Branch line empires : the Pennsylvania and the New York Central railroads Michael Bezilla ; with Luther Gette

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bezilla, Michael, author.

Series:

Railroads past and present

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Pennsylvania Railroad--History.

Pennsylvania Railroad.

New York Central Railroad Company--History.

New York Central Railroad Company.

Railroads, Local and light--Pennsylvania--History.

Railroads, Local and light.

Railroads--Pennsylvania--History.

Railroads.

Physical Description:

xv, 369 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Bloomington, Indiana : Indiana University Press, [2017]

Summary:

The Pennsylvania and the New York Central railroads helped to develop Central Pennsylvania as the largest source of bituminous coal for the nation. By the late 19th century, the two lines were among America's largest businesses and would soon become legendary archrivals. The PRR first arrived in the 1860s. Within a few years, it was sourcing as much as four million tons of coal annually from Centre County and the Moshannon Valley and would continue do so for a quarter-century. The New York Central, through its Beech Creek Railroad affiliate, invaded the region in the 1880s, first seeking a dependable, long-term source of coal to fuel its locomotives but soon aggressively attempting to break its rival's lock on transporting the area's immense wealth of mineral and forest products. Beginning around 1900, the two companies transitioned from an era of growth and competition to a time when each tacitly recognized the other's domain and sought to achieve maximum operating efficiencies by adopting new technology such as air brakes, automatic couplers, all-steel cars, and diesel locomotives. Over the next few decades, each line began to face common problems in the form of competition from other forms of transportation and government regulation; in 1968 the two businesses merged. Branch Line Empires offers a thorough and captivating analysis of how a changing world turned competition into cooperation between two railroad industry titans.

Contents:

Switchbacks and rattlesnakes: the Bellefonte and Snow Shoe Railroad

Moshannon's black gold: the Tyrone and Clearfield Railroad

The PRR tightens its grip: the Bald Eagle Valley Railroad

Forever divided: the Lewisburg and Tyrone Railroad

Uniting the branch lines: the PRR's Tyrone division

Breaking the monopoly: Beech Creek Railroad/New York Central

Nittany Valley short lines: Bellefonte Central Railroad/Central Railroad of Pennsylvania/Nittany Valley Railroad

Railroads at high tide

The tide recedes: passenger service

The Pennsylvania and the New York Central on the plateau, 1918-1968

Railroading in the valleys, 1918-1968

Empires dismantled: Penn Central and beyond

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780253029584

0253029589

OCLC:

967589178