The Place

The PRR Eastern Region faithfully reproduces the lure of the Pennsylvania Railroad from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh. An emphasis is on passenger operations and interchange at the Harrisburg station, as well as helper and heavy coal traffic on the crossing of the Allegheny mountains.

Philadelphia Division & Middle Division

Underlying map courtesy of Douglas Nelson, from his book Phillip Hastings: Portrait of the Pennsylvania Railroad, used with permission. Click on image for larger version in new window.

The modeled portion of the Philadelphia Division includes active connections with the York Haven Line (via Enola), Cumberland Valley Branch and York Haven Line (via Lemoyne), Susquehanna Division main line (via Rockville), and the Reading Company (via Harrisburg).

Harrisburg, the state's capital and the Pennsylvania Railroad's namesake state, is the largest city between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh on the Pennsy's "Broad Way". Its' four-track mainline passes through the station, as well as the the terminus of the Columbia Branch (sometimes referred to as the Royalton Branch) freight line, arriving from the east. Previously the main line for freight traffic, it's use had diminished in the early 1900's following construction of the Atglen & Susquehanna Branch which offered a "low-grade" route to Enola.

At Harrisburg, the PRR had a junction with the Cumberland Valley Railroad (later absorbed by the PRR) which ran to Hagerstown, Md. The Northern Central Railway (leased by the PRR in 1915), coming north out of Washington and Baltimore, secured trackage rights over the CV's bridge into the city, allowing their passengers to transfer directly to the Pennsy's mainline trains. The Reading Railroad also had an interchange at Harrisburg.

Just north of Harrisburg, at the Rockville Bridge where the Pennsy mainline crosses the Susquehanna River, there is a junction with what was the continuance of the Northern Central Railway northward to Williamsport, Pa., which offered connections to Erie, Pa., Buffalo, N.Y., and other northward destinations. After the NCRy was absorbed by the Pennsy, this became known as the Sunbury Branch.

The current station is the third on the site. The first two were "union stations", shared by the Pennsylvania Railroad, Reading Railroad, Northern Central Railway, and the Cumberland Valley Railroad. The third (and current) station excluded the Reading, which built its own station, and the CV maintained a small "depot" adjoining the much larger NCRy/PRR station. The CV station has long since been razed. The Reading discontinued passenger service into Harrisburg sometime in the 1950's and the station was razed in the early 1960's to make room for a new post office.

Since electrification of the Pennsy main between Harrisburg and Philadelphia in 1937, operations on the east side of the station are controlled by STATE tower, located inside the station building. Under their control was the coach yard, which sat between the two passenger mains and the two freight mains; the two-track approach of the Northern Central Branch (nee NCRy) coming in from the west; and access to the Railway Express Agency between the mainline and the NCRy.

Operations on the west side of the station are controlled by HARRIS tower, still standing and restored by the Harrisburg Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. Just west of the tower was the Harrisburg Locomotive Terminal, built in 1937 and razed in 1997. This terminal serviced primarily passenger locomotives, with freight service being handled across the river at Enola. This facility had a massive 750 ton coal tower, 180-degree roundhouse, and 125' turntable. One account claims this was the largest turntable on the system. A diesel facility was added shortly after the steam facility. It featured an 8-bay enginehouse.

Motive power operations were very involved at Harrisburg. Mainline trains ran under catenary between Philadelphia and Harrisburg, so it was common to see GG-1 electrics changing for T-1's or a set of E7's or E8's. The Northern Central Branch had many restrictions due to curvature and weight, so they continued to use K-4, K-5, and E7 power. These trains were often fitted with more powerful units for their westerly or northerly legs.

A small portion of the Middle Division is rendered, including the spectacular stone arch bridge over Sherman's Creek at Duncannon.

Pittsburgh Division

Railroad traffic seldom warrants more than a single track, particularly in this day of longer, fewer trains wrought on by dieselization. Four-track mains are scarce: a few miles out of Chicago, a dwindling score on New York Central, the great arteries feeding into Manhattan. As scarce, say, as mountain railroading is common. ...And yet here, high on the slope of the Allegheny Mountains and laid on the consequential grade of 1.85 per cent, there runs a railroad with tracks numbered 1, 2, 3 and 4. Not spurs or sidings or passing tracks but 100 per cent high iron -- busy track, seldom quiet, never asleep. Track gripping uncountable flanges, holding up vast tonnages.... Look now -- here comes another, westbound mail and express, 22 cars long, two road units on the point, a pair of Geeps behind the rider coach. Watch the red cars roll, canting to Horse Shoe, 7000 horsepower lifting them up more than 90 feet to the mile on the world's busiest mountain railroad. Sight of sights, sound of sounds!

-- David P. Morgan
TRAINS, April 1957

Underlying map courtesy of Douglas Nelson, from his book Phillip Hastings: Portrait of the Pennsylvania Railroad, used with permission. Click on image for larger version in new window.

Though technically part of the Central Region, 15 miles of the Pittsburgh Division is rendered... from Altoona to Cassandra. There are active connections with the New Portage Secondary, the Cresson Secondary, and the Irvona Branch.

The Time: September 1954

Many probably wonder how I arrived at modeling September, 1954. The table and explanation that follow should paint the picture for you...

                1952     1953     1954     1955     1956     1957     1958
                                         *
Steam           ------------- -- -- -- --*- - - - - - - - - - ->|
                                         *
Diesel          -------------------------*--------------------------------
                                         *
Electrics       -------------------------*--------------------------------
                                         *
DGLE (P)        ----->| - - - - - - - - -*- - - ?
                                         *
Tuscan-5            |>-------------------*--------->|- - - - - - - ?
                                         *
Tuscan-1                                 *        |>----------------------
                                         *
Circle Keystone --------------------->| -*- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -?
                                         *
Shad. Keystone                      |>---*--------------------------------
                                         *
Truc Train                            |> * - -----------------------------
                                         *
                                         *
                                   Sept. 26, 1954

Motive Power

Though my preference is for diesels, I wanted to incorporate steam and electric locomotive operations into my system as well. Diesels and electrics seemed to span most eras, but the last days of steam on the Pennsy were in 1957. Therefore, I had to model pre-1957 to be accurate.

Paint Schemes

Stressing passenger operations, I wanted to be able to include all three paint "schemes" used by the Pennsy's "Blue Ribbon Fleet". Prior to 1952, both freight and passenger locomotives wore Dark Green Locomotive Enamel (DGLE), with the passenger units bearing five one-inch stripes. In 1952, passenger power switched to Tuscan Red with five one-inch stripes. Then, in 1954, passenger units switched to one wide stripe on Tuscan Red. By modeling 1954, I could have Tuscan single stripers with new paint jobs; Tuscan five stripers with some weathering; and DGLE five stripers with heavy weathering.

(9/11/2003: Since originally writing the above paragraph, I have found new documentation that indicates that the Tuscan single-broad stripe scheme was not introduced until November 1955. However, I am not updating my elected time as I want to favor steam and other factors from 1954. Tuscan single-broad isn't my favorite scheme anyway, so I am willing to forgo it, or perhaps "fudge" a set or two.)

I also wanted to be able to use freight equipment with both the Circle Keystone and Shadow Keystone "schemes". The Shadow Keystone was introduced in early 1954. Therefore, I am accurate depicting brand new paint jobs with the Shadow Keystone alongside Circle Keystone paint jobs with varying levels of weathering.

TrucTrain

Pennsy's Truc Train (trailers on flat cars) were introduced in late spring of 1954. However, the service maintained a light schedule that did not really pick up until early 1955.

Conclusions

The above variables forced me into the second half of 1954. Any earlier would have missed the Truc Trains; any later would risk the use of steam. As for selecting September, the Pennsy issued Employee Timetables twice a year -- April and September. The April issue was pre-Truc Train!

I now collect as many PRR timetables and other paper as I can that are dated September 26, 1954. I have both Form 1 and Form 4 Public Timetables; the Employee Timetables for the Philadelphia Terminal and Maryland divisions; the Annual Report for 1954; most issues of The Pennsy for 1954; a PRR wall calendar from 1954 (with Grif Teller painting, of course); and the Official Guide to the Railways from Sept. 1954.