P.R.R's PASSENGER TRAINS

[adari]

Does anyone know some of the famous passenger trains on the P.R.R. And can you also tell What engines pulled them. And kind of passenger cars they pulled. I chose to model the P.R.R.
Thanks

[SteamGene]

Obviously the most famous PRR passenger train was the Broadway Limited, but there were a lot more.  As to motive power:
1.  Which era
2.  What area
Answer those questions and you might get help as opposed to a lot of useless information. 
Gene

[adari]

I want any engine on the P.R.R. I guess engines from the 1900's to the '70's

[Conrail Quality]

Well, from 1938 fowards, nearly every PRR passenger train east of Harrisburg was pulled by a GG-1. However, this is really the only place on the PRR where there was such strict standarization. Unless you are more specific, I can't really answer much more than that, especially for the rest of the system.

[jondrd]

adari,
     Why don't you try the InterNet? I believe there's a PRR Technical & Historical Society out there in cyber space.
     I think another PRR name train was the Congressional, I believe there was a Morning and Evening Congressional. Again the PRR history chaps would be best source for matching name trains with appropriate power for a given time period.

Jon

[ebtnut]

OK, here's a general response.  The primary passenger power in the mid- to late steam era on the Pennsy was the K-4 Pacific.  You could find them most anywhere outside the electric zones.  Late in the game, the T-1
4-4-4-4 showed up on many of the "major" passenger trains, though they were soon supplanted by diesels.  Bachmann produces the K-4 in several varients.  Bowser makes a T-1 kit, and BLI brought in a nice version recently.  In the east, especially on New Jersey coast trains, the E-6 Atlantic held sway.  Bowser also makes a kit for this engine.  The GG-1's headed up the New York-DC-Harrisburg corridor power, along with the huge MU fleet for commuters. 

Other commuter zones, especially around Pittsburgh, used G-5 4-6-0's.  Other locos that often pinch-hit on passeger power included the M-1's,
L-1's, and the various H-classes.

[Dr EMD]

Does anyone know some of the famous passenger trains on the P.R.R. And can you also tell What engines pulled them. And kind of passenger cars they pulled. I chose to model the P.R.R.
Thanks

How about the Paoli Local?
It may have used 4-6-0 before the wires were hung up.

[PhilipCal]

I've never specifically modeled the Pennsylvania Railroad, but I've heard it said, it had at least one of everything. That's not true in the literal sense, but the Pennsy had a wide variety of motive power and rolling stock. Arguably, it's most famous train was the Broadway Limited. Apart from the legendary GG-1, in the diesel era, the Broadway usually rated EMD E Units. I don't claim to be an expert on the Pennsy, but I do know they operated a wide variety of passenger equipment from commuter to first class . Motive power was equally varied. That variety is one of the elements that makes the Pennsylvania such a fascinating railroad.

[Woody Elmore]

It is not possible to accurately model the PRR from 1900 to 1970. You would need  a Swiss Bank account to buy all the model equipment and a football stadium for the layout.

As posted above you should search the internet. There are fan sites and I know that there is a PRR Historical society. There have been many books and articles written. You need to find a time period you like and do some research.

A couple of my favorite Pennsy passenger trains were the "Congressional Limited" and the "Senator." These trains operated specially ordered stainless steel cars  from Budd. The cars had tuscan red stripe on the letterboard over the windows instead of being totally red in tried and true PRR tradition.

The Senator was a "limited" and started in Boston and on to NY over the NYNH&H and then on to Washington. The "Congressional" was New York to Washington. Originally the trains were pulled by GG-1s in tuscan paint but in 1955 three GG-1s were painted silver with a tuscan red stripe and a big "Pennsylvania" in black.

[SteamGene]

Let's see.  In 1900 the PRR passenger power was probably limited to 4-4-0s, 4-4-2s, and maybe some 4-6-0s.  Cars would be the last of the open platform 36 footers.  Then came the heavy weights and the Pacifics, then the electrics, and finally those d things and the lightweights.
Woody may be wrong.  It might take two Swiss bank accounts, the football stadium and its parking lot. 
You need to do some research.  You could be nice to the B&O Railroad Museum and use Good Search with the B&ORRM getting the benefit 
Gene

[Woody Elmore]

There were subclasses of classes of locomotives with different motive power pulling trains in different divisions of the company. Add to that all the head end and express cars that operated in Pennsy trains. Multiply that by all the variants and sub classes and you have something out of an episode of "NUMB3RS."

the "Congo" or Congessional Limited would make a nice train to model but then you probably could do a creditable "Broadway Limited" with RTR stuff. I doubt that it would be practical to run a 14-20 car PRR passenger train on the typical HO layout.

I read an article in an old issue of Trains (from 1944) that describes a Pennsy passenger train with TWO K-4s up front and one in the middle. The crews communicated with whistle blasts. There's a challenge for the DCC crowd - and a reason to buy more K-4 engines!

[r.cprmier]

THe "Senator" was a train co-operated by the New Haven and the Pennsylvania.  What is interesting is that, at one time, three forms of motive power pulled it; those were mostly, I-4, I-5, DL-109, PA-1, from Boston to New Haven, Ct; and from New Haven to The City, EF-4, EF-5, EF-3.  From Gotham south, it was the venerated GG-1. 
The Senator was usually a Penn Job", but more often than not, there was a mixture of rolling stock that even included some stuff from the B&O, CN, et al.  About the only thing proprietous about it was the motive power from each respective road.
  Seeing this train enroute was an impressive site, whether scorching the ballast through the "shoreline", from the top floor of Harvey Hubbell in Bpt, the Knickerbocker Press in new Rochelle, or from the Canton Viaduct, as well as from any place beyond.

She gained notoriety by crashing into Washington Union station...A couple of days before Eisenhower was supposed to be there...

Rich

RIch

[Woody Elmore]

Rich - I recently was in White Plains and was suprised to see one of the new diesel/electric push pull locomotives painted in McGinness colors. I didn't have my phone ready or would have snapped a picture. The train was really moving. I guess it was late.

There is an old joke, sometimes attributed to the Erie RR , sometimes the LIRR or NH. A commuter is standing waiting for his daily ride on the 7:45 which is always late. One morning the 7:45 arrives on time. The commuter says to the conductor, "Wow! On time for once!" to which the conductor replies, "We are on time but this is yesterday's train!"

[r.cprmier]

Woody;
I liked that-Got a real chuckle out of it.

The New Haven trackage between New Haven and New York City (the west end) usually runs a couple of diesels painted in (gasp!) uncle Patty's circus drag.  I am along the Viaduct more often than not, between Bridgeport and New Rochelle, and if you like, I will snap a pic of a couple of units in McGuinness colours; they are based in Stamford usually.  They are an FL-9 and an FP-40 (I think-the newer designations escape me-teen angel); there is also an F-3 there in Metro north colours.  The whole thing is sadly funny.

RIch

[Woody Elmore]

I didn't know that they were still running FL-9s. During the late seventies I had a friend living in Brewster and we were doing a research project together. I used to take the railroad to Brewster once or twice a month. I remember the FL-9s painted in a washed out pale blue with a yellow nose. The engines were a sorry sight. Once a train pulled in and the FL-9 had a side lpanel replaced with one in NH black. The old NH paint was in better condition than the chaulky Metro North blue.

Out here on Long Island there is not a hint of the old LIRR or its colors. However the Mineola station has numerous framed pictures including the last steam engine through Mineola as well as several pictures of Alco engines in  LIRR grey and orange.

I am surpried that Metro North (properly the MTA) has the funds to do engines in NH livery. They are always crying about needing to raise fares.