Spirit of America Bookstore
Penn Central Railroad Page
... including the New York Central [1831-1968], Pennsylvania [1846-1968],
and New York, New Haven & Hartford [1872-1968] railroads
![b&w herald for Penn Central Railroad [1968-76]](images/PennCentral-herald.jpg "b&w herald for Penn Central Railroad [1968-76]")
"Do not think of the Pennsylvania Railroad as a business enterprise. Think of it as a nation."
— Forbes Mgazine, May 1936
"[The Penn Central] was not a merger, but a takeover."
— Alfred E. Perlman [1902-83], Vice Chairman of the Penn Central
The Penn Central Railroad [1968-76] had a long genealogy, much like a human's 'family tree'. It was created by the 1968 merger of the Pennsylvania Railroad [est. 1846] and the New York Central Railroad [est. 1831]; the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad [est. 1872] was added to the merger at the end of 1968. By 1970, the company had filed for what was, at that time, the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history. Penn Central filed to abandon passenger service, other railroads followed suit, and Congress created Amtrak in 1971.
Financial trouble continued and Penn Central was nationalized, essentially merged with six smaller failed railroads to form the Consolidated Rail Corporation ('Conrail') in April 1976. (Those six companies were the Ann Arbor Railroad [est. 1895], Erie Lackawanna Railway [merger 1960], Lehigh Valley Railroad [est. 1846], Reading Company [est. 1833], Central Railroad of New Jersey [est. 1839], and Lehigh & Hudson River Railway [est. 1882].) Conrail was split into C.S.X. and Norfolk Southern in June 1999.
Penn Central entry at Wikipedia
search books on keywords 'Penn Central' {returns 180+ titles} at Amazon
Penn Central Railroad [1968-1976]
New York Central RR history goes back to 1831; Pennsylvania RR history goes back to 1846; New York, New Haven & Hartford RR history goes back to 1872.
The February 1968 merger of NYC & PRR - and later the money-losing New Haven - was unsuccessful; the company filed for bankruptcy in June 1970.
Incompetence continued and the company was nationalized as ConRail in April 1976.
Penn Central RR entry at Wikipedia
Pennsylvania RR entry at Wikipedia
New York Central RR entry at Wikipedia
New York, New Haven & Hartford RR entry at Wikipedia
Penn Central Railroad Historical Society [est. 1999] is based in New Jersey
P.C.R.R.H.S. Convention [Sept 2017 = #12] in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Railroad [1846-1968 merger]
Pennsylvania RR history goes back to 1846; merged with the New York Central RR and NYNH&H 'New Haven' RR in 1968,
forming the Penn Central RR, which became ConRail in April 1976.
Pennsylvania RR entry at Wikipedia
large size Pennsylvania RR system map, 1918 (in new window)
Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society [est. 1968] based in Lewistown, PA
The only operable P.R.R. steam locomotive is class B4a engine #643, built in July 1901 in Altoona; it is maintained by volunteers of the Williams Grove Historical Steam Engine Association outside of Harrisburg, and is operated several weekends each summer. P.R.R. voluntarily preserved a roundhouse full of representative steam locomotives at Northumberland, Pennsylvania in 1957 and kept them there for several decades; these locomotives are now at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg, Pennsylvania.
The exception is 1923 class I1sa 2-10-0 steam locomotive #4483 which is on outdoor display at Hamburg, New York.
¨ ¨
"Visions of the Pennsylvania Railroad" [1992] by Ernest R. Varalli and Griff Teller
https://www.amazon.com/Visions-Pennsylvania-Railroad-Ernest-Varalli/dp/0916371115/
https://www.amazon.com/Visions-Pennsylvania-Railroad-Ernest-Varalli/dp/B001B11LS2/
"The Pennsylvania Railroad: An Illustrated Timeline" [10/2010] by Robert C. Jones
https://www.amazon.com/Pennsylvania-Railroad-Illustrated-Timeline/dp/1453895523/
 |
"The Pennsylvania Railroad, Volume 1: Building An Empire, 1846-1917" [2012] by Albert J. Churella – Volume 2 is not yet published (2017) Kindle Edition from Univ Pennsylvania Press [10/2012] for $43.99 {sic} Univ Pennsylvania Press 11x9¼ hardcover [8/2012] for $74.98 Univ Pennsylvania Press 11x9¼ hardcover [8/2012] out of print/used |
 | "Pennsylvania Railroad Advertising Art, 1859-1968" [2013] by Chuck Blardone, Overview by Chis Baer P.R.R. Technical & Historical Society 9x6½ hardcover [8/2013] out of print/scarce P.R.R. Technical & Historical Society 9x6½ hardcover [8/2013] out of print/scarce |
"Pennsylvania Railroad Lines West Volume 3: Crestline To Chicago, 1960-1999" [2016] by Steve Hipes & David P. Oroszi
https://www.amazon.com/Pennsylvania-Railroad-Lines-West-Crestline/dp/193280434X/
mass grave at Duffy's Cut [1832]
Railroad contractor Philip Duffy hired 57 Irish immigrants to lay a railroad line through densely-wooded hills and ravines about 30 miles west of Philadelphia (originally built for the Philadelphia & Columbia Railroad in the summer and fall of 1832, later part of the Pennsylvania Railroad's Main Line). Less than two months after their arrival, all 57 supposedly died during the second cholera pandemic; while most died of the disease, recent forensic evidence suggests that some may have been murdered, perhaps due to fear of contagion; the local blacksmith at first buried several individuals, but the growing number of bodies were buried in an unmarked mass grave near the railroad tracks, without ceremony or death certificates. Documentation was long suppressed at the railroad's offices, but was saved during the 1970 merger by a P.R.R. employee. The site is located near Malvern, Pennsylvania in East Whiteland Township, where a Pennsylvania state historical marker was placed in 2004.
Duffy's Cut history project page at nearby Immaculata College •
entry at Wikipedia
 | "The Ghosts of Duffy's Cut: The Irish Who Died Building America's Most Dangerous Stretch of Railroad" [2006] by William E. Watson, J. Francis Watson, John H. Ahtes III & Earl H. Schandelmeier III Greenwood/Praeger 9¼x6 hardcover [7/2006] for $49.99 |
 | "Death On The Railroad" [RTÉ/WNET aired May 2013] episode of the PBS series "Secrets of The Dead" Expanded from a documentary produced for Irish State Broadcaster RTÉ; broadcast on PBS as Season 12, Episode 2; claims that modern forensic science has determined that the 57 Irish railroad workers did not perish in 1832 as the result of cholera, but instead were murdered • Produced & co-written by Dave Farrell; co-written & directed by Keith Farrell; featuring Frank Watson & William Watson; starring Jamie Lloyd Belton, Colin Farrell, Sophie Merry • credits at IMDb P.B.S. widescreen color DVD [6/2013] for $12.57 |
 | "Massacre At Duffy's Cut: Tragedy and Conspiracy On The Pennsylvania Railroad" [2018] by William E. Watson & J. Francis Watson Kindle Edition from The History Press [10/2018] for $14.99 The History Press 9x6 pb [10/2018] for $23.99 |
New York Central Railroad [1831-1968 merger]
New York Central RR history goes back to 1831; merged with the Pennsylvania RR and NYNH&H 'New Haven' RR in 1968,
forming the Penn Central RR, which became ConRail in April 1976.
New York Central RR entry at Wikipedia
New York Central System Historical Society [est. 1970]
The only two modern New York Central steam locomotives that escaped scrapping were 1) due to prior sale - 1940 class L3a 4-8-2 Mohawk #3001 is now at the National New York Central Railroad Museum in Elkhart, Indiana - and 2) to inadvertence - 1941 class L2d 4-8-2 Mohawk #2933 is now at the National Museum of Transport in St. Louis, Missouri. NYC's record-setting 1893 Empire State Express 4-4-0 steam locomotive #999 was retired in 1952 and donated to the Museum of Science & Industry in Chicago in 1962, where it is currently on indoor display.
The National New York Central Railroad Museum is located in Elkhart, Indiana
watch 12/2011 N.Y.C.R.R. Museum visit video [2:46] at YouTube
watch Trainman's 10/2012 N.Y.C.R.R. Museum tour video [6:57] at YouTube
New York Central Lines Presents "The Flight of The Century: The Most Famous Train In The World" short film [1935]
watch movie [badly framed version 17:46] online at YouTube
slightly-better version at YouTube (in two parts):
watch part 1 [8:31] •
watch part 2 [8:18]
New York Central System Presents "The Steam Locomotive" short film [1938]
b&w promotional film featuring Hudson-type locomotives, including #5226, #5235, #5238, #5252, #5262, #5281, #5302 & #5314
movie [18:46] is gone from YouTube
New York Central System Presents "The Freight Yard" short film [1940s]
b&w promotional film featuring the Dewitt Yard outside of Syracuse, New York
movie [24:44] is gone from YouTube
New York Central System Presents "The Railroad Signal" short film [1948]
movie [17:26] is gone from YouTube
New York Central System Presents "The Big Train" short film [1950s]
Produced & directed by Victor D. Solow, narration by Joe Julian
watch movie [25:10] online at YouTube
list of 26 popular New York Central RR short videos at YouTube
list of 69 popular 20th Century Limited & New York Central RR short videos at YouTube
New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad [1872-1969 merger]
New York, New Haven & Hartford RR history goes back to 1872; merged with the combined Pennsylvania RR and New York Central RR at the end of 1968,
forming Penn Central, which became ConRail in April 1976.
New York, New Haven & Hartford RR entry at Wikipedia
Related Railroads
Consolidated Rail Corporation ('Conrail') [1976-1999]
Seven failed railroads were nationalized as ConRail in April 1976; split to CSX and Norfolk Southern in June 1999.
ConRail entry at Wikipedia
U.S.A. Shortline Railroads
American Short Line & Regional Railroad Assn. [est. 1913]
American Short Line & Regional Railroad Database
Trains Magazine's Regional & Short Line Railroad Directory
Norfolk Southern Railroad directory of shortlines (by state)
U.P. Railroad Shortline Railroad Profiles for the USA
Spirit of America's Shortline Railroads Page
Railroad Moguls & Execs
Alfred E. Perlman [1902-83]
entry at Wikipedia
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad: hired 1936; chief engineer, 1941-48; general manager, 1948-52; executive vice-president, 1952-54
New York Central: president, 1954-58; chairman, 1958-68
Penn Central: president/CAO, 2/1968-6/1970
Western Pacific Railroad: president, 12/1970-12/1972 & chairman, 12/1970-6/1976
Robert Ralph Young [1897-1958]
entry at Wikipedia
Alleghany Corp. - railroad holding company which controlled the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway, Pere Marquette RR, and other railroad properties, 1942-54
chairman of New York Central Railroad, 1954-58
 | "Robert R. Young: The Populist of Wall Street" [1969] biography by Joseph Borkin Harper & Row 8½x6 hardcover [12/69] out of print/used |
Books About Penn Central, et al
search books on keywords 'Penn Central' {returns 180+ titles} at Amazon
 | "Atlas of North American Railroads" [orig 1996, rev 2005] by Bill Yenne The maps are organized by railroad, rather than by state, and go back as far as 1831 M.B.I./Voyageur Press 11x9 hardcover [12/2005] for $25.86 |
 | "The Men Who Loved Trains: The Story of Men Who Battled Greed To Save An Ailing Industry" [2006] by Rush Loving, Jr. Former Fortune Magazine journalist reports on the changes in the American railroad industry over the prior 40 years, beginning with the lead-up to the Penn Central RR merger of 1968. Kindle Edition from Indiana Univ Press [2006 edition] for $13.99 Indiana Univ Press 9¼x6 pb [4/2008] for $29.37 Indiana Univ Press 9¼x6½ hardcover [4/2006] out of print/used |
 | "Historical Atlas of The North American Railroad" [2010] by Derek Hayes includes over 400 old railroad maps, organized in roughly chronological order Univ CA Press 13x9¾ hardcover [10/2010] for $26.37 |
 | "All Aboard: The Complete North American Train Travel Guide" [4th edition 2015] by Jim Loomis Kindle Edition from Chicago Review Press [1/2015] for $9.99 Chicago Review Press 4th edition 8¾x5½ pb [1/2015] for $15.34 |
 | "Tourist Trains Guidebook" [2007, rev 2017] from Trains Magazine Describes 500 of the most popular train attractions, museums, and railroad vacation destinations in the U.S. and Canada, with over 200 of the most popular sites detailed in full-page reviews Kalmbach Publng 6th edition 8¼x5½ pb [5/2017] for $15.63 Kalmbach Publng 5th edition 8¼x5½ pb [5/2015] for $15.63 |
"The Wreck of the Penn Central" [1971] by Joseph R. Daughen & Peter Binzen
https://www.amazon.com/Wreck-Penn-Central-Joseph-Daughen/dp/1893122085/
https://www.amazon.com/Wreck-Penn-Central-Joseph-Daughen/dp/0316095206/
"Riding the Pennsy to Ruin: A Wall Street Journal Chronicle of the Penn Central Debacle" [1971] by Michael Gartner
https://www.amazon.com/Riding-Pennsy-Ruin-Journal-Chronicle/dp/0871284715/
"No Way to Run A Railroad: The Untold Story of the Penn Central Crisis" [1981] by Stephen Salsbury
https://www.amazon.com/No-Way-Run-Railroad-Central/dp/B000Q6UVNY/
https://www.amazon.com/No-Way-Run-Railroad-Central/dp/0070544832/
https://www.amazon.com/Stephen-Salsbury-Railroad-1981-11-16-Hardcover/dp/B014BGXGZ4/
"The Northeast Railroad Scene, Vol. 6: The Penn Central, A brief look before Conrail" [1985] by Bob Pennisi
https://www.amazon.com/Northeast-Railroad-Scene-Vol-Central/dp/B0006EO3CG/
"The Fallen Colossus" [8/2000] by Robert Sobel
https://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Colossus-Robert-Sobel/dp/1893122883/
https://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Colossus-Central-Robert-Aug-2000/dp/B0140DEFAS/
 | "The Untold Story of The Survival of The Penn Central Company" free ebook [2003] by Donald B. Prell online .PDF file [3/2014] download for FREE |
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"The Railroad That Never Was: Vanderbilt, Morgan, and The South Pennsylvania Railroad" [9/2010] by Herbert H. Harwood, Jr.
Kindle Edition from Indiana Univ Press [9/2010] for $34.99 {sic} Indiana Univ Press 10x7 pb [9/2015] for $28.38 Indiana Univ Press 10x7 hardcover [9/2010] for $26.54 |
Movies, Other Media
somebody credits [] at Internet Movie Database
Museums and Equipment
![Association of Tourist Railroads & Railway Museums [est. 1961]](images/AssnTouristRailroads&RailwayMuseums.jpg)
list of railroad museums & tourist lines at Wikipedia
 | "Great Railroad Museums of The U.S.A.: The Railfan's Guide" [2013] by Jan Young Details of the 'sixty-seven largest, most interesting, and most important railroad museums in the country'; special index listing 160+ especially-interesting cars & locomotives (with locations); ninety photographs; and bonus chapters on the six best museum rail rides in the country, and nineteen significant rail preservation sites outside of traditional railroad museums. LULU.com 9x6 pb [2/2013] for $20.66 LULU.com 'in color' edition 9x6 pb [2/2013] for $66.89 |
G.E. Nordell's Travel U.S.A. / Railroad Museums Page
New York Central 4-6-4 Hudson steam locomotive
New York Central class L 4-8-2 Mohawk steam locomotive
New York Central 4-8-4 Niagara steam locomotive
P.R.R. T1 class duplex-drive 4-4-4-4 steam locomotive
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_Railroad_class_T1
P.R.R. Sharknose diesel locomotive
¨ ¨
"Penn Central Color Guide to Freight and Passenger Equipment" [1998] by James Kinkaid
https://www.amazon.com/Central-Color-Freight-Passenger-Equipment/dp/187888784X/
"Penn Central Power" [Dec 1987] by Robert J. Yanosey
https://www.amazon.com/Penn-Central-Power-Robert-Yanosey/dp/0961905808/
https://www.amazon.com/Central-Power-Robert-Yanosey-1987-12-03/dp/B01FIXR402/
Penn Central Power in Color, Volume 2: 4000-5399 Passenger Cab Units, Electrics, Roadswitchers" [2013] by Robert J. Yanosey
https://www.amazon.com/Penn-Central-Power-Color-Vol/dp/1582483973/
Penn Central Power in Color, Volume 3: 6000-7499" [2014] by Robert J. Yanosey
https://www.amazon.com/Penn-Central-Power-Color-Vol/dp/1582484031/
Penn Central Power in Color, Volume 4: 7500-9999" [2014] by Robert J. Yanosey
https://www.amazon.com/Penn-Central-Power-Color-Vol/dp/1582484066/
"Penn Central Railroad (Railroad Color History)" [6/2004] by Peter E. Lynch
https://www.amazon.com/Penn-Central-Railroad-Color-History/dp/0760317631/
"Penn Central In Color, Volume 1: Operations in Western New England and Upstate New York" [2008] by Jeremy F. Plant
https://www.amazon.com/Penn-Central-Color-Vol-Operations/dp/158248242X/
Penn Central In Color, Volume 2: Along the Eastern Seaboard, Boston to Philadelphia" [2009] by Jeremy F. Plant
https://www.amazon.com/Penn-Central-Color-Vol-Philadelphia/dp/1582482594/
Penn Central In Color, Volume 3: From the Potomac to the Alleghenies" [2010] by Jeremy F. Plant
https://www.amazon.com/Penn-Central-Color-Vol-Alleghenies/dp/158248287X/
Penn Central in Color, Volume 4: West of the Alleghenies" [2010] by Jeremy F. Plant
https://www.amazon.com/Penn-Central-Color-Vol-Alleghenies/dp/1582483108/
Image Gallery and Railroad Art
world famous Horseshoe Curve [built 1854] at Altoona, Pennsylvania 
official website •
entry at Wikipedia
New York Central RR illustrator Leslie Darrell Ragan [1897-1972]
http://www.iridetheharlemline.com/2010/04/30/friday%E2%80%99s-from-the-historical-archive-leslie-ragan-artist-of-the-new-york-central/
![logo for Center for Railroad Photography & Art [est. 1997] in Madison, Wisconsin](images/CenterRRphotography&art.jpg){kind=small}
Center for Railroad Photography & Art [est. 1997] in Madison, Wisconsin
official website •
CRP&A's entry at Wikipedia
CRP&A's Railroad Heritage {dot} org® Web Portal For Significant Images of Railroading
Railroad Links
![Railway and Locomotive Historical Society, Inc. [est. 1921]](images/R&LHSlogo.gif)
![National Railway Historical Society [est. 1935]](images/NRHSlogo.jpg)
May 10th is National Train Day in USA [est. 2008]
Federal Railroad Administration of U.S.D.O.T.
Wes Barris's Steam Locomotives website
Rails USA - rail site directory
Steam Locomotive [dot] info website & Lineside Legacy column
Narrow Gauge Preservation Foundation [est. 2000]
A-Trains mail-order [est. 1986] based in Greenwood (Indianapolis), Indiana
 Classic Trains Magazine subscribe at Amazon |
Railfan & Railroad Magazine subscription via Amazon |
![Trains Magazine [est. 1940] from Kalmback Publications](images/TrainsMag.gif) Trains Magazine subscribe at Amazon |
![Railway Age Magazine [est. 1856]](covers2/mRailwayAgeMarch2014.jpg) Railway Age Magazine [est. 1856] subscription via Amazon |
Railroad Film Festival
Railroads in Fiction
this section also kept growing, and was cut in Summer 2012 to a separate page . . .
as was also Spirit of America Bookstore's Railroads in Fiction - Books For Young Railfans Page in 2015.
Spirit of America Bookstore's American Railroads Pages
here on page one: top of page • links • museums • Class I railroads • Class II railroads • shortline railroads
on page two: top of page • games • RR history • narrow gauge RRs • historic RR lines • books
on page three: top of page • transcontinental railroads • railroad moguls • railroad recordings
Spirit of America Bookstore's 'Railroads in Fiction' Pages
Spirit of America Bookstore's Railroads in Fiction - Books For Young Railfans Page
Spirit of America Bookstore's 'Non-Fiction Books About Railroads' Pages
Spirit of America Bookstore's Railroad Equipment Pages
Spirit of America Bookstore's Geared Steam Locomotives Page
Spirit of America Bookstore's Private Railcars U.S.A. Page
Spirit of America Bookstore's Railroad Film Festival Pages
America's Shortline Railroads Page
Spirit of America Bookstore's Scale & Toy Trains Page
G.E. Nordell's Arizona Travel / Railroads Links Page
G.E. Nordell's California Travel / Railroads Links Page
G.E. Nordell's Colorado Travel / Railroads Links Pages
G.E. Nordell's Nevada Travel / Railroads Links Page
G.E. Nordell's New Mexico Travel / Railroads Links Page
G.E. Nordell's Utah Travel / Railroads Links Page
G.E. Nordell's Travel U.S.A. / Railroad Museums Page
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