the pennsylvania railroad during world war ii

THE PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD
DURING WORLD WAR II
Carl Landeck
Roger Thorne
By December 29, 1940, when President Franklin Roosevelt delivered his
"Arsenal of Democracy" speech to the nation, the mighty PRR was recovering
nicely from the austerity of the Depression. True, passenger business had continually fallen off since 1929 because of the automobile. But freight business
was increasing. Electrification of the northeast corridor between New York and
Washington D.C., and between Paoli and Harrisburg was completed by 1938.
Maintenance of locomotives, rolling stock, and rights-of-way was excellent so
that when the war began they were in an excellent position to do the job they
had to do. The World War II years of 1941 to 1945 are considered by many
historians to be the high point in the railroads' contribution to this country.
The battles in Africa, Europe, and the Pacific would have to be won, but this
could not happen unless there was victory on "the Home Front." This was a
war the USA HAD to win!
MOVING THE TROOPS
"From January 1, 1941 through
December 1, 1945, 17,507,647
soldiers, sailors, Marines and
Coast Guardsmen were moved
over the PRR system. This does
not include any military personnel
traveling on furloughs, which ran
into many millions. To handle
strictly military passenger traffic
required 29,670 extra trains composed of 400,000 cars." — Pennsylvania Railroad 1945 Annual
Report.
Above: Pearl Harbor changed everything!
This 1944 photograph inside Pennsylvania
Station in New York City shows the PRR's
dilemma: how to manage the timely movement of millions of armed forces personnel
AND civilians during WWII. (Internet)*
*lmage sources are keyed to the box at the end
of the article.
Above right: An example of a passenger schedule issued in September 1943 during World War II shows the PRR's priority of
moving military traffic. (Cupper)
35
Left: At the beginning of the war the Pennsylvania Railroad had hundreds of steel P70 'Heavyweight' passenger coaches, shown in this
1944 photograph. This was the standard main carrier for troops and
passengers during WWII. The PRR committed a large percentage of
its passenger fleet to troop transports because of its strategic geography. A military "consist" could be made up entirely of troop cars,
or it might be mixed with civilian passenger cars, or with military or
civilian freight cars. Troop movements were always classified, identified only by a Military Authorization Identification Number, or "MAIN,"
for secrecy. That secrecy extended to the train crew as well, who
were told only their segment of the soldier's final destination.
(USASC)
Right; "Shades are drawn down. Lights dim
low.. . there's just the hum of the speeding
train. These boys know what it means—
the troop train is approaching the troop ships.
.. . It takes a lot of equipment for these troop
movements—but with what remains we are
doing our best to serve all essential travelers
... efficiently, courteously." "On Their
Way," Pennsylvania Railroad magazine advertisement. (Cupper)
IN THEIR W\Y
The job of filling a huge troop ship like the Queen Mary with 13,000 soldiers in
New York harbor involved as many as 21 trains, comprising over 200 coaches,
40+ baggage cars, and over 30 kitchen cars.
Left: Exterior view of a PRR box car
converted into a troop coach and
"sleeper." (Hagley). Right: Interior view of
a converted box car dated November
29, 1942. (Hagley). When the war began,
neither the PRR nor any other U.S. railroad had enough coaches for troop
hauling requirements. Beginning in
June 1942, the PRR Altoona Car Shop
began converting some of its X32 round
roof steel box cars into troop coaches
and "sleepers." They cut porthole windows in the sides and added hard riding
bunks. The PRR also converted these
box cars into dining car configurations
with wooden benches. All interior arrangements were very Spartan. Then
the government asked the Pullman
Company to study the PRR's X32 adaptations, and capture all the PRR features for mass production.
36
/ was coming back from Harrisburg, and they had several of this type of car on the train. We were
packed into this car like sardines in a can. These were all fixed seats facing one another, and there
were hard, wooden seats with just a bit of upholstery on top. This trip was in the wintertime, and we
had a lot of sailors with their pea coats on with us on that trip heading east. It was too crowded to
move around and we were playing "kneesy" with the people across from us. These sailors were
enjoying eating peanuts and there were peanut shells all over our laps. There also happened to be
a mouse in the car, and so these guys were having a ball feeding the mouse that was running around
peanuts. If mice scared you, there was nothing you could do about it because it was too crowded to
move. You just hoped the mouse would not jump in your lap. — Carl Landeck.
Right: In 1943 the government began accepting delivery on a
fleet of troop sleepers and troop kitchens to augment the lack of
sufficient alternatives. Pullman built 1,200 sleepers and 440
kitchen cars were built by ACF. Both designs were based upon
the common 50' long PS-1 box car. Such cars were generally
used in service on a ratio of one kitchen car to three sleeper
cars. The Pullman troop sleeper was built with center doors, end
doors, and windows cut in the sides. Soldiers squeezed into
three tiers of berths. Because the cars continued to use freight
car trucks (a frame of wheels under a car), they rode hard, and,
lacking air conditioning or ventilation, were dark and stuffy. Each
Pullman sleeper car carried 29 servicemen and a Pullman porter.
There was little to do aboard except talk, play cards, or sleep.
(Internet)
Left: Camp Kilmer, located near Edison NJ, was the largest
embarkation post in the United States, and processed more
than 2.5 million troops for the European Theatre during World
War II. Its rail terminal had a capacity of fifteen 20-car troop
trains, with track leading to the rights-of-way of the PRR, the
Lehigh Valley Railroad, and the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad. (Cupper)
Right: More than any other type of passenger locomotive, steam or electric, the PRR owned 425 of the K4
class (4-6-2 wheel arrangement) locomotives. In this
1946 photograph, a K4 locomotive leads a troop train. A
Pullman troop sleeper is shown flanked by baggage
cars, with standard heavyweight coaches riding behind.
A troop "consist" would vary greatly depending on what
equipment was available and how many men had to be
moved. The K4s headed the vast majority of the PRR's
steam "troop extras" during WWII, with K2, K3, and E6class locomotives comprising the remainder of passenger steam power. (Heart)
Left: In the late 1930s these two K4 steam locomotives stand side-byside with and without their streamline shell, the latter an example of
the pre-war Fleet of Modernism reflecting the popular Art Deco look
of that time. At the time of WWII, the PRR owned 5 of the streamlined
K4 steam engines. The streamlined locomotives were designed to
haul the PRR's premier passenger trains, like the "Broadway Limited"
from New York City to Chicago. The "Broadway" became the ultimate
in passenger travel, offering every imaginable luxury and personal
service. (Hagley)
ELECTRIFICATION
A PRR electrification map, focused from the Harrisburg area east over the Main Line through Thorndale and Paoli into Philadelphia, or over the Trenton Cutoff freight line northeast to the New York City area. (Cupper)
"The PRR was electrified from New York to Washington, and also from Philadelphia out to Harrisburg. The
first part of the railroad's electrification was between Paoli and Philadelphia back around WWI; around 1914.
Right before the beginning of WWII, the electrification was extended west from Paoli to Harrisburg over the
passenger line, and then it was also completed over the freight lines through to Enola and the rest of the
eastern region. As you can see, the Pennsy was a multiple-track railroad from Philadelphia all the way west
to Pittsburgh. Now, you will see a split here. The passenger line going from Lancaster to Harrisburg, and the
freight going by the way of Columbia and Wago Junction, and also by way of the Trenton Branch, to Morrisville, NJ over to Glen Loch, PA, where it picked up the Philadelphia & Thorndale Line and followed through
to the Aclin and Susquehanna Branch up into Enola. — Carl Landeck.
38
Right: With the electrification from Philadelphia in
1915, Paoli became the western commuter terminus
on the Main Line. This rare photo postcard by Skilton
shows the covered platform of the eastbound Paoli
station just prior to WWII. Most of the PRR's "Blue
Ribbon Fleet" stopped in Paoli throughout the war.
From 1939 to 1944, the volume of passenger traffic
quadrupled on the PRR system. (Postcard)
/Above: To provide power on its electrified passenger
routes of New York to Washington and Philadelphia to
Harrisburg, the PRR had 139 of these sleek and stylish
GG1 electric locomotives in its fleet. Shown above, westbound GG1 #4919 stops briefly in Paoli with a passenger
"consist" in the immediate post-WWII period. The North
Valley Road bridge is in the background, while in the
foreground the "spur" track would be used to access the
Paoli commuter yard. (Internet)
"The GG1 was arguably the best electric locomotive
ever constructed anywhere. The Pennsy, Baldwin,
Westinghouse, and General Electric all had a hand
in the design of that locomotive. It was certainly a
workhorse of the PRR during the electrification era.
Those locomotives could be used either in passenger
or freight service. They could change the gearing on
them. It was a universal-type locomotive and served
the PRR well prior to, during, and after the war until
the demise of the PRR. I think everyone that has
ever seen it or known anything about it, knew it
couldn't be beat. Some people do not realize that the
design of this locomotive came about to put the
engineer from being up front into the center of the
cab. In all the accidents they ever had that involved
the GG1 locomotive, there was never a fatality. The
engineer was well protected, being amidships, and
of course the locomotive could be operated from
either end without turning it." — Carl Landeck.
Right: Framed by a platform canopy and passengers,
MP54s occupy both outside tracks at Wayne in this Paoli
Local scene common throughout the War. The Pennsy
had more than 400 of the owl-faced multiple unit cars,
many of them rebuilt from steam-hauled coaches. (Heart)
They had all sorts of names, they were loved,
they were hated, I have even heard them
called the great roaches... This is what the
typical Paoli Local looked like during the war.
You didn't have to worry about having a timetable back in those days because you knew
that you had a train either way every half
hour. As I recall, leaving Center City, they left
at :15 and :45 going west."— Carl Landeck.
39
Left: PRR's Broad Street Station in Philadelphia, built in
1882, was the terminal for the Philadelphia to New York
"Clockers" and all Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line
trains. The large horizontal building seen in the middle
housed the PRR general offices. There were 16 tracks. A
1923 fire destroyed the original covered train shed. It was
replaced with a series of smaller "umbrella" sheds which
can be seen in this 1939 photo. A B1 switcher, seen here,
shuttles cars between Broad Street Station and the coach
yard in west Philadelphia. Looking east in the far background is City Hall. (Triumph III)
Right: On Sunday morning, September 12, 1943, fire broke out at
Broad Street Station. Fanned by a stiff north wind, the blaze leveled all of the canopies and platforms, twisted the tracks, and destroyed the timber shorings. Also badly damaged in the blaze were
several passenger cars of the PRR Clocker for New York. Even as
the embers begin to cool by the next day, the PRR had rapidly mobilized 1,200 men to rebuild the station. By mid-week several tracks
had been returned into operation, and the small army successfully
restored the station to full service by week's end. In 1952 Broad
Street Station, including the infamous "Chinese Wall," was demolished to make way for Suburban Station where the tracks were
now underground. (Hagley)
Left: Philadelphia's 30th Street Station—originally
called Pennsylvania Station—was completed in
1933. It was the PRR station for its Northeast
Corridor trains between New York City and Washington. In this war-era photograph, the trolley
tracks for the subway surface cars can be seen
along the side of the station and the "el" tracks for
the Market-Frankford elevated line can be seen in
the lower right corner. Later both of these sets of
tracks were relocated underground. (PIM)
Right: This wartime USO-PRR postcard shows the USO
lounges at Broad Street Station and 30th Street Station in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Station in New York City, and
Pennsylvania Station in Newark, N.J. The USO did much
to entertain the troops. (Internet)
"When I worked at the PRR office, one of the
fellows was very active in the American
Legion and he recruited a lot of the office girls
to be hostesses on the weekends at the
Stage Door Canteen, a club for servicemen at
the Academy of Music." — Carl Landeck.
USO Lounge,
Pennsylvania Station, Newark, N.J.
40
MOVING THE SUPPLIES
Rushing the Rations
THIS FIGHTER WEIGHS IN AT
98 OUR SCALES
As you would see him on a scale, he
WOULD WEIGH 180 POUNDS OF BONE, MUSCLE AND
fighting energy--a fine specimen of
American manhood. But on the scales of
the Army--and the Railrods--his
"fighting weight" is...3 tons.
So, you see, the railroad's job isn't only
moving troops--but all they require, too.
Therefore, if you should find travel not all
that it used to be, the Pennsylvania Railroad
asks you kindly to remember the above
facts. We are doing our best to serve you.
It is early morning. Stars still hang as the sky.
Folks are deep in slumber. But at the many more food is moving than in any year within
great freight terminals of the Pennsylvania memory...particularly to great industrial sea- Of course, to keep this tremendous tide of
tens and Atlantic porbs, for shipment overseas.
fond flowing in front every part of the counRailroad all is bustle and activity... the naBut that is only half the story. To the face of
tions are 'rolling in!'
rising combi, the railroads today are hauling try often means delays for passenger trains
food at virtually the same low freight rules
prevailing in 1939. That helps materially
Fresh meats from great packing centers... to keep living costs down.
crisp vegetables and juicy fruits from lands
where the warm sun shines...butter from
creameries...cases of canned goods from canneries...the foods so essential to wartime
energy and health.
and less vital freight shipments. But these are
days when "first things must come first." And
food certainly is a first. No if your train should
be a little late, please remember that vitamins
for the overseas
or home front may have had
PENNSYLVANIA
RAILROAD
the right-of-way.
Over the lines of the Pennsylvania Railroad
PRR advertisements emphasized patriotism and the need to win the war. Above left: This 1943 PRR magazine advertisement
reminds the nation that "the equipment, supplies, ammunition, food and other items required for every man going overseas
averages close to 8 tons . . . the railroad's job isn't only moving troops - but all they require, too." (Cupper). Another advertisement emphasized the enormous task of supporting America's armed forces: "Coordination between the railroads and the
ships is essential, and any delay could hold up the sailing of a convoy." Above right: This PRR advertisement reminds Americans that "first things must come first. And food certainly is a first." (Cupper). Another advertisement entitled Diary of a Wartime Freight Car-Pennsylvania 59944 shows how this car, and the other 1,800,000 freight cars of the American railroad fleet,
serve the war effort by . . . hauling "more tons per trip - over longer distances - at greater speeds - than ever before in the
history of railroading."
1912 PARTNERS
IN
NATIONAL
DEFENSE
G«i*
Teller
Above left: In this Pennsylvania Railroad 1942 calendar cover, PRR artist Grif Teller, depicts the crucial job of hauling coal for
the war effort. More than a third of all the hundreds of thousands of PRR freight cars were dedicated to hauling coal. (Hagley).
Above right: In this extraordinary aerial 1944 photograph, thousands of Norfolk & Western coal hoppers await their turn to
unload at the Lamberts Point Transship Dock, Norfolk VA . (Hagley)
41
Left: In this 1944 photograph, half-track personnel carriers, here shown as far as the eye
can see, are loaded two to a flatcar and secured with wood chocking around their wheels
and tracks. Such photographs are scarce because national security forbade civilian photography of military shipments. (USASC)
"There was so much materiel for overseas that they had to find places
to put it. So any place where there was a side track, or any "Ys" or
anything like that, they were stored with cars. I remember seeing
cartons and crates marked USSR, so you knew that whatever was in
there was headed to the Soviet Union under Lend Lease. So much of
this materiel piled up because there were not enough ships so get it
out of the country. The only way you could ship it overseas was with
the use of convoys with a naval escort, because of the menace of the
German U-boats off our east coast."— Carl Landeck.
"By July, 1942, the Pennsylvania Railroad listed 61 separate steam and electric locomotive classification
types within its fleet-wide inventory. Yet, for long-distance freight hauling, only six locomotive classes
dominated, 3 steam and 3 electric. In the steam category those classifications were of the 11, L1, and M1
types. In the electric category, those classifications were of the GG1, P5a "modified," and P5a "boxcab"
types. — Dan Cupper.
Left: The PRR (2-8-2 wheel arrangement) L1 class Mikado
locomotive was, because of their identical boilers, the freight
counterpart to the famous K4. The PRR had 574 of the L1
class in its fleet during the war. (Internet)
Left: The PRR (2-10-0 wheel arrangement) 11 class Decapod locomotive 4245 at Columbus, Ohio in 1937. The 11
was a slow freight lugger, called the "mortgage lifter" by
enginemen because they were generally not permitted
speeds over 50 mph. They often hauled long strings of coal
and ore hoppers in hilly and mountainous areas and was
mostly seen west of Harrisburg in heavy grades for heavy
freight. The PRR had 600 of the 11 class in its fleet during
the war. (Internet)
Left: The PRR (4-8-2 wheel arrangement) M1 Mountain class
locomotive #6924, photographed in Chicago just before WWII.
Called "mountains" because they were big and powerful, they
were considered the best steam freight locomotive the railroad
ever owned. The M1 became known as "the hallmark of the
Pennsy fast freight service." In the 1940s the M1 class locomotive was often seen with a "coast-to-coast" tender, complete with the "dog house" for the head-end brakeman. Because of the significant weight of this locomotive and tender,
the M1 class was not allowed to haul freight across the Delaware River bridge at Delair into Camden, NJ. The PRR had
300 of the M1 class in its fleet during the war. (Heart)
Right: GG1 4820 leads an eastbound
freight around the curve at Bradford Hills in
the 1940s. The GG1, generally used to
haul passenger "consists," nonetheless did
its share of freight hauling. The PRR had
139 of the GG1 class in its fleet during the
war. (Triumph II)
Right: A pair of P5-A "Modifieds" move oil
tankers and mixed freight out of the fog
east of the COLA Interlocking (MP 38.4)
in the 1940s. These electric units resembled, but lacked the power—or the
class—of their GG1 cousins. The PRR
had 28 of the P5A Modified class in its
fleet during the war. (Triumph II)
Right: P5-A "Boxcab" 34704 hauls a
mixed freight under the wires on the New
York-Washington Main just before WWII.
The PRR had 61 of the P5A class in its
fleet during the war. (Triumph III)
43
ALONG THE WAY
Left: The PRR's Enola Yard held the distinction of being
the largest freight classification yard in the United States
throughout the second World War. Located on the west
side of the Susquehanna River opposite Harrisburg, Enola
expanded to 145 miles of track during the war. In 1939
movement through the yard averaged 11,200 cars per
day. By 1942 the volume had increased to over 15,750.
Enola had its busiest day during 1943 when it processed
20,661 cars within a 24 hour period. Also, as a result of
greatly increased freight and a shortage of electric units,
the number of steam locomotives serviced at the Enola
engine terminal increased from an average of 99 per day
in 1939 to 166 by 1942. (Heart)
Right: Heading east out of Enola
Yard, PRR freight trains generally
followed the A&S Branch (Low-Grade
Line) through Columbia and Parkesburg to Thomdale. The Thomdale
Yard served not only as a water and
coal point, but as a classification yard
for local freight service to industries in
western Chester County, including
Lukens Steel in Coatesville. Shown
here is the coal wharf at Thomdale
Yard, with strings of coal hoppers and
locomotives queued up on March 28,
1937. (Keystone)
Left: An M1 hauling mixed freight on the Trenton
Cutoff before the line was electrified. During WWII
most freight tonnage was headed eastbound toward
the New York City area. Trains heading for this destination had two options to bypass Philadelphia and
connect to the freight-only Trenton Branch, also
called the Trenton Cutoff. They could either leave
the Main Line at Glen Loch—two stops west of
Paoli—or traverse what was called the Philadelphia
and Thorndale—or the P&T—Line, west of Downingtown. This bypass of Philadelphia ran some 45 miles
from Glen Loch northeastward to connect with the
Morrisville Yard near Trenton New Jersey and the
Main Line from there toward New York City. The
Trenton Branch thus freed the PRR Main Line east
of Glen Loch from all freight except what was destined for Philadelphia and reserved it for the commuter and fast limited passenger service. (Triumph II)
44
Right: At Whitford, west of the present-day Route 30 bypass in Exton,
where the double-track P&T connection to the Trenton Cutoff crossed
over the four-track Main Line, hopper cars rumble overhead on the
massive truss bridge while below the
PRR Chicago-New York Admiral
heads east toward Paoli behind a
GG1. (Heart)
Above: For freight traffic continuing east on the Main Line, elevation becomes
a problem. In the 14 miles from Thorndale to the Greentree—a location between Malvern and Paoli that no longer exists—and Paoli area, the elevation
increases 225 feet. Here, L1 #714, added as a "helper" in front of a P5-A at
Thorndale, charges east up the grade out of Downingtown toward Paoli.
Once a heavy eastbound freight attained Greentree, one mile west of Paoli at
mile post 21, (elevation 549 feet), its helper would uncouple and return to
Thorndale to repeat the process. (Heart)
"The job of the freight brakeman was one of the most
dangerous jobs on the railroad, and you could often tell
a brakeman before safety became so paramount,
because he may only have 2 or 3 fingers on a hand,
the others having been crushed while carrying out his
duties. — Carl Landeck.
45
Above: From the highest elevation at Greentree and Paoli it was about a 450 foot descent
on the Main Line east to Philadelphia. At this
point, the brakemen would engage enough of
its freight car retainers to retard the train's
speed and the crew would await the dispatcher's signal to proceed. For freight trains
climbing west out of Philadelphia toward
Paoli, this was one of the toughest grades on
the Main Line east of the Alleghenies and
"pusher" locomotives were attached to the
rear of freight trains at the 46th Street engine
house in Philadelphia. Upon reaching Paoli,
a brakeman standing on the rear of a caboose—called a cabin car by the PRR—
would cut off the compressed air line using a
chain, shown above, to detach the pusher "on
the fly" and the train could continue west without having to stop. (Hagley)
Left: The Paoli tower was located just east of the division
post between the Philadelphia
and the Philadelphia Terminal
Divisions of the PRR. Constructed in 1896 to operate the
interlocking (control the Main
Line switches), it also acted as
the entrance to the mobile unit
yard, seen here with commuter
cars. Beyond is the Paoli substation, one of two brick substations built in 1915—the other
one is in Bryn Mawr—supplying
power to the overhead catenary
along the Main Line. (Triumph III)
"On the right of this picture is a self-supporting pole. If you are driving down the Lancaster Pike east from
Paoli toward Daylesford you may see a few towers like this, and you may see a few round ones like that
shown in the middle of this picture. Ever wonder why the difference in the pole? The round pole needs to
be supported by guy wires, and the crisscross pole does not. When you see a self-supporting, crisscross
pole you will know that the railroad did not own the land to put the guy wires on. That is the reason they
developed the self-supporting pole."— Carl Landeck.
Servicing the Delaware River docks in South
Philadelphia, the Greenwich Yard was the
primary freight destination for coal, ore, and
cargo traffic in Philadelphia. The Yards Were
Expanded in 1942, and again in 1944, to accommodate increasing wartime export volume, and route traffic for the nearby Philadelphia Navy Yard. Traffic in the yard increased
from a prewar capacity of 2000 cars per day
to 4500 cars in 1942, and nearly 5000 cars in
1944. In the 1920s the PRR constructed an
extensive South Philadelphia freight terminal
and produce yard on Oregon Avenue, along
with a 2 million cubic foot cold storage warehouse. This complex helped feed the city
during the war.
Above: A Pennsylvania Railroad freight train, with an L1 steam
locomotive in charge, charges westbound "under the wires"
through Stratford, PA, February 11, 1940. (Keystone)
THE ROLE OF WOMEN
As more than 43,000 experienced male PRR workers were drafted into
the armed forces during World War II, women were employed to help
keep the trains rolling. Approximately 22,000 women served the PRR
"for the duration" in occupations as diverse as hostlers, ticket agents,
trainmen, train passenger representatives, telegraphers, brakemen,
and welders. Left: Beginning in 1943, Sada Tumbull served out of
Philadelphia's busy Reed Street yard as a freight brakeman. In this
PRR publicity photograph, she is shown adjusting the manual brake on
a hopper. She received her termination notice in 1946 when servicemen with higher seniority returned from active duty. (Triumph III)
46
In both these views, new
PRR employee, Elizabeth
Johns, goes about her
duties in 1943 as a
"trainman." On the left she
collects tickets on a standard mobile unit commuter
car in what could be the
Paoli Local. On the right,
she calls out "All Aboard."
Notice her sooty hand.
Even though this is an
electric car, there were
many steam locomotives
and you could not rub your
hand along the side of a
coach and expect it to
come away clean. (Hagley)
THE END OF THE WAR . . . AND NEW BEGINNINGS?
Right: During World War II
almost one-third of the PRR's
150,000 employees left to
serve in the armed forces.
1,307 gave their lives for their
country. Renowned sculptor
Walter Hancock is shown with
the plastiline model of his
statue, The Angel of Resurrection. This large bronze
statue now rises on the east
side of the waiting area of
Philadelphia's 30th Street
Station as a memorial to their
sacrifice. General of the
Army, Omar Bradley, delivered the dedication speech
for the Memorial on August
10, 1952. (Keystone)
"During WWII, the PRR had almost
used itself up helping to win the "Battle
of the Home Front." Yet, with an eye
on its post-war future, a PRR magazine advertisement called Eyes on
Tomorrow promised America: 'new,
modern trains; daring designs; exciting
and novel innovations; new power;
new speed; new comforts and luxuries ... in a word, transportation
values beyond anything known or
experienced before.' It was ultimately
not to be. — Dan Cupper.
ILLUSTRATION CREDITS
Cupper - Courtesy of Dan Cupper, nationally recognized railroad historian.
Hagley - Courtesy of the Hagley Museum and Library. Wilmington, DE
Heart - Robert S. McGonigal. Heart of the Pennsylvania Railroad: The Main
Line, Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. Waukesha, WI: Kalmbach Books,
1996.
Internet - Images provided by author.
Keystone - The Keystone, vol. 24, no. 4 (Winter 1991). Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society.
PIM - J. W. Boorse, Jr. Philadelphia in Motion: A Nostalgic View of How
Philadelphians Traveled 1902-1940. Bryn Mawr, PA: Bryn Mawr
Press, 1976.
Postcard - Postcards from Paoli album, Paoli Library.
Triumph II - David W. Messer. Triumph 11: Philadelphia to Harrisburg,
1828-1998. Baltimore, MD: Barnard, Roberts and Co., 1999.
Triumph III - David W. Messer. Triumph 111: Philadelphia Terminal, 18382000. Baltimore, MD: Barnard, Roberts and Co., 2000.
USASC - U.S. Army Signal Corps.
47
This material was presented at the February 20, 2005 meeting
of the Tredyffrin Easttown History Club. Carl Landeck grew up
in a PRR family, and at the start of WWII obtained employment
with the PRR in the Valuation Engineer's Department, the
group responsible for the precision of the railroad's maps. He
served the PRR "for the duration," visiting on-site many of the
locations covered in this presentation. Although Carl followed a
vocation in broadcasting, his love of railroading led to his becoming a charter member and officer of the Philadelphia chapter of the PRR Technical and Historical Society and a PRR
historian well respected for his attention to detail.
Roger Thome, who serves as president of the Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society, remarks that "the opportunity to coordinate a presentation combining the mighty PRR and the "home
front" during World War II with a specific focus on the contribution of our local area, was too good to pass up. Many experts
and actual participants of that time were there to lend a hand,
for which I am sincerely grateful." He may be contacted at
rdthorne@verizon.net.