Pennsylvania Railroad

FreightWaves Classics: Aerodrome No. 5 made history in 1896

The first failure of a manned aerodrome in 1903. (Photo: public domain)

An aviation milestone took place on this date in 1896. Near Quantico, Virginia (now the home of the FBI’s Training Academy), Aerodrome No. 5 completed the “first successful flights of an unpiloted, tandem-winged, engine-powered, heavier-than-air model of substantial size.” (“Aerodrome” is a derivative of a Greek phrase that roughly means “air runner.”)

The inventor of Aerodrome No. 5 was Samuel Langley. Using a catapult mounted on the top of a houseboat, Langley launched it twice. The...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-classics-aerodrome-no-5-made-history-in-1896

FreightWaves Classics/Fallen Flags: Wabash Railroad served the Midwest, its industries and people (Part 2)

A Wabash trailer-on-flatcar. (Photo: Wabash Railroad Historical Society)

To read Part 1 of this article, follow this link.

World War I

Despite going into receivership in late 1911, the Wabash did well because of its key corridors, which carried a diversified traffic base. Its network was slightly over 2,000 route miles and served Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, Omaha and Buffalo.  

In 1912 the company adopted the slogan “Follow The Flag.” It was a simple marketing tactic that earned the Wabash one of the most innovative logos and slogans of all time.

To exit...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-classicsfallen-flags-wabash-railroad-served-the-midwest-its-industries-and-people-part-2

FreightWaves Classics/Leaders: John Thomson made the Pennsylvania Railroad an industry leader

The Horseshoe Curve. (Image: contemporarycondition.blogspot.com)

John Edgar Thomson was born on this date 214 years ago in Springfield Township, which is near Philadelphia. His father (John Thomson) was a leading civil engineer; he helped build the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, as well as the first experimental railroad in the United States. 

A photograph of John Edgar Thomson. (Photo: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts)

Although John Edgar Thomson had little formal education, he worked closely with his father from an early age. Therefore, he received...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-classicsleaders-john-thomson-made-the-pennsylvania-railroad-an-industry-leader

FreightWaves Classics/Pioneers: Edward G. Budd transformed the railroad and automobile industries (Part 1)

An automobile with a Budd-manufactured all-steel body. (Photo: digital.hagley.org)

Today is the anniversary of the birth of Edward Gowan Budd. Born on December 28, 1870, in Smyrna, Delaware, his designs and manufacturing prowess changed both the automotive and railroad industries.

Edward G. Budd (Photo: PBS.org)Edward G. Budd (Photo: PBS.org)

Early career

From an early age, Budd had a mechanical aptitude; following high school he apprenticed as a machinist at a Smyrna ironworks. He moved to Philadelphia in 1890, where he worked as a machinist at a foundry and then at a company that manufactured machine...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-classicspioneers-edward-g-budd-transformed-the-railroad-and-automobile-industries-part-1

FreightWaves Classics/Leaders: A.J. Cassatt led the Pennsylvania Railroad into New York City

A Pennsylvania Railroad train. (Photo: Library of Congress)

​Well-known in his day, he is almost universally unknown now. Alexander Johnston Cassatt was born in Pittsburgh on this date in 1839. He was the eldest of seven children. Today his accomplishments are overshadowed by his sister Mary, the world-renowned Impressionist painter.

Alexander Johnston Cassatt. (Photo: lowermerionhistoricalsociety)Alexander Johnston Cassatt.
(Photo: lowermerionhistoricalsociety)

Cassatt served as the seventh president of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) from June 9, 1899 until his death on December 28, 1906. 

After graduating from...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-classicsleaders-aj-cassatt-led-the-pennsylvania-railroad-into-new-york-city

FreightWaves Classics/Fallen Flags: Reading Railroad lived and died with coal

A Reading Railroad freight is on the move. (Photo: bikeschuylkill.org)

There are many people interested in former transportation companies, whether they were trucking companies, railroads, airlines or ocean lines. They are called “fallen flags,” and the term describes those companies whose corporate names have been dissolved through merger, bankruptcy or liquidation.

The Reading Railroad (pronounced “Redding”) was known officially as the Reading Company. It was one of a number of Northeastern railroads that was begun primarily to carry coal. 

Unfortunately for the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-classicsfallen-flags-reading-railroad-lived-and-died-with-coal

FreightWaves Classics/Leaders: Executive led Pennsylvania Railroad and much more

General W.W. Atterbury during World War I. (Photo: Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum)

On this date in 1935, railroad executive William Wallace Atterbury died in Philadelphia at the age of 69. If all he had done was lead the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) he would be remembered as a leader. But he accomplished a great deal more…

William Wallace Atterbury. (Photo: Library of Congress)William Wallace Atterbury. (Photo: Library of Congress)

Atterbury was born in New Albany, Indiana in 1866. He graduated from Yale University and began his railroading career as an apprentice in the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) shops in Altoona,...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-classicsleaders-executive-led-pennsylvania-railroad-and-much-more