Home | Open Account | Help | 293 users online |
Member Login
Discussion
Media SharingHostingLibrarySite Info |
Nostalgia & History > Did PRR Consider Selling More Than Just The LIRR?Date: 01/15/21 08:53 Did PRR Consider Selling More Than Just The LIRR? Author: Northern In 1966, the PRR sold the Long Island Railroad to the State of New York. During that period of time, did the PRR look into selling even more of their passenger dominant lines to include the Northeast Corridor and the Keystone line to both the Federal Government and State of Pennsylvania? Divesting of these lines could have delivered the PRR from operating passenger operations and shifted all of their efforts to freight operations. To access northern New Jersey and New York for freight operations, the PRR could have worked out an arrangement with the the Reading Railroad to connect their mainline in Harrisburg to the Lehigh Valley Railroad Allentown. PRR acquired control of the Lehigh Valley in 1962. Were any of these ideas considered by PRR management in the 1960s?
Date: 01/15/21 10:37 Re: Did PRR Consider Selling More Than Just The LIRR? Author: crusader5619 Really? With an impending merger, spin off of N&W and so on the Pennsy hops in the sack with more struggling railroads in the rust belt. Put yourself in the perspective of the 60s and not as a time traveling foamer. That being said who knows what might have been discussed in those boardrooms back then.
Date: 01/15/21 17:33 Re: Did PRR Consider Selling More Than Just The LIRR? Author: march_hare Who would have been the willing buyer? I don't see any evidence that the relevant states were ready to step up at that point.
Date: 01/15/21 17:55 Re: Did PRR Consider Selling More Than Just The LIRR? Author: RuleG Northern Wrote:
------------------------------------------------------- > In 1966, the PRR sold the Long Island Railroad to > the State of New York. During that period of > time, did the PRR look into selling even more of > their passenger dominant lines to include the > Northeast Corridor and the Keystone line to both > the Federal Government and State of > Pennsylvania? Divesting of these lines could > have delivered the PRR from operating passenger > operations and shifted all of their efforts to > freight operations. The PRR operated extensive network of long-distance trains outside of the Northeast. If the PRR divested itself of the Northeast Corridor operations and the Keystone line, it would have still had trains from the east to Pittsburgh, Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton, Indinapolis, St, Louis, Chicago and Buffalo. The PRR operated freight service on the Northeast Corridor and on the Keystone Line. Such freight service was operated into the Conrail era. I'm not so sure the PRR would have been anxious to divest itself of these lines. Additionally (someone please correct me if I'm wrong), but I think the PRR had hopes for the financial viability of passenger service in the Northeast Corridor when the Metroliner was introduced. The first Metroliner trainsets had PRR Keystone logos. However, maybe those hopes were based on some level of federal support. In 1964, the PRR discontinued all Pittsburgh area commuter rail service. Apparently, neither the state nor local governments at the time believed it was necessary to provide public funding to maintain the commuter rail service. Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/16/21 08:23 by RuleG. Date: 01/16/21 07:44 Re: Did PRR Consider Selling More Than Just The LIRR? Author: ntharalson Can't answer theoriginal question, but the Northeast Corridor was sold to Amtrak, I believe by Conrail but can be corrected. Freights still run on the corridor, but as trackage rights. There's more that can be said here, but I'll stop for now.
Nick Tharalson, Marion, IA |