Penn Central Poll

[TRAINNUT]

The idea of this poll is to see how YOU view Penn Central

 

[KriegslokBR52]

This is so complicated it rates a book...(which i've actually read), and no one can pinpoint a single reason. A lot of it had to do with government regulations which basically forced railroads to operate many lines at a loss, with no ability to close down. Other than that, Pennsy and New York Central were different "cultures" operating on different principles. Managements of both competitors were thaught to dislike eachother, and when arleady bankrupt New Haven was thrown in the mix, the recipe for disaster was complete. How i view it from a railfans perspective? I wasn't born yet when the whole thing took place, 1974, so at the end of its existence. But i would love to witness Penn Central at the trackside. With 90 plus different diesel and electric locomotive models there's not many other railroads which could compete for sheer variety. Standing at the trackside one could expect almost anything when that set of headlights appeared. Black it may have been, but there were many locomotives which wore paint schemes of original owners for some time and even the PC paint scheme had many odds, ends and variety.

 

[Bruette]

I love Penn Central!

Reading about the pending merger in the newspaper I thought it was going to be a "superhero" railroad.

 

[santafewillie]

With 90 plus different diesel and electric locomotive models there's not many other railroads which could compete for sheer variety.

That was a major problem for them, lack of standardization. Mechanics either had to wait for a part from God knows where or cannibalize another loco for it.
My Dad used to point out that he foresaw the merger in the 50's, as he had a Lionel 3-unit ABA NYC diesel lash-up with a PRR caboose trailing.

 

[dave1905]

I grew up in Philadelphia in the 1970's so Penn Central was front and center. Obviously the success of a company is the company's responsibility, so their failure was ultimately their own fault.
They did have a lot of national systemic things against them (which also caused many other railroads to have financial trouble and many other failures), however there were things that they did that made it worse than it could have been. Having worked for railroads through several mergers, almost none of them were smooth, but if management doesn't play well together or doesn't take aggressive and effective measures to change when thing start to go bad, the railroad is doomed. By the time the PC started to get organized it had bled out too far and went under.
The PC was an interesting railroad and it's successor Conrail was even more interesting.

 

[Canalligator]

The book is “The Wreck of the Penn Central” by Daughen and Binzen. A thorough and well written book. I’ve read it twice, thirty years apart. IMO, the Pennsy management carried more of the blame, but the times really drove it, with over-regulation etc.

 

[KriegslokBR52]

The book is “The Wreck of the Penn Central” by Daughen and Binzen. A thorough and well written book. I’ve read it twice, thirty years apart. IMO, the Pennsy management carried more of the blame, but the times really drove it, with over-regulation etc.

Yes, that's the book.

 

[J.Albert]

Also a good book on the story of Penn Central and Conrail:

 

[Boris]

Also a good book on the story of Penn Central and Conrail:
View attachment 186606

Actually a better book, that goes deeper. The main reason was Bevan's refusal to approve AFEs. He was draining all the revenue out of the company, and reallocating it for diverse investment...(Playing Penny Stocks no less, certainly not a Warren Buffet.)

 

[Bruette]

Also a good book on the story of Penn Central and Conrail:
View attachment 186606

Actually a better book, that goes deeper. The main reason was Bevan's refusal to approve AFEs. He was draining all the revenue out of the company, and reallocating it for diverse investment...(Playing Penny Stocks no less, certainly not a Warren Buffet.)

https://www.amazon.com/Men-Who-Loved-Trains-Railroads/dp/0253220319/ref=sr_1_1?crid=UG374E4Z0QCW&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.uOe6WKcRLcAEx3Zgdm7Ri_KDklxVUl6s1ufKYchh5ByRGvjhDIzc7XIdpwB_cXcYuXiawdEaaoQeGL0rwBFKwcOFYRYzxL9yhAdClkyKSrjtD4wd3xUysjp7T7yhfcKA7Txl405KzibMZL63rVdsBr_eUyPozF12j8Ow7zab9UpSrjjPYGzh51xYJ7ekBn9WW5Ms266JoVKFt4Y6m261rgmB5MNvPYdDN5rFSiLpDIg.U06uysTySe3AsJvM1r1p5_xiTz3IeJqwm7d_c77F63c&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+men+who+loved+trains&qid=1714193345&s=books&sprefix=the+men+who+loved+trains%2Cstripbooks%2C170&sr=1-1

Thank you, gentlemen!

I ordered my copy! I have no idea when I will have time to read it, but I do have a little space on my bookshelves. Unlike no more storage space for Lionel trains. Oh well, books are the next best thing!

 

[KriegslokBR52]

Speaking of "Mating worms", i just found this in one of the New Jersey hobby shops while exploring:

Half of marked price from the blue sticker on the left.
It's going to be fun read.

 

[KriegslokBR52]

If one is to look in the right places, he may still find Penn Central in the real world:

This box car has been sitting on a siding in Latrobe, Pennsylvania for decades;

Next look closely at that tower to the left, it still sports "PERRY" in PC styling on the wall:

Someone painted over the rest, but this is Perryville, Maryland on the Northeast Corridor.
How about that former Pennsy ore jenny at the museum in Altoona, still in full Penn Central markings:

I always liked that PC logo, ever since i saw pictures of locomotives with it. Not knowing the language at the time i came to the US, i thought Penn Central and Pennsylvania RR coexisted at the same time, only Penn Central was further west in the state; it says Central after all. Seeing artist reindition of a Metroliner stylized with PC logo on the front end i also likened that train with Penn Central. One of my personal favorite electric locomotives, the E44, to me was build for that scheme, it just looks the part with a full Penn Central lettering with mating worms on the sides and end walls.