PC Ore

[Leggy]

Currently falling in love with the Penn Central and having absolutely no knowledge of it other than it was a merger of PRR and some eastern lines I'm keen to learn about it. Mainly, I know it hauled iron ore but where from and where to? What power was used? And lastly, can anyone help me out on learning the ins and outs of PC and when might be the best era to model it in?

Thanks
Mitch

[wm3798]

Your best bet is to pick up a few books, do a couple of google searches, and learn some of the basics.  The Penn Central was the biggest railroad merger in history at the time of its consummation, and ended up being the biggest corporate failure in history, and it held that title right up until Enron collapsed a few years ago.  By the way, it was the merger of the Pennsylvania, New York Central, and a little later, the New Haven.

It shipped ore all over the place, used an incredible array of power, and just about every type of topography you can imagine, from a tunnel under New York Harbor to bridges measured in miles, to mountain passes to the Great Lakes to the plains of the midwest.

It's a good idea to narrow your focus a bit before diving into the deep end of the pool...
Lee

[MichaelWinicki]

Great to hear of another who appreciates this "ugly duckling" of a railroad!

Joining the Penn Central Historical Society is greatly suggested.  Their magazine is a real gem along with the other reference material they offer... http://www.pcrrhs.org/

Unlikely PC, is a website that offers a historical archive of Penn Central data including copies of the old employee magazine... http://unlikelypcrr.com/

As far as books go, if you can find a copy of "Penn Central Power" by Yanocey you'll greatly enjoy it.

"Penn Central Railroad" by Lynch is a fairly recent book that has many high-quality color images.

"A Sampling of Penn Central" by Jerry Taylor is loaded with black & white photos and descriptions of the operations west of Pittsburgh.

Of course if you want serious reading, "The Wreck Of The Penn Central" is highly recommended.  This is a nuts & bolts description of the merger and what went wrong.  Unfortunately the merger was doomed from the get-go.  Both railroads were in poor financial shape with the Pennsylvania's infrastructure being very poor due to years of neglect.   Compounding the problems was government bureaucracy that kept needed changes from occurring both in regards to employees and redundant trackage.   Making the railroad take on the money-losing New Haven was just icing on the cake.

[Leggy]

I'm thinking about Horseshoe Curve and Altoona as the setting, did Amtrak or PC run passenger trains over Horseshoe Curve?

[Bob Bufkin]

PC ran passenger trains around Horseshoe (including their version of the Broadway Limited) until Amtrak took over.  Amtrak than ran trains around the curve and still does. 

[MichaelWinicki]

I'm thinking about Horseshoe Curve and Altoona as the setting, did Amtrak or PC run passenger trains over Horseshoe Curve?

Nothing wrong with the curve.  Very picturesque and well worth a visit.

However, the PC, like Lee mentioned was simply "all-over". 

One thing to consider... OK, maybe a couple of things.  To do the curve right is going to take a lot of space, track & trains.  Big undertaking in time, money & effort. 

But perhaps the thing I personally have against a "curve" based pike, is that it's been done to death, in every scale, and at the same time some terrific PRR and PC lines have been totally ignored.  Lines that are probably more suitable to modeling for several reasons.

Ultimately though you need to make the right decision for you, your desires and resources available.

[GaryHinshaw]

A fantastic example of Horseshoe Curve in N scale can be found right here on the 'wire:

http://therailwire.net/forum/index.php/topic,14560.0.html

As you can see it takes quite a bit of real estate to really do it justice.  I agree with the advice above to really do some reading first to help you refine your ideas and 'druthers'.

Cheers,
Gary

[ljudice]

Another not often regarded aspect of the PC was that it was a massive commuter railroad - in New Jersey, Philly, Westchester, Connecticut and Boston.  (I think Pittsburgh too, but a smaller operation).

It was also at one time the operator of the most advanced high speed trains - probably in the world at the time - on the Northeast Corridor - the same line also running heavy freights.

Just an amazing operation...

[Bob Bufkin]

Also had commuter lines in Chicago. If I had the room and someone made decent cat poles, I would give a try and doing part of the Northeast Corridore.  The mix of different passenger equipment, diesel and steam and a hefty amount of freight make it a no brainer. 
I also like the PRSL, commuters, more commuters, Baldwin, EMD, Reading power, etc.

[cv_acr]

http://rr-fallenflags.org/pc/pc.html
http://freight.railfan.ca/cgi-bin/displayrailway.pl?o=pc
http://rrpicturearchives.net/locoList.aspx?id=PC
http://rrpicturearchives.net/rsList.aspx?id=PC
http://rrpicturearchives.net/rsList.aspx?id=PCA
http://rrpicturearchives.net/rsList.aspx?id=PCB

Also keep in mind you'll have a lot of PRR and NYC equipment in the mix too.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Don't forget Jerry Jordak's awesome http://pc.smellycat.com/

[Mark5]

Another not often regarded aspect of the PC was that it was a massive commuter railroad - in New Jersey, Philly, Westchester, Connecticut and Boston.  (I think Pittsburgh too, but a smaller operation).

And a sleepy southern town ending in "DC"

[sirenwerks]

Don't forget Jerry Jordak's awesome http://pc.smellycat.com/

Did Jerry not include the Eastern Shore or did the PC give up the Delmarva?

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I'm guessing he just didn't have pics.

He's from Ohio, so tends to focus on that area.

[Rich Reinhart]

Morning Sun`s Penn Central in Color volumes I, II III and soon to be out IV have some great shots from all over the PC. They also offer the Color guide to Penn Central rolling stock.