Recreating Harrisburg in 1954
For my N scale layout, I am trying to recreate -- with nauseating accuracy -- the PRR right-of-way between Paxton Street and Herr Street, as it was in 1954.
I started with valuation maps for the railroad, which have been invaluable in the placement of tracks. But they do not identify the various industries served by the railroad. The CT1000 does offer such a list, but it only provides the list by mileposts (tenths) and does not indicate which side of the right-of-way they were on. (The CT1000 was last printed in 1945, so it will have to do!) I have also acquired a 1954 aerial photograph which includes part of the modeled area.
The business entities are listed in the order in which they appear in PRR documentation, which is railroad east (towards Philadelphia) to railroad west (towards Pittsburgh), in tenth of milepost increments. In the accompanying tables, entities that have been positively located are indicated in bold; entities listed for historical reference only that do not come into play for modeling purposes are shaded in gray.
Note that valuation maps are good for showing railroad trackage in detail, but not buildings. Sanborn maps, on the other hand, are good at showing buildings, but poor at railroad tracks!
If you can provide any facts, recollections, photographs, or other materials, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.
Special thanks to the following people who have helped significantly with this research: Ken Britton, Dan Cupper, Ed Freed, Bob Lyter (whose childhood home is in the photo of HARRIS tower), Bruce Smith, Fred Wertz.
Railroad East
Paxton Street Overpass
Harrisburg Storage Co.
Kinney Shoe Co.
Kingan Provision Co.
J. I. Case Co.
Harrisburg Freight Station and Keystone Warehouse Co. No. 1
Reading Railroad Overpass
Harrisburg Gas Co.
Mulberry Street Overpass
Passenger Station
Keystone Warehouse Co. No. 2
Not a factor for 1954 modeling.
Montgomery & Co.
HARRIS Tower
Market Street Delivery
Pa. Power & Light Co. No. 9
Pa. State Bureau of Publication
Pa. Power & Light Co. No. 10
Pa. Power & Light Co. No. 11
Passenger Car Storage
Harrisburg Steel Corp. No. 1
State Street Overpass
Harrisburg Steel Corp. No. 2
North St. Delivery
Swift & Co. No. 1
American Rag & Metal Co.
Herr Street Underpass
Railroad West
Upcoming Research Priorities:
- State Archives of Pennsylvania (Tuesday thru Friday daytime only)
- Samuel Kuhnert Collection. Per Linda Ries "He photographed the Capitol from the air many times between 1919 and about 1940. We therefore have many aerial images of the buildings in the Capitol periphery, including the Swift's Premium Plant."
- J. Horace McFarland Collection. Per Linda Ries "which also includes views of the Swift's Plant and the other buildings you seek."
- Warren Harder Collection. Per Linda Ries.
- Contact two individuals per Dan Rapak re: Swift
- Contact Mike Ross.
- Dauphin County Historical Society per Dan Cupper.
- Contact (ommited here; see e-mail) per Ken Britton.
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