PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD
"PENNSY"
This Vintage piece of Railroad History, made by THE ADAMS AND WESTLAKE COMPANY for the PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD. This lantern is marked THE ADAMS AND WESTLAKE COMPANY CHICAGO THE "ADAMS" P.R.R. Patented JUNE 8, 1886, last date NOV. 30, 1897. The Corning clear glass globe is embossed P.R.R. Cnx, has NO CRACKS, some tiny flea chips around rims. The unmarked brass burner star wheels slip a little. Drop down fuel fount has been painted black no pinholes. The frame has pressure cracks around the PRR in the hood. This railroad lantern would be an excellent display piece for a business with a railroad decor! Please view photos and Email with questions. Thanks for looking.
Pennsylvania Railroad
 | |
 Map of Pennsylvania Railroad up to 1945 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Reporting mark | PRR |
| Locale | Northeastern United States |
| Dates of operation | April 13, 1846–January 31, 1968 (renamed to Penn Central Transportation Company) |
| Successor | Penn Central Transportation Company |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 81⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Previous gauge | at one time 4 ft 9 in (1,448 mm) |
| Electrification | 12.5 kV 25 Hz AC: New York City-Washington, D.C./South Amboy; Philadelphia-Harrisburg; North Jersey Coast Line |
| Length | 11,640.66 miles (18,733.83 kilometers) (1926) |
The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company, also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia. It was named for the commonwealth in which it was established. At its peak in 1882, the Pennsylvania Railroad was the largest railroad (by traffic and revenue), the largest transportation enterprise, and the largest corporation in the world.[1]
Over its existence, Pennsylvania Railroad acquired, merged with, or owned part of at least 800 other rail lines and companies.[2] At the end of 1926, it operated 11,640.66 miles (18,733.83 kilometers) of rail line;[notes 1][3] in the 1920s, it carried nearly three times the traffic as other railroads of comparable length, such as the Union Pacific and Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroads. Its only formidable rival was the New York Central Railroad (NYC), which carried around three-quarters of the Pennsy's ton-miles.
In 1968, the Pennsylvania Railroad merged with New York Central and the railroad eventually went by the name of Penn Central Transportation Company, or "Penn Central" for short. The former competitors' networks integrated poorly with each other, and the railroad filed for bankruptcy within two years.[4]: Chapter 1
Bankruptcy continued and on April 1, 1976, the railroad gave up its railroad assets, along with the assets of several other failing northeastern railroads, to a new railroad named Consolidated Rail Corporation, or Conrail for short. Conrail was itself purchased and split up in 1999 between the Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX Transportation, with Norfolk Southern getting 58 percent of the system, including nearly all of the remaining former Pennsylvania Railroad trackage. Amtrak received the electrified segment of the Main Line east of Harrisburg.
After 1976, the railroad eventually became an insurance company and now goes by the name of American Premier Underwriters and is now a subsidiary of American Financial Group.
History[edit]
Beginnings[edit]
With the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 and the beginnings of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal in 1828, Philadelphia business interests became concerned that the port of Philadelphia would lose traffic. The state legislature was pressed to build a canal across Pennsylvania and thus the Main Line of Public Works was commissioned in 1826.[5] It soon became evident that a single canal would not be practical and a series of railroads, inclined planes, and canals was proposed.[6] The route consisted of the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad, canals up the Susquehanna and Juniata rivers, an inclined plane railroad called the Allegheny Portage Railroad, a tunnel across the Allegheny Mountains, and canals down the Conemaugh and Allegheny rivers to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on the Ohio River; it was completed in 1834. Because freight and passengers had to change conveyances several times along the route and canals froze in winter, it soon became apparent that the system was cumbersome and a better way was needed.[6][7]
There were two applications made to the Pennsylvania legislature in 1846. The first was for a new railroad called The Pennsylvania Railroad Company to build a line between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The second was the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O), which wanted to build to Pittsburgh from Cumberland, Maryland. Both applications were granted with conditions. If the Pennsylvania Railroad did not raise enough capital and contract to build enough railroad within a year, then the B&O bill would become effective and the Pennsy's void, thereby allowing the B&O to build into Pennsylvania and on to Pittsburgh. The Pennsylvania Railroad fulfilled the requirements and Letters Patent were issued by the Pennsylvania governor on February 25, 1847. The governor declared the B&O's rights void the following August.[3]