I am gonna get a lot of flack for this.

Were they the largest rairoad?

Because it sells!

Don

A very large, powerful RR  for many years.

PRR was a major railroad like Santa-fe and Union Pacific. In it's hay day is was consider one of the top ( I would say it's only rival, seeing it was east coast would of been NYC ( which it merged with and was mismanaged) and B&O) 

For east coast Rail-roads you will find that most are either NYC, PRR, or B&O ( the ones that model 1970 and before I would guess. ) 

I personally do not like Penn central But like NYC and PRR I also Like B&O. 

Of coarse these are just my feeling. 

DMASSO posted:

Were they the largest rairoad?

My guess would be no. But they where up there in size.

Maybe this will help explain...and this is just this forum membership. Pennsylvania has the most forum members. 

At one time, the PRR was the largest transportation company in the US.  They believed the keystone of their logo represented the position they held in the US economy.  At one time that might have actually been true.  They were the third largest builder of steam locomotives behind Baldwin and ALCo.  Their in house designs on the early 20th century were state of the art machines that performed well and way past their time.  They had the most miles under wire and largest electrically powered system in the US.  They valued design in their passenger facilities hiring well known architects at the time.  The engineering behind things like the Horseshoe curve and the Hudson tubes were vast undertakings.  They standardized everything for efficiency. 

Off course the postwar story of the PRR is very different especially by the late 50's.  The once mighty road was worn out, having ignored steam innovations while focusing on the electric activities in the 30's, and failed hugely on largely experimental duplexes that were put into service in the 40's out of desperation.  They were late to dieselize and that cost them significantly by having to buy locomotives from every builder.  They wanted all EMD equipment, but EMD couldn't supply enough in time.  Standardization went out the window, postwar passenger revenue was not great and eventually very costly.  Maintenance was deferred and it was a dirty road by the 60's. 

My reason for enjoying the PRR has to do with where I grew up, a childhood love of the GG1 (born in the PC era), and seeing former PRR equipment run past my house until I was a teen.  I love the Belpaire firebox, the strings of Tuscan cars during an era when everything else was green or TTG.  The position light signals have always been of interest to me although they are disappearing finally now.  

I don't force my interests on anyone, it's just why I like the road.  I have other's I love too, but the PRR was my first interest followed closely by the CNJ.   

PRR was a large railroad centered in a major industrialized State with large cities. It was a leader in creating advanced designs for most of its motive power. It operated the main passenger service between New York City and Washington, DC - first with steam locomotives and later with high speed electric locomotives including the GG-1. Its long distance electrification between New York and Washington set the standard for its time. It also operated passenger service between New York City and Chicago, an important densely-traveled route. I'm not a PRR expert but these are a few of the railroad's contributions that immediately come to mind.

MELGAR

Lionel sold more trains in PA 1930-1960 than almost anywhere else.Then there are converts like me......when I married my wife my father in law gave me the 'Pennsy Power' book and told me how many in his family worked for the PRR. His brother was in charge of the S-1 display at the worlds fair....I was sold!!! 

Hard to beat PRR for dramatic equipment.......

At one time it was the biggest publicly traded company in the world. At one time it had over 7000 locomotives. It was massive  

In line with both Marty and Jonathan’s comments; I think PRR is still popular today because it was such a presence in the lives of many of us who grew up either in PA or elsewhere along the railroad’s 13 state network.

Curt

Another reason I find the company interesting is because they were also a prolific steam locomotive designer and manufacturer.

rtraincollector posted:

DMASSO posted:

Were they the largest rairoad?

My guess would be no. But they where up there in size.

Depends on the measure(s) and timeframe.  Traffic and revenue 1900 - 1950.  Yes.

What, me worry?

What isn't mentioned in all this discussion is how hard on the Pennsy WW II was. It wore everything out and doubled wages the government handed out.  Of course, the Big War was hard on the steel industry too. At its peak there were none better than the PRR but that doesn't mean there weren't other good railroads.

Thanks for all the replys.Hey being in the south and my home town rail road was the SEABOARD AIRLINE RAILROAD.When I came in to this world seaboard merged with the acl.That formed the seaboard coast line the year I was born 1967.Come to think of it I saw a few prr boxcars in mixed freights.This is when I was a kid.I was lucky enough that my first school was right next to the train tracks.Got to see a lot of fast freights go by.Well seaboard might not have as big or famous as prr.But it was big enough to hold its own with the southern and acl.

juniata guy posted:

In line with both Marty and Jonathan’s comments; I think PRR is still popular today because it was such a presence in the lives of many of us who grew up either in PA or elsewhere along the railroad’s 13 state network.

Curt

Wow!I did not know it was that big.I thought in was just in penn the state.Yea the is pretty darn big!!

From the University of Pennsylvania which holds some of the PRR's corporate records:

"Beginning with the administration of J. Edgar Thomson (1852-1874), the PRR came under the control of its salaried managers, most of whom were trained as civil engineers and passed through a set course of hierarchical advancement. Unlike most other railroads of the period, the PRR was never run by lone entrepreneurs, politicians or bankers. Consequently, its management style was much more systematic (pioneering in the development of the line-and-staff type of structure), and it put greater emphasis on technical development and engineering virtuosity. In 1874, it employed one of the first professionally trained industrial chemists, and later developed its own testing laboratory. The greatest monuments to this approach were the great Pennsylvania Station project of 1907-1910 and the electrification of the main lines east of Harrisburg in 1915-1938. During this period it proclaimed itself the "Standard Railroad of the World."

Hey, how can you not love their switchers? 

Tom

DGJONES posted:

Because it sells!

Don

Many years ago when RoW did the B&O dockside we had many unsold units. They were repainted PRR and they all sold. 

Lou N

NO offense, but wasn't the Seaboard Coast Line just a little redundant?