Pennsylvania Railroad (MBI Railroad Color History) - Hardcover

Solomon, Brian; Schafer, Mike

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0760329303 ISBN 13: 9780760329306

Publisher: Voyageur Press, 2009

Synopsis

From humble beginnings in the 1800s, the Pennsylvania Railroad grew to be one of the most powerful, influential railroads in American history--a railroad that Fortune Magazine called “a nation unto itself.” It owned its own shops, coal mines, hotels, communications system, and power plants, not to mention hundreds of depots (including the famous Penn Station in Manhattan), thousands of passenger cars, tens of thousands of freight cars, and a vast fleet of steam, electric, and diesel locomotives. The Pennsy’s 10,000 route-miles served thirteen of the most populous and most industrialized states in the United States.

Pennsylvania Railroad examines the mighty railroad’s evolution from a disparate group of early horse car lines into a twentieth-century transportation giant. Color and black-and-white photographs and period ads illustrate the railroad’s many facets, including both its passenger and freight operations, as well its motive power through the decades. Though the Pennsy was merged out of existence in 1968, an epilogue details the PRR legacies that survive on today’s modern railroad scene.

About this title

About the Author

Mike Schafer hails from Rockford, Illinois, where he recalls his earliest train-watching experiences on the Illinois Central, Milwaukee Road, Burlington Route, and Chicago & North Western. Mike and his little dog Archie reside in a house (which includes a 1,600-square-foot model railroad) next to BNSF's busy Twin Cities mainline in a small town outside Chicago where he also serves as village trustee and occasionally mayor pro tem.

Brian Solomon is one of today's most accomplished railway historians. He has authored more than thirty books about railroads and locomotive power, and his writing and photography have been featured in the world's top rail publications, including Trains, Railway Age, Passenger Train Journal, and RailNews. He divides his time between Massachusetts and Ireland.

From the Back Cover

From humble beginnings in the 1800s, the Pennsylvania Railroad grew into a railroad that Fortune magazine called a nation unto itself. Rail historians Mike Schafer and Brian Solomon provide a colorful and nostalgic look back at the Pennsy and all of its operations through 1968, the year it was merged out of existence. An authoritative text is accompanied by more than 150 evocative photographs, promotional materials, and postcards that transport readers back to the heyday of railroading. In addition, an epilogue traces the Pennsy legacies that survive on today s modern railroad scene.

From the Inside Flap

The Pennsylvania Railroad is truly an icon of American transportation and, indeed, of American business. This illustrated history examines the evolution of the mighty Pennsy from a disparate group of early horse-car lines into a twentieth-century transportation giant sprawling across 10,000 route miles in 13 of the nation s most populous states.

From humble beginnings in the 1800s, the Pennsylvania Railroad grew into a railroad that Fortune magazine called a nation unto itself. It owned its own shops, coal mines, hotels, communications system, and power plants, not to mention hundreds of depots (including the famous Penn Station in Manhattan), thousands of passenger cars, tens of thousands of freight cars, and a vast fleet of steam, electric, and diesel locomotives. Color and black-and-white photographs and period ads illustrate the railroad s many facets, including its passenger and freight operations, as well as its motive power through the decades.

Though the Pennsy was merged out of existence in 1968, an epilogue details the PRR legacies that survive on today s modern railroad scene.

Edition details

• Publisher: Voyageur Press
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0760329303
• ISBN 13: 9780760329306
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 160