Pennsylvania Company Inc history

Undaunted, Stevens persevered with his schemes, and in 1815 obtained the first charter ever granted in the United States for building a railway.

Although that particular project lapsed, Stevens obtained another charter from the Pennsylvania Legislature in 1823 for the construction of a line from Philadelphia to Columbia (Pa.), a distance of about eighty miles.

On October 26, 1825 New York's heralded Erie Canal had opened for service, Virginia's Chesapeake & Ohio Canal followed a few years later, and numerous other similar projects were either under construction or in the planning process.

The fledgling United States in 1830 comprise only a few dozen states while the original thirteen contained the largest commercial and port centers such as Charleston, Wilmington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston.

The engine "John Bull," built in England, carried the first passengers by steam in the State of New Jersey over the Camden and Amboy, a short distance out of Bordentown, on November 12, 1831.

Later, the line was extended to Hightstown and thence to South Amboy, reaching completion late in 1832.

With the completion of the line early in 1834, however, the through rail route across New Jersey was opened.

The PW&B was chartered on April 2, 1831 as the Philadelphia and Delaware County Rail-Road Company. It later changed its name as the Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore during March of 1836.

It had completed a route from Harrisburg to Hagerstown, Maryland in 1841 and then was later extended to Winchester, Virginia.

In 1846, the Pennsylvania Railroad was chartered to build a railroad system that would allow Pennsylvania to compete with New York and other eastern states in operating trade lines to the west.

The ability to reach the latter city came via the PRR's acquisition of the Harrisburg, Portsmouth, Mount Joy & Lancaster Railroad (1848) while utilizing the Maine Line of Public Works' Philadelphia & Columbia to Columbia.

In 1851 it began construction of a new and improved crossing of the Allegheny summit via the appropriately-named Mountain Division.

The first train running from the Steel City to Philadelphia did so on December 10, 1852.

With its completion and opening on February 15, 1854 the PRR flourished.

1855 map of Altoona and the mountain ridges crossed by the railroad.

After a few years of sputtering construction the financially troubled trio joined to form the PFtW&C in 1856.

As a result it sold the project to the private PRR in 1857, which used the eastern segments to offer a wholly-owned route across its home state.

Following the NCRR's creation it was completed to Sunbury in 1858 and continued to expand throughout central Pennsylvania into the early 20th century.

He helped oversee its completion into the Windy City, which occurred on January 1, 1859.

In 1860 the first water troughs on record were laid on the Chester-Holyhead line of the London and North Western Railway.

The P&E was PRR's extension to Erie, Pennsylvania, first leased in 1862.

He helped oversee its completion into the Windy City, which occurred on January 1, 1859. It later changed its name during March of 1865 to better reflect the territories it served.

During January of 1868 the Panhandle Railway was formed to operate the route, which subsequently fell under PRR's ownership later that May when the PC&StL was formed.

The railroad was not having a great deal of success and slipped into bankruptcy in 1869.

The line ran via Terre Haute, Vandalia, and Highland to East St Louis/St Louis, opening for service in 1870.

The Pennsylvania took over the Camden and Amboy Railroad in 1871, and all records of early railroad construction agree that this ancient stretch of track was one of the first to be laid anywhere in the United States.

In the north was the New York & Long Branch, opened in 1875 by the Central Railroad of New Jersey to connect Perth Amboy, Long Branch, Sea Girt, and Bay Head.

16). One of the most violent examples of labor unrest was the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, the first nationwide strike in the United States.

By 1880 the northern lines had in general come to a uniform standard of 4 ft.

Finally, the final link to Mackinaw City opened on July 3, 1882.

They were predominantly constructed by the New York, Philadelphia & Norfolk Railroad, which opened for service in 1884.

In 1892 the Pennsylvania Railroad adopted a 4 ft.

In 1893, sixty-two years after it was built, the locomotive left New York under its own steam and hauled a "train" consisting of two small trucks.

The first project of this type to be completed and opened was the electric operation of traffic through the tunnel at Baltimore in 1895.

In 1899, Alexander Cassatt finally achieved the presidency and set about correcting the road's last glaring weakness, entry into downtown Manhattan.

Bird's eye view of Windber, Somerset County, PA, 1900.

The terminal project launched in 1901.

Dawson, Pennsylvania, 1902, drawn and published by T. M. Fowler.

The first large-scale electrification project in the United States, however, was the Long Island Railroad, put into trial operation in 1905.

All of these influences worked together, and .in 1906 the first steel passenger coach was turned out at the Altoona Works.

THE UNION STATION at Washington, which was opened in 1907.

In 1908 the company was established as the National Store Specialty Company on Lancaster Avenue in Lancaster, PA. The manufacturer was known for a line of gasoline pumps and scales using the ribbon and cam indicating method.

During the 'eighties the company's lines were extended from Philadelphia and Wilmington (Del.) to the Norfolk gateway The New York terminal project, carrying lines under the Hudson River into and through the centre of New York City, was completed in 1910.

By 1914 more than a third of the Pennsylvania's passenger equipment was of all-steel construction.

Beginning in 1915 it electrified portions of its eastern network, containing the greatest concentration of travelers.

IN CHICAGO. The Union Station completed in 1925 by the Pennsylvania, Burlington and St Paul systems.

In 1933 the Pennsy signed an agreement with the Reading to create the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines, a jointly-owned system which operated all of their properties here.

In all, most of its system east of Harrisburg was energized. It was during this time, 1935, that the Pennsylvania Railroad unveiled an all time classic, the legendary GG1 electric.

Postcard of the SPRR line, Pennsylvania Turnpike, 1940.

In preparation for its 1946 centennial, the Pennsylvania Railroad Company commissioned the engineering firm of Coverdale & Colpitts to prepare a comprehensive history of the company.

To alleviate the crisis, PRR began exploring the idea of a union with longtime rival New York Central in 1957.

In February 1968 the two railroads merged to form the Penn Central Transportation Company, which absorbed the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company the following year.

Penn Central encountered serious management and financial difficulties, however, and was forced into bankruptcy in June 1970.

Penn Central encountered serious management and financial difficulties, however, and was forced into bankruptcy in June 1970. Its passenger services were taken over by the federally established National Railway Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) in 1971.

The Penn Central continued to lose money, and, when efforts at reorganization failed, the assets of the railroad were acquired by Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail) in April 1976.

A year later the railroad turned its first profit and became so successful CSX and Norfolk Southern jointly split the company in 1999; CSX picked up many former NYC lines while NS got a good chunk of the Pennsy.

Cupper, D. (2004). Horseshoe Curve: An Engineering and Historic Landmark.