Chicago to New York Pennsy West Speeds Fort Wayne Speed Capital M1a freight Locomotive 1939

The Pennsylvania Railroad was founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Pennsy was the largest railroad by traffic and revenue in the US throughout its 20th Century existence and was at one time the largest publicly traded corporation in the world. At its peak, it controlled about 10,000 miles of rail line. During its history, the PRR merged with or had an interest in at least 800 other rail lines and companies. The PRR corporation still holds the record for the longest continuous dividend history: it paid out annual dividends to shareholders for more than 100 years in a row. For many years the President of the PRR was considered more powerful than the President of the United States. The budget for the PRR was larger than that of the U.S. government and the Pennsy employed approximately 250,000 workers. The Pennsylvania Railroad's corporate symbol was the keystone which is Pennsylvania's state symbol, with the letters PRR intertwined inside. When colored, it was bright red with silver-grey molding and lettering. (wik) During the 30's and 40's the Pennsy ran many luxurious passenger trains from the Chicago hub, to east coast cities, in competition with it's chief rival for the New York traffic, the New York Central. The Broadway Limited, with its 16 hour schedule was every bit as fine as the Twentieth Century. The Pennsy also had a new 17 hour coach only train, the Trail Blazer, to compete with the Central's Pacemaker. Two other fine trains the General and Golden Arrow were also on 17 hour schedules to compete with the Commodore Vanderbilt. On the run

Pennsylvania December 14, 1938 S1 passenger Locomotive 1939

E6s Atlantic 4-4-2 (pc)
High stepping (80" drivers) very fast passenger locomotive of the 30's and 40's. The Atlantics could haul up to eight cars at speed. Set U.S. steam record of 127.2 mph on the Pennsylvania Racetrack near Crestline, Ohio.

The first Baldwin built Pennsylvania K4s Pacific - 1927 (pc)
The K4s Pacific's with 80" drivers and Belpaire fireboxes, were the passenger hauler of choice on major Pennsy lines during the 30's through the mid-50's, until dieselization took over. They could haul up to eleven cars at speeds in the 90s, and often were double headed on the Pennsy main out of Chicago.

Map of the Pennsylvania Railroad circa 1930-1940

Chicago to Pittsburgh - 1940
The Chicago to Pittsburgh competition went all to the Pennsylvania. The B&O, with almost equal mileage to Pittsburgh, was content to travel more leisurely, and the New York Central System, also with about the same mileage, was not truly competitive since it traveled from Cleveland to Youngstown, Ohio on the Erie double track, and finished the run to Pittsburgh on the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie. The Erie name trains carried Pullmans and coaches to Pittsburgh, using the P&LE from Youngstown but were not at all in a hurry.

	Number - Train	Hours	Miles
Pennsylvania			468.4
	28 - Broadway Limited	7:52
	58 - Liberty Limited	8:15
	76 - Trail Blazer	8:18
	48 - The General	8:18
	78 - The Golden Arrow	8:22
	54 - Gotham Limited	8:45
	62 - Golden Triangle	8:45
	22 - Manhattan Limited	9:15
	52 - New Yorker	9:53
	2 - Pennsylvania Limited	10:00
	42 - The Rainbow	10:07
	208-908 - The Union	11:27	504.2 (via Columbus)
	216-416 - Fort Hayes	11:50	504.2 (via Columbus)
	108 - Ohioan	13:40	504.2 (via Columbus)
	118 - 118	14:15
Baltimore and Ohio			471.4
	6 - Capitol Limited	9:04
	10 - Shenandoah	9:39
	8 - Fort Pitt Limited	10:09
	14 - 14	11:15
	72-16-528	13:30
NYC-Erie-P&LE			471.4
	88 - 88	9:50
	86 - 86	10:15
	24 - 24	10:20
Erie-P&LE			491.8
	6-626 - Lake Cities	10:10
	8-624 - Atlantic Express	12:20
	2-688 - Erie Limited	12:40

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Pennsylvania - West - November 2, 1941 -Speeds over 60 mph - All Steam Powered
The fast E6s Atlantic and K4s Pacific locomotives of the Pennsylvania Railroad joined to produce the highest concentration of high speed steam power in the U.S. during the 30's and 40's, or probably since the inception of steam locomotives in America.

Train	#	From City	To City	Miles	Min.	mph
Detroit Arrow	4	Gary	Fort Wayne	123.0	96	76.9
Chicago Arrow	1	Fort Wayne	Gary	123.0	97	76.1
Red Bird	7	Fort Wayne	Gary	123.0	97	76.1
Red Bird	8	Gary	Fort Wayne	123.0	98	75.3
Liberty Limited	58	Plymouth	Fort Wayne	64.2	54	71.3
Admiral	70	Valparaiso	Plymouth	40.2	34	70.9
Broadway Limited	28	Englewood	Fort Wayne	141.0	120	70.5
Admiral	70	Plymouth	Fort Wayne	64.2	55	70.0
Trail Blazer	76	Gary	Plymouth	58.8	51	69.2
Liberty Limited	59	Fort Wayne	Plymouth	64.2	56	68.8
Pittsburgh Express	44	Plymouth	Fort Wayne	64.2	56	68.8
Trail Blazer	76	Plymouth	Fort Wayne	64.2	56	68.8
Trail Blazer	77	Fort Wayne	Plymouth	64.2	56	68.8
Liberty Limited	58	Gary	Plymouth	58.8	52	67.8
Liberty Limited	59	Plymouth	Gary	58.8	52	67.8
Broadway Limited	29	Fort Wayne	Englewood	141.0	125	67.7
General	48	Plymouth	Fort Wayne	64.2	57	67.6
General	48	Gary	Plymouth	58.8	53	66.6
General	49	Plymouth	Gary	58.8	53	66.6
Gotham Lim/Valley Sp	54-354	Gary	Fort Wayne	123.0	111	66.5
Manhattan Limited	22	Gary	Fort Wayne	123.0	111	66.5
General	49	Fort Wayne	Plymouth	64.2	58	66.4
Pennsylvanian	78	Plymouth	Fort Wayne	64.2	58	66.4
Golden Triangle	62	Gary	Fort Wayne	123.0	112	65.9
Admiral	70	Lima	Crestline	72.1	66	65.5
Trail Blazer	77	Crestline	Lima	72.1	66	65.5
Mid-City Express	12	Plymouth	Fort Wayne	64.2	57	65.3
Pennsylvania Limited	5	Fort Wayne	Plymouth	64.2	59	65.3
Pennsylvanian	78	Gary	Plymouth	58.8	54	65.3
Trail Blazer	77	Plymouth	Gary	58.8	54	65.3
Trail Blazer	76	Lima	Crestline	72.1	67	64.6
Trail Blazer	77	Lima	Fort Wayne	59.5	56	63.8
Golden Arrow	79	Fort Wayne	Warsaw	39.3	37	63.7
Liberty Limited	59	Crestline	Fort Wayne	131.6	124	63.7
Rainbow	42	Warsaw	Fort Wayne	39.3	37	63.7
General	48	Lima	Crestline	72.1	68	63.6
Golden Arrow	79	Crestline	Lima	72.1	68	63.6
Mid-City Express	12	Valparaiso	Plymouth	40.2	38	63.5
Southland	200	Gary	Fort Wayne	123.0	117	63.1
Pittsburgh Express	44	Gary	Plymouth	58.8	56	63.0
Broadway Limited	29	Crestline	Fort Wayne	131.6	126	62.7
Pittsburgh Express	44	Lima	Crestline	72.1	69	62.7
Admiral	70	Gary	Valparaiso	18.6	18	62.0
Golden Arrow	79	Plymouth	Valparaiso	40.2	39	61.8
Liberty Limited	58	Lima	Crestline	72.1	70	61.8
New Yorker	52	Valparaiso	Plymouth	40.2	39	61.8
Pennsylvania Limited	2	Valparaiso	Plymouth	40.2	39	61.8
Pennsylvanian	78	Lima	Crestline	72.1	70	61.8
Pennsylvania Limited	5	Crestline	Fort Wayne	131.6	128	61.7
Chicago Arrow	1	Gary	Englewood	18.4	18	61.3
Red Bird	7	Gary	Englewood	18.4	18	61.3
Broadway Limited	28	Fort Wayne	Crestline	131.6	129	61.2
General	48	Fort Wayne	Lima	59.5	59	60.5
New Yorker	52	Warsaw	Fort Wayne	39.3	39	60.5
Golden Arrow	79	Lima	Van Wert	27.1	27	60.2
Manhattan Limited	22	Lima	Dunkirk	24.1	24	60.2
General	49	Crestline	Lima	72.1	72	60.1
		Average Speeds		4162.4	3776	66.1

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Fort Wayne - Speed Capital of Steam
Fort Wayne, Indiana could have been described as the "Speed Capital of the Steam Powered Passenger Trains of the 30's and 40's". In November of 1941, there were no less than 30 daily arrivals or departures from the Fort Wayne Union station, on the Pennsylvania Railroad, with average speeds to or from their next destination of 60 miles per hour or greater. If we add the Wabash Railroad's single 60+ run from Adrian to the Fort Wayne station our total 60+ movements are 31. The above chart shows the Pennsy movements. The track from Englewood to Fort Wayne and Crestline, Ohio could have best been described as a Race Track. It was almost dead straight, with few hills, and was well ballasted with 152# rail, heaviest in use at that time. The Detroit Arrow was the fastest of all with an average speed of 76.9 mph from Gary to Fort Wayne. Seven of these movements were at averages of 70 mph or higher. No other city in the USA matched this raw display of steam train speed.

I once rode from Fort Wayne to Englewood on the Detroit Arrow. It left Fort Wayne 10 minutes late and arrived in Englewood on the advertised. We traveled 141 miles in 105 minutes for an average speed of 80.6 mph. I timed mileposts at 90 mph.

The tragedy is that this superior roadway, the fastest steam stretch in the nation, has been largely abandoned and ripped up in recent years, with only short stretches still remaining in a much more dilapidated condition. So much for progress.

City	60+mph stops	Top Speed	Ave,Speed	Railroad
Fort Wayne	31	76.9	67.2	Pennsy(30)Wabash(1)
Milwaukee	22	71.5	64.4	Milwaukee(18)CNW(4)
Toledo	23	70.9	64.0	New York Central

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