This is the second incarnation of The Hobo's Guide to the Pennsy, the first being on the former Keystone Crossings web site.
The guide contains two groups of articles -- the Track Segment Series and the On Location Series -- both of which are described further below.
The intent is to provide information to both historians and modelers about the right-of-way of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
Track Segment Series
The Track Segment Series features one article per track segment per division based on the listings in the CT1000 as published in 1945. A track segment could be a main line, a branch, or a secondary. Any segment traversing multiple divisions will have multiple articles; one for each division.
The track segment article may feature an overview of the line, and perhaps maps or track charts, but most importantly will contain a list of locations from the CT1000. These location codes were used for traffic routing. Each line of the segment table will contain the location code, followed by the station name, and any significant features of the location (specifically, towers or junctions).
There are some instances where there are station names but no associated location code. There are also instances where a location does not have a station name, but only industries named.
From this list, there are hyperlinks from the location code to many related On Location Series articles.
The track segments included thus far are traced in purple on the 1941 Division Accounting Maps. A few connected shortlines are also included and are traced in blue.
Maryland Division  |
Middle Division |
Philadelphia Division |
Pittsburgh Division |
Wilkes-Barre Division |
Williamsport Division |
On Location Series
An On Location article is specific to a location based on the 1945 CT1000. The article may start with information about the town, but then may offer valuation maps and Sanborn maps for reference. (See the related article, Understanding Data Sources.)
Following will be individual headers for each online customer for the location, taken from the 1945 CT1000, with an indication of their distance from a specific station location. In many cases, references will be provided from earler versions of the CT1000 (1923 or 1900) or a Form 76. However, the 1945 edition is the primary reference for this project.
For each online customer, their type of business is indicated, if known, along with information about the business and photos, if available.
How You Can Help
If you have information about a specific location, or photos, you can e-mail them to
You can also fund the acquisition of valuation maps for all or part of a track segment. These maps cost $6 per mile. Please contact
Thank you, and enjoy your ride!