Trains of the 1950's

[efftenxrfe]

Two serious illnesses affecting Northeast railroads well-being: property taxes and commuter service seriously biased toward AM inward, outward PM and not much business between the rush hours.

Jersey assessed railroads at high, with none similar industrial, property tax rates. Adjoining states were merciless, until the turnip couldn't bleed any more (' majored in Spooner's  Malaprops within mixed metaphors coarses, (his sp.)  What a college?...wow!

Ticket prices were prevented by gov't edicts from being freely increased. The LIRR was simultaneously excorsised and exercised in the early 1950's......major legislation and money rescued and nurtured....state govt.

Other 'roads, NH, B&M, NYC & PRR, Lackawanna and Erie, NYS & W, Reading, CNJ....soldiered on by retreating. Old plant and property and rolling stock, high taxes, WWII fares.....

Thermonuclear financial bombs....

By '59, suggesting that the demise of the Lehigh and New England, and the NY,O&W, only trimmed, paired, excess mileage could be legit---ghost of Mike Hammer, I apologize.

 Anywhere in the decade after 1955 the many parts to the answer of the question may be distilled. After including my stipulations, let's discuss-----

[daveklepper]

The financial situation was as bleak as the previous posting, with other investment disguising the fact.  But the PRR name-train passenger did not know it.   Meals on the Broadway were superb, the service was excellent, the Creek series cars' single-bedroom or whatever rooomette it was called was not much more expensive than a standard roomette, lots less than a double bedroom, unique to the PRR, and very comfortable for single occupancy.  Unusual among rail travelers, I found the Broadway Limited fully the equal in every way to the 20th Century.   And the Detroit Red Arrow had a longer route than the Wolverine, but again gave excellent service.   When I traveled by coach, I found the Juniatta-built 44-seat PRR long-distance coaches more comfortable than the Budd NYC 52, 54, and 56-seat coaches (but the latter had truly beautiful art reproductions on the bulkheads), and the wash rooms were a pleasure to use.  I used all those trains, Trail Blazer,  Cincinnati Limited, Juniata, General, and enojed those trips immensely.   Before 1952, I even had the opporttunity to ride behind T-1's, as well as K4's.

The only long-distance coaches I ever rode that were the equal in comfort to the PRR's JUniatta-built cars for overnight travel were the El Capitan double-deckers.   But I never did try the CN's "day-night" cars for overnight travel.

AND HAPPY JULY 4TH!!! 

[K4sPRR]

During the 1950's it appeared the PRR was making money, on paper anyway...this result was due more to the investments and income the company generated outside the operation of the railroad.  A substantial investment in the Norfolk and Western Railroad paid great dividends and income from commercial property also helped.  Its rail operation, like many other railroads, was financially struggling.

There were many black clouds on the horizon, not only for the PRR but railroading in general.  The post WWII years were not kind to the railroads.  Passenger service in jeopardy due to the growing air industry and the national highway system playing a big role in its decline.  Unfair government regulation and the WWII passenger tax that was never repealed kept costs for passenger service at a premium.  Despsite attempts to revive passenger service, it was doomed.

The trucking industry took away freight business and the railroads were fighting one another for business.  Declines in industry, particularly in the east was also taking a toll on the bottom line.  Rebuilding and updating equipment after WWII was a financial burdon.  The Penn Central unfortunately is not only a story of woe about two railroad giants, it could be the poster child of the state of railroading in general. 

A book I would recommend to you is called No Way to Run a Railroad by Stephen Salsbury.  It was written years after the bankruptcy, when the dust settled it talks of the state of railroading, managment issues and how two great railroads just couldn't make it work.  I don't point a finger at either side, everyone knew there was going to be a "Penn Central' somewhere in the world of railroading.  It was a wakeup call to the government people who also played a role in railroadings bleak years.  

[fulham]

I recently purchased the Classic Trains "Trains of the 1950's" magazine.  This has been an excellent read w/much information about 1950's railroading.

One excellent article was the one about the Pennsylvania RR by former Trains editor David P. Morgan with photos by Philip R. Hastings.  The story, written in September of 1956 and published in the April 1957 edition of Trains, profiles the Pennsy's 4-track mainline across the Allegheny Mountains from Pittsburg to Altoona.  Horseshoe Curve, Gallitzin Tunnels, all the Towers, numerous passenger trains, freights, helpers, etc. are all discussed.  The article is glowing in its praise of how the Pennsy did business in getting trains across the mountain using towers, operators, and not a whole lot of CTC.  Passenger trains are using helpers as they have 16 - 18 cars.

David P. Morgan was an excellent writer and these articles do a very good job of highlighting that.  The part I found interesting was that just about 10 short years later, the PRR was about to merge with the New York Central, passenger trains were on their death bed, and the largest bankruptcy in US corporate history was just around the corner.  Yet in reading the article it highlights what a great railroad the PRR was and how efficient it was run.  I do have to believe at that time however, that black clouds were on the horizon.  It would be curious to know if the PRR was overall making money during the mid-1950's and when the black ink turned to red permanently. 

As someone who was born in 1959 I have no recollection of the PRR, but I do remember the Penn Central.  Reading the article it is amazing how far and fast the PRR fell.

Any other thoughts on this...

Thanks