 HEN.
in 1847, the public spirited citizens of Pennsylvania invested in the stock
of the then newly organized Pennsylvania Railroad Company, they little
realized that they were founding an organization which, during the succeeding
three-quarters of a century, would develop into what is generally recognized
as the greatest institution of its kind in the world. The present mileage
of the Pennsylvania System is 10,519; the total track mileage, including
sidings, being 25,292. . There are in service 7,556 locomotives of all
classes, and a total of 6,983 passenger train cars and 257,409 freight
and work train cars. The total number of passengers carried during 1923
was 151,953,566, equivalent to 5,206,471,435 passengers carried one mile;
while the total number of tons of freight hauled was 278,675,494, equivalent
to the stupendous total of 53,484,857,000 ton miles. The growth of the
System to its present culmination constitutes a most remarkable chapter
in the history of land transportation; and this is true, not only from
an engineering, but also from a financial and a business point of view.
The work of building up the Pennsylvania System has been accomplished on
a conservative basis, using sound judgment, but never hesitating to make
improvements which would enhance the value and efficiency of the property.
The constant effort has been to build for the future, and to anticipate
transportation requirements as far as financial conditions and the development
of the |
art of railroading would permit. As a result
of this policy, "the Company has never passed through a receivership, and
dividends have been paid with a regularity seldom equalled in any line
of industry. The Pennsylvania System stands today as a demonstration of
the far-sightedness and sound judgment of the men who have made it what
it is.
Motive power development on the Pennsylvania has been accomplished along the same general lines as those on which the System has been built. The policy has been conservative in that new types or designs have not been introduced on a large scale until investigation and trial have fully demonstrated their fitness for the service. At the same time, expenditures have been liberal when the advantages of using new designs or more expensive materials have been proved to the satisfaction of the Motive Power. Department. As a result of this policy, there has been developed a Department of Tests at Altoona, which in point of complete equipment and valuable research work accomplished has no equal among the railroads of the United States. Furthermore the results of locomotive tests made on the Altoona plant have been widely published, and railroads the world over have been able to profit by them. The Pennsylvania has adhered strictly to the principle of training its own men and making promotions from within its ranks, with the result that sweeping changes within the organization have been practically unknown. Therefore, especially since the Motive Power Department standardized locomotive designs in 1868, the development of the power has been unusually consistent, and has followed a carefully determined policy. Experimental locomotives have at |