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Penn Central Transportation Company employee timetables

Creation: 1968-1986
 Collection
Accession: 2667

Abstract

A complete set of employee timetables for each region and division of the Penn Central Railroad.

Dates

  • Creation: 1968-1986

Creator

Extent

2 Linear Feet

Historical Note

The Pennsylvania New York Central Transportation Company was formed by the February 1, 1968, merger of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company and the New York Central Railroad Company. It was renamed the Penn Central Company on May 8, 1968, and the Penn Central Transportation Company on October 2, 1969. The merger created an unwieldy amalgam of financially-stressed railroads and incompatible corporate cultures. After accelerating losses, it filed for bankruptcy on June 21, 1970, and spent the rest of its existence in the hands of trustees appointed by the Federal Court. The problems of Northeast "Rust Belt" railroads were so intractable that the Federal Government was obliged to pass special legislation. The quasi-public Consolidated Rail Corporation ("Conrail") was created and on April 1, 1976, purchased the economically viable parts of the Penn Central and other Northeastern railroads.

Scope and Content

This collection of Penn Central employee timetables, assembled by Henry Frick of Fort Worth, has the advantage of being a complete set covering the company's contraction and decline.

Employee timetables differ from those prepared for the public in showing freight as well as passenger service and the times at which trains pass various checkpoints. They also contain special instructions for train crews concerning the operation of trains. For example, they note "slow orders" where speed limits were reduced to as little as 5 or 10 miles per hour because of track the company could not afford to maintain. About a third of the timetables have the pasted-in supplements and general orders issued to cover changes in service and operating conditions that would accumulate before an entire timetable was reissued. These permit following the increasing restrictions, line abandonments and rearrangement of operating divisions and regions, as management and the trustees sought to cope by paring away redundant lines and unremunerative services.

Access Restrictions

No restrictions on access; this collection is open for research.

Language of Materials

English

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title:
Penn Central Transportation Company employee timetables
Author:
Christopher T. Baer
Date:
2016
Description rules:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description:
English
Script of description:
Latin
Language of description note:
English

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository

Contact:
PO Box 3630
Wilmington Delaware 19807 USA
302-658-2400