Pennsylvania Railroad Calendar Shows Off Standard Railroad of the World

Added: (Thu Aug 26 2010)

Pressbox (Press Release) - WINDSOR, CT (August 16, 2010) The Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) became the standard by which other railroads were measured. Founded in 1846 to connect Harrisburg to Pittsburgh, PA, PRR began calling itself the Standard Railroad of the World in 1916.

2011 marks the 155th anniversary of the line that showed the world how a successful railroad should be run – at least until it failed. The tracks, the trains and the history live on in the just-released Pennsylvania Railroad 2011 calendar published by Tide-mark Press.

Other railroads aspired to PRR’s accomplishments, including being the first railroad to replace wooden-bodied passenger cars with steel-bodied cars, and the first to introduce the vestibuled train. PRR also led the way in many safety and efficiency improvements.

An early proponent of standardization, the Pennsylvania Railroad experimented with equipment designs. When the right design was identified, it became standard across the whole company, giving the railroad a feel of uniformity and reducing costs. PRR also adopted standard color schemes for equipment. Since 1968, millions of passengers and containers have continued to travel on PRR track, although the railroad’s identity was lost in mergers.

The 2011 calendar brings back the days when the Pennsylvania Railroad ran from Chicago and St. Louis to New York City and Washington, D.C., with color photographs taken in the 1950s and 1960s. Each picture is accompanied by a description of the action and the equipment.

January shows Budd-built “Silverliner” MU cars running on PRR’s busy Chestnut Hill, PA suburban line. February brings a view of the South Amboy, NJ, where engines like the diesel “passenger shark” were switched with electrics like GG1 4813. What’s a shark? The calendar caption explains.

In May a 1925 Pullman-built inspection/parlor car 7125, “Queen Mary,” gleams as it is readied for special service on extra trains running to the Army-Navy Game. October brings engine number 4897 heading Train 23, the “Manhattan Limited,” at Coatsville, PA, while December shows a PRR train seeming out of place in Michigan. Late in its history, PRR extended its service to the west, adding trains such as this one led by EMD GP35 number 2294.

This beautifully designed publication is attractive and useful, with calendar grids that have large blocks for every day of the week. The monthly calendar also includes grids for the previous and forthcoming months, to make planning more convenient. The calendar opens to a generous 14 by 22 inches, nearly 10 percent larger than most other brands and includes major holidays and phases of the moon.

This and other train calendars can be purchased on line through Tide-mark’s website. Many Tide-mark titles are available through independent booksellers, at Barnes & Noble, Borders, and at Amazon.com.

Tide-Mark Press publishes distinctive books, cards and calendars. The diverse line of full-color calendars range from nautical themes, like Cruising World, and landscape titles such as America the Beautiful, to train titles like Railroading and regional titles like New England Seasons.

In addition to calendars, Tide-mark publishes illustrated books ranging in subject from Tall Ships, An International Guide and Sara Steele, Blueprint for Paradise, to Wines of Italy and Gettysburg, This Hallowed Ground. Tide-mark celebrated thirty years of quality publishing in 2009.