Pennsy's Pitcairn Yard

thanks for sharing Tom

Great photos Tom. Goes to show the immense size of the PRR empire back in the day. This one's my favorite.

Thanks guys. 

Tom 

RSJB18 posted:

Great photos Tom. Goes to show the immense size of the PRR empire back in the day. This one's my favorite.

I liked this one myself...

Everything (left to right) from the milk cans, the loco coming at us, the extensive planking, a loco in the distance, a signal bridge (also in the distance), what looks like a bobber caboose and the crewman on top. 

Tom 

Those pictures are absolutely beautiful Tom. 

I went on the university's site hoping that perhaps they were a bit better resolution as to zoom in but they weren't.

Many show up as owned by the Pitcairn historical society.  I'd entertain a trip there to see if perhaps they have negatives for the prints... for higher resolution images. 

I remember visiting Pitcairn, Pa as a small kid. If one couldn't get their fix of steam engine action here, you wouldn't ever get it......I'll always remember between the Steel Mills/Coke Plants, and steam locomotives of the Mid 50's there was always a haze over this whole valley...I laugh when I ever heard someone say something about smog, and no clean air in America, or that we need more of it....as I can remember it like it was yesterday.......Thanks for Posting MNCW, really brought back old memories, that I'd long forgotten.................................Brandy! 

This fine book (first of 9 volumes) will show you more of Pitcairn...

Thanks for pointing that out...I have all of the Triumph-series books. Very well done.

Tom 

Great post! Love me some pictures of the Pennsy.

This picture in particular is one I have been thinking about, as I couldn't identity for sure right away what locomotive class it was.  Its hard to tell what the wheel arrangement is there behind the engineer with the oiler.  I don't see a KW trailing truck, and we know it is a freight type, due to the round keystone.  At first I thought Decapod, but it lacks those twin tanks up front.  So, I was thinking it could be a big 2-8-0 like an H9 or H10.  But it just seems to me like this is the big Decapod boiler.  After consulting Pennsy Power, I found that the first batch of the I class were built like that, with the twin tanks on the side.  It would also make sense for all the boys to be posing for the camera with thier new power.  So, am I right or do any experts disagree?

Using what looks like its number of #1121 and looking at the pdf list that someone else (LIONEL PARTS) graciously provided on another thread I started, after I was looking for a database that suddenly disappeared elsewhere  https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/...82#80128401254766382 , I think it may be a 2-10-0, class I1s or I1sa.

If you are a Pennsy fan download that great list for yourself.

Tom 

Thanks for the post !!  A few year ago I would park across from the Air Brake plant and take photos. Then I edged up in to the outer yard. by then they had the intermodal yard there. You could see the vastness of the place. Great place for railfanning.

There were a couple great issues of the PRR historical society Keystone mag that covered Pitcarin. I am away traveling or I would ID them for you. The PRR built a YMCA kid care center at Pitcarin out of two old passenger cars! I always thought that would make a cute model. It's pictured in Keystone.

Don

Thanks for sharing, Tom. Nice post! I love that photo of the yard work crew--they look like one of those old "wild west" type desperado gang portraits!

sure looks like a Hippo to me

I had posted this topic a few weeks ago so I thought I should mention there is a very nice article in the current Fall's edition (Vol. 51, No.3) of The Keystone entitled and about "Pennsy's Pitcairn Women of WWII." The article is written by Ken Kobus.  The article covers women who pitched in on the Pennsy during WWII. Additionally, I have another article which I wrote that immediately follows that one, which is a follow up to another article I wrote on Pennsy's "Molly Pitcher, 1944" ad campaign. Also, there are several other nice pieces in this edition including one on sabotage to the PRR, occurring right before WWII. While I have an "early" copy of this issue of The Keystone, I believe it should be available soon. 

Anyone interested in the Pennsylvania Railroad should consider joining the Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society. The quarterly issues of The Keystone are very well done, pretty "beefy" with content and quite informative, if I can say so myself! 

Tom 

Borden Tunnel posted:

This fine book (first of 9 volumes) will show you more of Pitcairn...

I have quite a few of the Triamph series by Charles Roberts, including this one!  They are extremely informative!!

Great thread Tom! I grew up in Pitcairn and had to do a double take seeing the title of your thread! My first recollection of the yard was about 57’ when I was 5. All day long every 5 minutes or so you could hear cars knocking couplers off the hump into the classification yard. I recall the slow chugging of the last steam engines although at that age I don’t recall seeing any. Probably yard goats. By the time I was 8 my friends and I would hang out on the pedestrian walkover bridge taking in the heat and fumes of first gen diesels blowing upwards. Putting pennies on the outside track getting smashed bigger than the size of a quarter. By the time 1968 rolled around the hump towers were vacant. I remember sneaking into one and honestly, it looked like the workers just suddenly walked away and let everything where it was including open ledgers. Between the Pennsy and Miliken Brick Ovens, Pitcairn was pretty smokey in the late 50’s. Thanks for the Memories!

Rich

Rich,

  Thanks for sharing your memories of growing up there. I was there too late to see or hear any steam locomotives, unfortunately.  Very interesting about what you said the condition of the tower was. Sounds almost like some sort of doomsday Sci-Fi movie. 

Tom 

Smoke Stack Lightnin posted:

Great thread Tom! I grew up in Pitcairn and had to do a double take seeing the title of your thread! My first recollection of the yard was about 57’ when I was 5. All day long every 5 minutes or so you could hear cars knocking couplers off the hump into the classification yard. I recall the slow chugging of the last steam engines although at that age I don’t recall seeing any. Probably yard goats. By the time I was 8 my friends and I would hang out on the pedestrian walkover bridge taking in the heat and fumes of first gen diesels blowing upwards. Putting pennies on the outside track getting smashed bigger than the size of a quarter. By the time 1968 rolled around the hump towers were vacant. I remember sneaking into one and honestly, it looked like the workers just suddenly walked away and let everything where it was including open ledgers. Between the Pennsy and Miliken Brick Ovens, Pitcairn was pretty smokey in the late 50’s. Thanks for the Memories!

Rich

Rich,  Thank you for the description of your memories growing in Pitcairn.  I didn't know you were a Western Pennsylvanian, and I see from your profile you are still in the area.  You're 4 years older than me.  My memories are from the double track B&O in Southern Butler County.  Lots of trains pulled by dark blue B&O F-units!!

Awesome thread, Tom.  Also loved your PRRT&HS article on the Pennsy women.

George

Thanks George. If I didn't explain it clearly, I only wrote the Molly Pitcher piece. Ken Kobus wrote about Pennsy's Pitcairn women.  Glad your layout is progressing.  

Tom 

My office being in Monroeville,I would often spend my lunch hour hitting golf balls at a range overlooking the entrance to the intermodal yard.  Sometimes it was difficult to concentrate on my golf game due to train traffic. 

Norm

The locomotive in the photograph is a class I1s. The number is 1121 and according to Edson she was built at Juniata, Oct. 1918 as construction no. 3551. She was converted to class I1sa by 1953 and there is no record of a retirement date or final disposition. The lack of air tanks on the pilot deck is because the engine has not yet received a power reverse which would occupy the space where the two tanks are now located.

Buzz

PRRT&HS 271