years to finally get done something that was handed to them back when they took over.And the Corrider cars are spending their remaining days on the rails they were designed for as cab control cars.
That’s right up there with Boston stripping down a fleet of RDCs for push pull service.
Thank God for Model Railroaders and keeping the past alive!
MY FOOT! Model railroaders are the stingiest bunch especially when it comes to donating to museums and operating museums…the preservationists do the real ressurection of the past!
Don’t get me wrong, but that “TGIF for MR’s” was a but over the top…I like recreating the way things wer in HO as much as the next guy, but there is no comparing it to saving the real thing.
I don’t think any of the GG1’s are still active. They not only had to have the transformer oil removed, but had the transformer itself removed. The IRM has had some discussion about rewiring their restored GG1 to run off the 600 volt line, but I doubt it will happen. It seems like it would be a little too much work for the payoff.
Bert
All this talk about restoring a GG1 got me thinking about another former PRR electric locomotive worth restoring, provided there’s still some around: the E44. If there are some still around, and if restoration was possible, there’s still the PCB laden transformer to deal with disposing of properly, and the costs thereof.
There’s one E44 left - stored safely inside the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.
I don’t think that will ever turn a wheel again.
The PRR had the greatest motive power in my opinion. GGI’s (there are about 12 - 15 left not running) one E44 and one P5 box cab neither of which are running and will probably never run again. THere were L5’s, O1, Modified P5’s, FF1’s, DD1, and a lone R1 and DD2. Think of the steam they had. The K4, M1, I1, L1, G5, E6, S1, Q2, and my all time favorite PRR loco - the T1. The only operating PRR steam engine in the world is a 100 year old 0-6-0 near Harrisburg.
I love the Pennsylvania Railroad. The Pennsy is my favorite out of all railroads to be lain upon the earth.
And how do I plan on showing my support…Like this…
Don’t forget the “inherited through a handful of mergers” E-33 (VGN/NW/NH/PC/Conrail). I heard there are 3 still remaining in private collections.
I recently saw a pic of an E-44 painted in Amtrak’s gray yard service scheme on RailPictures.net , think it was from the late 80’s.
As far as David’s earlier post about model railroaders, I am as much a railfan and a sucker for preserving the past in full scale as well as HO scale. I’d love to see a lashup of E’s GG’s or P5s toting a coal train through Thorndale PA pushed by a former GN FF-2
I wonder at times if NS would consider the maintenance costs of rebuilding electric power vs. todays fuel costs and if the future holds coal trains under wire on the Port Road to Baltimore.
And I’m disappointed so many tourist railroads have shelved their steam programs (e.g.Ohio Central) due to ridiculous insurance costs. Something needs to be done about that.
A question and my opinion…
Q. Does anybody know if the former PRR or NYC line(s) from Indianapolis to Columbus via Dayton are still in operation. It would be a shame if they were abandonded entirely for then there could never be passenger train service connecting St. Louis to Pittsburgh again. At least via the major stops along I-70.
My thoughts on the PRR…
It’s a shame that it had to die. I can’t believe the stockholders were dumb enough to approve merger with the NYC. Frankly I think if PRR had entirely devoured it’s sister roads N&W and Wabash the PRR would have lasted a lot longer. When I say a lot longer I’m talking into the de-regulated era of railroading.
Did pennsy have GP7,8,9 or GP38-2 engines???