Just to correct a couple erronous statements made by howardkevinm the PRR NYC merger was something they came up with all on their own. The ICC made them include the already bankrupt New Haven railroad. Hurricane Agnes forced the Erie Lackawanna into bankruptcy not the PC. And the first day of Conrail was April 1st 1976 not 1978. Either way I need to buy this video, great footage!
@realgraff16 the ICC forced the New York Central to merge with the PRR forming the PennCentral. the two companies couldnt handle two different business practices. that coupled with the poor trackage on both sides topped with Hurricane Agnus obliterating most of their fully functional tracks forced the PC to collapse. Althought it did survive to 1978 but a severely limited track mileage.
@howardkevinm - PRR conspired with C&O(B&O) and N&W to force NYC to merge with them. If PRR was singled out and allowed to go bankrupt, then Conrail would never have been formed and the NYC would have been a powerhouse today.
Alot of PRR trackage is gone today cuz their routes were inferior to NYC's. PRR was not the standard railway of the world. It was the wrong way of being a railroad. PRR management was solely to blame for PC's failure.
I remember Penn Central fondly and granted, I'm not the biggest Penn Central rail fan, but it was interesting to see typical operations before the chaos of the bankruptcy ensued. Afterwards, I focused on the N&W and Erie Lackawanna predominantly.
Stupid idea having the two merge. its like the government wanted to kill the Railroads so they made the two biggest eastcoast merge even though the two hated each other.
The government? Stuart Saunders of the PRR wanted (against the wishes of his counterpart at NYC, Al Perlman) it! It took four years to get approved thru the ICC!
The "Big Band Theme" is what some would of associated railways with, especially passenger in the 1950's due to 'classiness', although that wouldn't say much for the PC at the time.
Big Band Theme - a little too big an intro even for the Penn-C. Even the EL Intro wasn't that big, Even shorter than this video's opening was the Wabash, and I own that video.
Proper " M " lettering. That "M" was for Smith Lumber company. Nice for Emery that the mile marker and a " M" were like that. That Franklin House and Shell station are still there and that's about it.
Nice footage at Valparasio starting at 6:00 and then some great stuff at GRAND TRUNK around 7:25. This is what the tower was called, not Fort Wayne Junction. On the PRR it was GRAND TRUNK and where the GT crossed the NKP just south of here at SPRIGGSBORO.
Thanks for this! Nice to hear the old clickety-clack of the era before welded and continuous track. I grew up next to a PRR mainline in Ohio in the 1960's and loved the Tuscan red livery of the passenger trains. I liked the old Brunswick green, too, and the new PC green after the merger. So sad to see the railroad go. It's a bikepath now. Thanks for the memories!
Love the black smoke pouring out! It should still be that way, too bad the EPA is making diesels go "green". If anyone remembers, riding passenger trains prior to late model Amtrak equipment, you cold smell a light diesel exhaust in the cars.
hahahaha i was never alive then so i love the pc but i know totally where your coming from, seeing PC's everywhere musta been like seeing nothing like conrail in the 90s when i was alive i woulda hated the PC too. Also it was horrible run so your totally correct i thin k it was cuz teh organizational cultures did mesh well..lots of animosity between the too and poor management. However, i dont care PC kicks ass as far as im concerned. I got this tape set too like 10 years ago. badass vid
Just to correct a couple erronous statements made by howardkevinm the PRR NYC merger was something they came up with all on their own. The ICC made them include the already bankrupt New Haven railroad. Hurricane Agnes forced the Erie Lackawanna into bankruptcy not the PC. And the first day of Conrail was April 1st 1976 not 1978. Either way I need to buy this video, great footage!
hallsflat 3 months ago
I really wish I would have been alive for this generation of railroads. I love all those high-hood geeps, E-Units, and F-Units!
LotusbandicootRR 4 months ago
@1:40 Where there is smoke there is an Alco.
pdlsteeler1 5 months ago
Comment removed
pdlsteeler1 5 months ago
Nice
Traincal007 8 months ago
Can someone please say who wrote the song from the begging? It always cheers me up for last 3 months!
Filip7370 9 months ago
All that smoke at 1:40, probably a blown turbocharger.
sclm046 11 months ago
Love this video! Can't stop watching it over and over.
22kane1 11 months ago
What type of horn do those GP9s have? An M5?
kmothersil 1 year ago
i heard penn central was a failure...?
realgraff16 1 year ago
@realgraff16 Big time
LordoftheKaty 1 year ago
@realgraff16 the ICC forced the New York Central to merge with the PRR forming the PennCentral. the two companies couldnt handle two different business practices. that coupled with the poor trackage on both sides topped with Hurricane Agnus obliterating most of their fully functional tracks forced the PC to collapse. Althought it did survive to 1978 but a severely limited track mileage.
howardkevinm 10 months ago
@howardkevinm - PRR conspired with C&O(B&O) and N&W to force NYC to merge with them. If PRR was singled out and allowed to go bankrupt, then Conrail would never have been formed and the NYC would have been a powerhouse today.
Alot of PRR trackage is gone today cuz their routes were inferior to NYC's. PRR was not the standard railway of the world. It was the wrong way of being a railroad. PRR management was solely to blame for PC's failure.
ConrailSD70MAC 9 months ago
@ConrailSD70MAC Read "Wreck of the PC" and learn.
LycoValleyRRFan 2 months ago in playlist More videos from GreenFrogVideos
I remember Penn Central fondly and granted, I'm not the biggest Penn Central rail fan, but it was interesting to see typical operations before the chaos of the bankruptcy ensued. Afterwards, I focused on the N&W and Erie Lackawanna predominantly.
TheUnknownAvenger 1 year ago
Well now its all CSX! AND NS!! But if I could go back in time I would!
Rtchugg 1 year ago
I have this on VHS!
K9FON 1 year ago
Is that an Alco or U boat belching all that smoke?
TheZepmeister 1 year ago
@TheZepmeister
It's an ALCO C428 I believe. It's definitely an ALCO though.
kmothersil 1 year ago
It's refreshing to see railroad cars WITHOUT ugly graffitti scribbled all over them!
shifta65 2 years ago 15
@shifta65 u got that rite
thomasVSstewie 1 year ago
@shifta65 PC preferred to carry all its ugliness on the inside.
fhqwgads2 18 hours ago
PRR + N&W and NYC + Chessie System would have made a LOT more sense.
meccaturbo 2 years ago
Can anyone tell what track featured in this video is now gone? God bless.
cbalducc 2 years ago
Stupid idea having the two merge. its like the government wanted to kill the Railroads so they made the two biggest eastcoast merge even though the two hated each other.
howardkevinm 2 years ago
The government? Stuart Saunders of the PRR wanted (against the wishes of his counterpart at NYC, Al Perlman) it! It took four years to get approved thru the ICC!
choirboyfromhell1 2 years ago
@choirboyfromhell1
You know what happened to Stuart Saunders anyway? I'm going to go look into it.
1aundulxaldin 2 years ago
Died in Richmond VA in 1987.
choirboyfromhell1 2 years ago
excellent footage but terrible music the intro track would stop me buying it
peteshoulders1 2 years ago
Nah, I think the music is good.
Mcoov 2 years ago
God damn, I love those old ALCO's. And the International pickup @2:49 was a bonus!
Lvfd416 2 years ago
Comment removed
b111791 2 years ago
The "Big Band Theme" is what some would of associated railways with, especially passenger in the 1950's due to 'classiness', although that wouldn't say much for the PC at the time.
Bellwestern80 2 years ago 2
Comment removed
b111791 2 years ago
Big Band Theme - a little too big an intro even for the Penn-C. Even the EL Intro wasn't that big, Even shorter than this video's opening was the Wabash, and I own that video.
1aundulxaldin 2 years ago
Iron Butterfly and Black Sabbath would be appropriate for PC.
choirboyfromhell1 2 years ago
Proper " M " lettering. That "M" was for Smith Lumber company. Nice for Emery that the mile marker and a " M" were like that. That Franklin House and Shell station are still there and that's about it.
NJW1973 2 years ago
Nice footage at Valparasio starting at 6:00 and then some great stuff at GRAND TRUNK around 7:25. This is what the tower was called, not Fort Wayne Junction. On the PRR it was GRAND TRUNK and where the GT crossed the NKP just south of here at SPRIGGSBORO.
storrs19 2 years ago
Emery's videos were recorded without sound. All the sound in this movie is synchronized
railfreek 2 years ago
I think alco's, and alco's alone are responsible for global warming
TFUCKER 2 years ago 2
haha.
nicholasbreeden 2 years ago
What would a caboose do in that train? Was it a ferry move or what?
NaomiClareNL 2 years ago
This was back in the days when cabooses were used on all freight trains.
legodirectorHD 2 years ago
is that the 17th St. bridge in altoona @ 1:28?
youbite1 2 years ago
Thanks for this! Nice to hear the old clickety-clack of the era before welded and continuous track. I grew up next to a PRR mainline in Ohio in the 1960's and loved the Tuscan red livery of the passenger trains. I liked the old Brunswick green, too, and the new PC green after the merger. So sad to see the railroad go. It's a bikepath now. Thanks for the memories!
longlakeshore 2 years ago 3
Love the black smoke pouring out! It should still be that way, too bad the EPA is making diesels go "green". If anyone remembers, riding passenger trains prior to late model Amtrak equipment, you cold smell a light diesel exhaust in the cars.
sepersr 2 years ago 2
You can still smell it at times with amtrak's genesis diesels. I always ride it first class to florida, and at times I can smell it.
CSXtrackworker 2 years ago
Fort Wayne Juction does not look anything like that any more. To bad.
NJW1973 2 years ago
Wow! At 1:08 that is an EL train crossing the PRR at Kouts, Indiana. Nice shot there of some rare footage for sure.
storrs19 2 years ago
Great video- brings back memories !
southphilly42 3 years ago 7
hahahaha i was never alive then so i love the pc but i know totally where your coming from, seeing PC's everywhere musta been like seeing nothing like conrail in the 90s when i was alive i woulda hated the PC too. Also it was horrible run so your totally correct i thin k it was cuz teh organizational cultures did mesh well..lots of animosity between the too and poor management. However, i dont care PC kicks ass as far as im concerned. I got this tape set too like 10 years ago. badass vid
Dhoylandrules84 3 years ago
The Penn Central sucked! It was a horrible mutation Of the NYC and PRR.
RichardSwayne 3 years ago
Don't criticize the PC. I think New Haven killed it. If PC had sued the I.C.C. about adding New Haven the PC could have had a chance in court.
JoJoJopete 2 years ago