Railroading 80 years ago

[trainman203]

That's true , Jeffery.  1980s deregulation enabled the megamergers of today, which had actually been trying to happen since the 1920's when you read railroad history, but were not permitted by the ICC at the time.  Although we mourn all of the routes of old that have been lost, in a modern age of intense competition from outside, incredible amounts of road mileage became superfluous.  The railroads were finally able to shed a lot of property and now-duplicated routes and yards that weren't really needed anymore.  A lot of railfans like myself keep needing to remind ourselves that railroading is a business, not a romantic historic preservation.  Although we wish that a more ordered approach a certain amount of preservation had occurred. 

Your Pennsylvania Railroad was actually one of the few that made an orchestrated effort, storing maybe around a dozen various steam locomotives consciously picked out of different classes in a roundhouse in Northumberland, Pennsylvania for many many years.  I'd be sure that they've all been dispersed around by now, but that roundhouse was shelter from the storm for a lucky few in the critical years when the railroads were rushing perfectly good steam locomotives to the scrapper like so much garbage.  If only other railroads had done the same, like my Missouri Pacific which only saved one engine.

[jward]

I believe the collection you refer to was eventually donated to the RR Museum of PA at Strasburg. I only wish the PRR had saved some of the early diesels as well. They had some truly unique locomotives, like the passenger sharks and the big Lima center cabs. Of the 5 rqilroads that ran within a few miles of my home (PRR, P&LE, B&O, WM and P&WV) only the WM has an operating example of their steam power, and that one is a Shay at Cass, WV. P&LE steam is extinct, as is every locomotive rostered by the P&WV. That is a shame because most of the diesels on the P&WV were Fairbanks Morse.

[trainman203]

https://www.dvidshub.net/news/184030/losing-piece-air-force-history-1864-scrapped

[Ralph S]

Considering what a mighty Empire America's railroad system was at the end of World War II, it didn't take long for it to nearly collapse.  For those like me that went through it, it was a time of unbelievable melancholy to see our railroads Quickly going down the drain.

To me, although many a track and railroad company(s) have gone into history.  From what I see, the railroad industry is still the most powerful economy moving industry that keeps America in the forefront of technology and commerce.   As a matter of opinion, once the diesel engine was applied to trucks the railroad industry modified its transport vehicles from box cars to modular containers.  Basically, what I believe is that the railroad is a mighty, maybe now slender backbone using diesels keeping America the best in the world.  My model layout hopefully will reflect that opinion.

[trainman203]

Piggybacking pre- dated road freight diesels.


https://www.trains.com/ctr/railroads/fallen-flags/chicago-great-western-railroad-history/

[trainman203]

The genera public has no idea how much the country depends on railroading today.  The dominant image is that trucks move everything.

[jward]

The genera public has no idea how much the country depends on railroading today.  The dominant image is that trucks move everything.

JUst to give an example of the impact rail service has.....

Do you remember as we were coming out of the pandemic a few years ago the incredible backlog of ships waiting to be unloaded at LA/Long Beach? SHips were waiting weeks to be unloaded because there wasn't enough land based transportation to clear out the containers. Even in the best of times trucking has a droivers shortage of over 100,ooo drivers. Rail helps lessen the impact. Except, a combination of short sighted management and a severe drop in traffic during the pandemic caused way too many railroaders to be laid off. Many of them didn't return to the railroad, having found easier jobs that presumably paid more, and when the tidal wave of pent up business came back they were unable to handle the container traffic. THis couod have been a golden opportunity to pick up market share, and in years past it probably would have resulted in alot of new business for the railroads. But as they were unable to handle the increase in traffic, it went elsewhere. The railroads went on a hiring binge to try to get back the people they lost, but by the time they got those people trained and out in the field, the glut had dried up. Imagine what the effect on inflation would have been if they'd have been able to move the freight in a timely manner.

[Ralph S]

The pandemic found the error in senior managements enthusiasm for "Just in Time" shipping.  The companies including the railroad industry reduced inventory and, in some cases, reduced jobs, to support this new management cost control.  The pandemic found this management oversight and as stated wreaked havoc on shipping industry.  Some industries are sticking to this "just in time" management style.

Fortunately, my model railroad will not fall prey to this management style since I own the railroad, the rails, the modular containers, the trucks,

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and the construction companies.  I have a seat on the city, town, farm, suburb, industrial park council.  I have jurisdiction and authority of the railroad, city planning, structural engineering, water reclamation, subway, and any future planning.
                                                                                                 

[trainman203]

Haha.  Me too.  I also control the Time Machine.

HAWHAWHAW!!!!!

😂😂😂😂😂