Included so far are:
Pennsylvania Railroad Plate Fulcrum Master Scale, Installed at Altoona PA. A presentation from the twentieth national Conference on Weights and Measures held at the Bureau of Standards, May 1927, by A. W. Epright, Supervisor Scales and Weighing (1.5 MB pdf file)
Then Came the Motor Truck A history of trucking on the Pennsy (3.33 MB pdf file)
Future Motive Power In Electrified Territory A report by GE on the PRR's options for the future of electrification. Dated October 8, 1959. (1.6 MB pdf file)
Railroad Engineers Handbook and Pennsylvania Railroad Standard Maintenance of Way Plans A collection of sheets with various railroad engineering guidelines and standard plans to follow. (3.4 MB pdf file)
Proceedings of the Meeting of the Citizens of the City and County of Philadelphia, in Relation to the Great Pennsylvania Rail Road, from Philadelphia via Harrisburg to Pittsburgh, with the Address of the Committee to the People of Pennsylvania. Flyer from 1846 lobbying for support of the creation of the PRR! (pdf file)
History of the Pennsylvania Railroad 1846-1896 by J. Elfreth Watkins, C. E. A huge 500 page history of the first 50 years of the PRR commissioned by the railroad to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the granting of the charter. Note that this is a 100+ year old draft and the book never made it to print so while it's a period reference...Caveat emptor! Only the first 1/2 is online. The rest will follow soon. I broke the book up into multiple files to keep the downloads smaller. Here are links to the individual parts: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Thanks to Gary Rauch for loaning me his copy to scan! (pdf files)
Circular Letters from the Telegraph and Signal Department, Philadelphia Division. A series of notices dealing with signaling running from 1936-1962. (3.64M pdf file)
Instructions Governing Employment of Women For Railroad Service on the Pennsylvania Railroad A document from the World War II era about hiring women as war replacements. It's amazing how things have changed since then! (400KB pdf file)
A collection of various PRR forms from my collection. It takes a staggering amount of paperwork to run a railroad. Here are some samples. Waybills, defect reports, and more. Great for more prototypical model railroad operations!
A collection of Employee passes from my collection. A display of passes from 1921 through 1958.
Conway Yard advertising booklet. Joint PRR and Union Switch and Signal booklet showcasing the modernization of Conway Yard.
Manual of Instructions Issued by the Accounting Department to Passenger Conductors, Ticket Collectors and Train Baggagemen A.D.-205 - Issued November 1, 1945 (3.2 Mb pdf file, Collection of Rob Schoenberg)
Broadway Limited advertising booklet. Describes the accomodations on the train
Trail Blazer advertising booklet. Contains information about the re-equipped Trail Blazer and many interior photos of the train.
Jeffersonian advertising booklet.. Contains information about the re-equipped Jeffersonian and many interior photos of the train.
Serving You Through Transportation Progress. Promotional Booklet showcasing the latest advances on the Pennsy (in 1963)
"100 Years of Progress in Modern Railroading" - A promotional pamphlet put out by the PRR in 1934 giving a brief history of the railroad. Published in conjunction with the Century of Progress International Exposition
"Presenting a Line of Modern Coal-Burning Steam Locomotives, December 1944" - A promotional booklet put out by the PRR in 1949 showcasing the railroads latest steam locomotives.
"Modern Cars and Locomotives - 1926" - A promotional booklet put out by the PRR in 1926 showcasing the railroads latest motive power, freight cars and passenger cars.
"Modern Locomotives and Cars - 1939" - Another promotional booklet put out by the PRR showcasing the railroads latest motive power, freight cars and passenger cars.
"Modern Power For Today's Trains" - A promotional booklet put out by the PRR in 1949 showcasing the railroads latest motive power.
"A Pictorial Review of Progress on the Pennslvania" A photographic tour of the Pennsylvania showcasing the latest advances on the Pennsyvania Railroad in 1953.
"The Biggest Freight Car Order in History." - A PRR booklet describing the 1959 freight car order.
Board of Directors Inspection Trip - Pamphlet outlining 1957 Directors Tour of the PRR system. Contains photos and descriptions of points of interest along the route including shops, yards, major customers and towns with major PRR customers.
Album of PRR Scenery - A small red souvenir album of scenery along the PRR. Published in 1884 by Wittemann Bros.
The History of the Johnstown Flood - Text and photos from 1889 account of the Johnstown Flood, by Willis Fletcher Johnson. So far the first 19 chapters are online. The other chapters will follow as I have time to type them in!
Motive Power Development on the Pennsylvania Railroad - Baldwin Locomotive Works articles on the early motive power history of the PRR. 6.9 MB pdf file
"Pennsylvania Railroad Policy" A booklet that outlines the PRR's general policies and attitudes... circa 1957.
Lectures for Supervisory Forces - A booklet of various lectures given to the PRR's Eastern Region Supervisory Forces during the years 1923 and 1924. The topics vary from motivational speeches to current trends in railroad management...1920's style. I take no credit for the lack of PCness found in some of the lectures.
The New York Improvement and Tunnel Extension of the Pennsylvania Railroad - A booklet commemorating the construction of Penn Station and the New York Tunnels. Great descriptions and photos of the station and tunnels when they was new!
The Pennsylvania Railroad Tunnels and Terminals in New York City A King's booklet from 1904 describing these "Triumphs of Railroad Engineering, Architecture and Construction"
Machinery Examinations for Locomotive Firemen, 1949 - Instructions and test questions for Locomotive Firemen. A good text for seeing just what was involved in being a Locomotive Fireman. In OCR'd .pdf format.
Specifications for the Construction and Maintenance of Standard Railroad - M.W. 49 Revised September 1, 1909. Courtesy of Michael O. Brown, In OCR'd .pdf format.)
Specifications for the Construction and Maintenance of Track - C.E.78 Revision J. Issued 10/1/1957 (Collection of Andy Cich, In OCR'd .pdf format.)
Specifications for Signal and Interlocking Systems - C.E.234 Revision B. Issued 5/3/1957 (Collection of Robert Fredland, In OCR'd .pdf format.)
Loading Rules, 1917 - Rules For Loading Materials. Detailed instructions for loading just about anything imaginable onto flat or gondola cars or in box and stock cars. In OCR'd .pdf format.
Book of Rules (1925) - Pennsylvania Railroad System Operating Department RULES for Conducting Transporation. Effective April 26, 1925. Thanks to John Marshall for loaning me his original to scan! In OCR'd .pdf format.
Rules and Regulations of the Transportation Department of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, 1874 - An early Pennsylvania Railroad Rule Book. In OCR'd .pdf format.
Pennsylvania Railroad Dining Car Department, Cooking Instructions - for the Preperation of dishes served in Dining Cars throughout the System. A copy of the PRR's dining car cookbook. Undated. In OCR'd .pdf format.
Standard Cooking and Service Instructions - Another version of the PRR standard cookbook. Dated May, 1932. From my collection. 4.5 Mb, 150 dpi pdf format
Diesel Electric Road Locomotives - Operating Instructions for Locomotive Enginemen, Firemen, and Helpers. Issued June 2, 1949. Everything you'd ever want to know about operating the Pennsy's first generation road diesels. Covers the PRR's original road diesels. Includes classes EP-3, BP-1, AP-3, BP-3, FP-3, EF-4, FF-3, AF-4, and BF-4. In OCR'd .pdf format.
Commemorating the Opening of Pennsylvania Station, Newark, NJ March, 23, 1935 - The program for the opening of Penn Station in Newark. Great photos and diagrams of the station when it was new!
"Meeting An Emergency" - Photos of the 1923 Broad Street Station fire and it's aftermath and the heroics required to get everything rolling again
Track Profile, Torrance to East Pittsburgh. Scan of a ~40 foot rolled blueprint track profile of the PRR from Torrance to East Pittsburgh. Amazing detail!3.6Mb pdf file, collection of Rob Schoenberg
P.R.R., E.P. Div, C. & C. Div, Junction Plans to Accompany Mileage Reports, 12/14/1907. 5Mb pdf file, Rail Data Exchange Collection
Diagrams, Brake Arrangements, Rods and Levers A small book of diagrams created by the PRR's Altoona Car Shops 12th Street Car Shops sketching the primary air brake components for various freight and cabin car classes. (A.C.S. Sketch No. 481) 2Mb pdf file, collection of Rob Schoenberg
M.P. 229, July 1, 1957. - Assignment of Locomotives. Listing of locomotives in service as of 7/1/1957 annotated with features and which regions they are assigned. (pdf format, 150 dpi page scans)
No. 109-C, Classification and Description of Locomotives. A circular defining the PRR's locomotive classification with tables of specifications for each class of Locomotive active as of March 1, 1904. (859K pdf file, collection of Bob Johnson)
No. 109-D, Classification and Description of Locomotives. A circular defining the PRR's locomotive classification with tables of specifications for each class of Locomotive active as of March 1, 1908. (1.5Mb pdf file, collection of Bob Johnson)
No. 109-L, Classification and Description of Locomotives and Tenders. A circular defining the PRR's locomotive classification with tables of specifications for each class of Locomotive active as of September 1, 1956. More revisions coming. (700K OCR'd fully proofread pdf file, collection of Rob Schoenberg)
No. 109-M, Locomotives, Classification and Description Another revision of the PRR locomotive classification circular from July 1, 1960. (720K OCR'd fully proofread pdf file, collection of Bob Johnson)
No. 146, Classification of Cars. A circular defining the PRR's car classification system and tables of info on each class.
Engineering Data circa 1916 - A booklet with many handwritten tables of engineering information circa 1916. Bridge statistics and erection data, list of private sidings, standpipes and supervisors' sections and more!2.6Mb pdf file or gif page scans, collection of Carl Starr)
Engineering Journal articles about the Pennsy (note, they're pdf files scanned at 72 dpi so the quality isn't perfect but they're readable...:
The Pennsylvania News
A few issues of The Pennsylvania News This was the PRR's employee newspaper starting in the 1920's. It was published in 4 editions by region. (Central Region/Altoona Works, Eastern Region, Northwestern Region/Southwestern Region and Western Region) So far I only have a few issues of the Eastern Region edition from 1931.
Various issues of The Pennsy. This was the PRR's employe newsletter from June 1952 until February 1968 and the Penn Central merger. A total of 162 issues were published. Publication frequency and issue size changed several times.
PRR documents that can be found on other sites:
I'm always looking for Pennsylvania documents to add to this archive! If you have anything that you think might be of interest to fellow PRR enthusiasts, let me know about it and we can arrange to get it scanned and added to the site!
