Switching on the Pennsy in Akron

Pennsylvania Railroad DS44 No. 7851 is switching in the yard behind or next to Firestone Tire in Akron in late 1966 or January 1967.

Photograph by Robert Farkas

Early in PC Era But Still an NYC Look

It is very early in the Penn Central era in Painesville. How early? The merger of the New York Central and Pennsylvania railroads was less than a month old.

So there was still plenty of motive power around carrying the markings of those carriers, including NYC F units 1675 and 1702, and PRR GP9 7146, which are wheeling a westbound on Feb. 24, 1968.

There was still passenger service here then, hence the boarding platforms in the foreground.

Photograph by Robert Farkas

Pennsy Two for Tuesday in Dennison

The late Mike Ondecker and I were in Dennison in the summer of 1967 where a westbound Pennsylvania Railroad coal train was about to enter or pass through the yard. It would be the last summer of Pennsy operation of this facility on the Pittsburgh-St. Louis line. We see the train in coming and going photographs. The signal shown in the top image is at the east end of the yard.

Photograph by Robert Farkas

In the Altoona Dead Line

I’m not sure if the late Mike Ondecker was with us this time, but John Woodard and I found former Pennsylvania Railroad 6703, a Fairbanks-MorseTrain Master, in the scrap line in East Altoona, Pennsylvania, in what was most likely was 1969. If we had not been forbidden to climb on the locomotive, we would probably have closed the doors.

Photograph by Robert Farkas

Waiting to be Scrapped

Pennsylvania Railroad Fairbanks-Morse Train Master No. 6702 has called it a career and is waiting to be scrapped. By the time this image was made in the late 1960s to early 1970s, the Pennsy had become Penn Central. The location is the scrap line in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and the H24-66 F-M is sandwiched between two other units.

Photograph by Robert Farkas

The Fort Pitt in Canton

Penn Central E8A No. 4309 is heading the westbound Fort Pitt through Canton on May 30, 1968. You’ve already noticed that it still wears its Pennsylvania Railroad markings.

Indeed, it was built by EMD for the Pennsy in January 1951 as No. 5809. This unit would later join the Amtrak motive power roster where it held roster numbers 315 and 498.

It then became Conrail 4020 and helped to pull that railroad’s executive trains. It then became Juniata Terminal No. 5809 where it was repainted back into PRR colors and markings.

In the image above you can also see Wandle interlocking in the background where the Norfolk & Western (former Wheeling & Lake Erie/Nickel Plate Road) crossed the Fort Wayne Line of the Pennsy.

Photograph by Robert Farkas

Still in Full Pennsy Paint

Penn Central No. 8123, a Baldwin S-12, was still in full Pennsylvania Railroad paint but had a PC roster number as it worked in Akron in the late 1960s.

Photograph by Robert Farkas

Deep in the Heart of the Pennsy in 1987

A pair of former Pennsylvania Railroad E8A locomotives lead an excursion train through Thompstontown Station, Pennsylvania, on the former Pennsy mainline between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

Since it’s raining today I figured I would finish off 1987. On Nov. 1, 1987, the Blue Mountain & Reading ran a marathon excursion from Temple to Altoona, Pennsylvania, that included rounding Horseshoe Curve and turning at Gallitzin.

Just about the entire train was open window coaches. The BM&R’s former Pennsylvania Railroad E8A locomotives powered the excursion mixed in nicely with the Conrail freights. From what I remember the timekeeping was pretty good. Marty and Robert Surdyk did an excellent job scouting for some premier photo locations.

Article and Photographs by Edward Ribinskas

Crossing the Susquehanna River west of Harrisburg on the famous Rockville bridge.

Passing Hunt Tower in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania.

Conrail helper locomotives escort the special around Horseshoe Curve west of Altoona.

At the Amtrak station in downtown Altoona.

Still Has That Pennsy Look

It may actually be Penn Central EMD FP7A No. 4332 but it is still wearing its Pennsylvania Railroad markings. The image was made in Collinwood Yard, a former New York Central facility, in Cleveland on Nov. 11, 1968.

In the bottom image, PC GG1 No. 4924 also still has its PRR paint as it sits in is in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in the early PC era.

This may have come from the Memorial Day weekend 1969 trip that John Woodworth, Mike Ondecker, and I took. I’m not certain.

Photographs by Robert Farkas

Its Nearly All Gone Now

Most of what you see in this image of an eastbound Penn Central train ambling through downtown Akron in 1968 is gone.

The Pennsylvania Railroad had just vanished into Penn Central which itself is now 44 years gone for having given way to Conrail.

Conrail ceased operations in Akron long before it was divided by Norfolk Southern and CSX.

The Erie Lackawanna passenger station, which was still in use when this image was made, is gone and a bank now sits on that site.

In the background you can see the former Erie Railroad freight house, which lasted the longest of most things in this scene.

The freight house was razed a few years ago to make way for new apartments catering to University of Akron students.

The three railroads that used these tracks in 1968 are all gone as well, including the Baltimore & Ohio.

Also gone is the B&O style color position signal just to the right of the nose of the Pennsy Alco diesel.

A portion of the boarding platform for Akron Union Depot is visible and it was removed in early 2012. If anything, it is remarkable that it lasted as long as it did given that this section of the platform never served passengers again after May 1, 1971.

There are fewer tracks at this location now. The two that exist are part of the CSX New Castle Subdivision and also used by the Akron Barberton Cluster Railway.

You can still stand in this general location and photograph trains even though the nature of this scene has changed quite a bit in the past 52 years.

Photograph by Robert Farkas