PRR recalled

[BaltACD]

[Miningman]

260,000 Employees...5,000 Trains a day...Staggering, just staggering.

[Miningman]

260,000 Employees...5,000 Trains a day...Staggering, just staggering.

The T1 scenes are quite rare glimpses...the one on the turntable is really nice, it looks brand new. Centipedes filmed on passenger trains, now thats another rare treat. 

[Firelock76]

Miningman

260,000 Employees...5,000 Trains a day...Staggering, just staggering.

 

And that's just the Pennsylvania Railroad!  At one time railroads were such a massive industry here in the United States it was a rare family indeed that didn't have a relative, or two or three, who worked for a railroad, in any capacity.

[Miningman]

Makes you wonder just how they collected all that cash and submitted it on a daily basis. Freight operations easier to understand, probably net 30 and sent by cheque to a central address but passenger all cash, no credit cards in those days. They must have brought in total 10 million or more each day from freight and passenger. 

Somebody had to ensure strict compliance from the most remote passenger stations and all the different locations throughout the entire system. Wonder how they collected all that cash. 

I have read, here on the Forum and elsewhere and it was mentioned in the film clip that Pennsy was run like the military. 

Their research labs in Altoona were highlighted very well in the clip as well. Testing even gloves and light bulbs, testing everything. 

How the heck the guy at the top got a handle on it all is difficult to comprehend. Hope he was not a micro manager. You would implode in 3 days. 

[BaltACD]

Miningman

Makes you wonder just how they collected all that cash and submitted it on a daily basis. Freight operations easier to understand, probably net 30 and sent by cheque to a central address but passenger all cash, no credit cards in those days. They must have brought in total 10 million or more each day from freight and passenger. 

When I was working around Agency jobs in the late 60's - maximum credit period, to my understanding, was 96 hours from presentation of the Freight Bill.  I suspect in earlier times credit was even more constrained.

Communications of the time would not permit micro-managing.  Remember reading a book about the 1st 50 years of the B&O.  Purchasing Agent would be sent to England to buy necessary supplies - rail and other things that still weren't available in the US.  He would ship off from the US with his 'marchng orders' and 8 months later he would return and inform his superiors what he had done.  No micro-managing in those days.