Today commuter railroad operations are usually distinguised by state agencies. i.e NJTransit, SEPTA, Metro North, Mark, MBTA etc. How did people at lets say Trenton depot able to tell which PRR train was passenger or commuter and able to tell if the train was going to Philly or NYC. What were the names of the local commuter trains called out as the railroad ran under the PRR.
As I recall when a PRR train was coming into your station the PA system would announce which train it was specifically and what its destination and intermediate stops were along the way. I used ot commute from Tuckahoe, NY to New York GCT and heard this EVERY day when I boarded my 7:38 train each morning inbound and when I boarded my 5:45 back home the trainman or conductor would make a similar announcement on the trains PA system. Today when I travel on the BNSF line from Aurora to Chicago Union Station pretty much the same thing happens.
By signs and announcements. The signs would tell which train was arriving on what track/platform when. It would also be announced. Same as they do today.
In addition to the station PA (not all stations had them) the train crew was supposed to be on the platform to announce the train’s destination and the location of smoking and non-smoking cars (PRR had them back in the day) as passengers were boarding. On the locals they wouldn’t list all the stops, but might say "Media-West Chester Local’ or “Marcus Hook express to Chester”
Leaving Suburban Station they might say something like “Paoli Local next stop 30th Street” to give anybody who got on by mistake a chance to get off and catch his right train at 30th St.
If possible, they were supposed to call the next stop “Claymont is next, Claymont, Claymont”. They couldn’t always call every stop if the aisles were crowded and the stations were close together.
In the Phila. area, as the MP54s were giving way to the Silverliners, the Silverliners had PAs, but I don’t recall many crews using them, even if they were working.
One thing about a passenger train: No matter how many announcements you make, there’s always somebody who doesn’t get the message.[:(]
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How did people at lets say Trenton depot able to tell which PRR train was passenger or commuter and able to tell if the train was going to Philly or NYC. What were the names of the local commuter trains called out as the railroad ran under the PRR.
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First, people knew their trains and timetables. Second, there were signs and public address announcments. Third, local trains certainly did not look like a long distance train and vice versa. The only known and named commuter train the PRR had in NJ was the Broker which ran from Jersey City to Bay Head and it never ran to Trenton. The DL&W had two “named” commuter trains so designated by a drumhead sign on the rear cars: The Lakeland Express from Washington, NJ to Hoboken and return, and the Sussex County Experss from Branchville to Hoboken and return. EL at one time designated the 5:30PM Hoboken departure as the Tom Taber Express. Much eariler there were several other timetalbe named trains on the DL&W. I don’t believe the Erie, CNJ or West Shore had named commuter trains…there may have been som coloquial names, but nothing official enough to appear on a drumhead or in a timetable. LIRR did have some, too, especially if you consider the Cannon Ball to Montauk. I don’t believe either the NYC or NH had so named commuter trains. I notice SEPTA had a Doylstown named train today, about the only named commuter train I can think of.
But at Trenton, most all commuter trains were the venerable Pennsy MU’s with one or two GG1 pulled, especially the Philadelphia Clockers…hourly from either NY or Phila with a 90 minute or schedule.
Corridor commuter trains were mostly MP54e cars. Easily distinguished from GG1 pulled trains. The hourly clockers from Philly to New York were mostly P70 cars pulled by GG1s. East and west trains left from different platforms. Signs directed you to the correct platform. Multiple platforms were at Newark, Trenton, North Philly, 30th St., Wilmington,and Baltimore. Lancaster and Harrisburg on the westbound main. Commuter trains had three digit numbers.
I gradulated Rutgers Neward in 1980, from the start of classes in 1975 to the time I graduated in 1980, there was a EL call-man on duty for all rush-hour West-bound commuter trains. A deep voice baratone, you always heard him not matter how many trains were passing through (East bound or on the express track, Newark station was a 3 track affair with boading only on the other two tracks.)
Remember when the Tom Tabor express was named, he took pride in announcing its arrival.
He also made up name, like the “Dover Express, express to Summit, Chatham, Madison, Convent Station, Morristown, Morrispains, Denville and Dover!”
His workstation was a slanted board with a metal phone case above it to hold the microphone. The call list was a copy of the employee time-table with a Morrris and Essex public in his hit pocket. There may have been a dispatcher phone there too should there be delays, I don’t recall how he kept current of delays. The rush-hour trains back then did ran on time as advertise, there was still Lackawanna men running the railroad back then, even after the NJDOT took over.
What you mentioned earlier regarding how commuter trains looked different from long distance trains sounded interesting. So in your opinion how are commuter trains supposed to look compared to passenger trains. Besides the eaisly distinguished MP54 and GG1 hauled trains.
That was the distinguishing feature.
I thank all of you for the information you have provided.
Again, there are lots of books on the PRR specifically and railroads in genral in your local library. Those books will tell you a lot more than most of us and you can pick and choose what interests you the most. Then you will have more questions which you should bring back here.
You’ve just giving me the motivation to go to a particular library like in Rahway or Woodbridge NJ. I will go. Thanks for mentioning that. I did not think of it that way. Your information was still helpful.