I am looking for some information on with who and where the Pennsylvania interchanged. I know the easy ones such as the New York Central, B&O and Western Maryland but I don't know where met. For that matter, I can't seem to find any info online on who they interchanged with. Any information would be helpful but it would be nice if there was a map out there showing all of the interchanges over the state of Pennsylvania. I am not determined to stay in that state but want to stay with the same road name. I am starting a layout soon modeling the Pensy and would like to stay as prototypical with the interchanges as possible. I haven't decided a region because that will depend on who interchanged where.
Pennsylvania is a big state which was historically served by many railroads - the answer to your question is going to depend on which region of the state you are looking at - obviously the ones you named like NYC and B&O are going to have multiple interchange points statewide, but some others will be limited to specific regions - ex. WM south central only, Reading and CNJ east only, P&LE and P&WV west only, etc. Era will matter two - DLW and Erie vs. merged Erie-Lackawanna, for example. My advice would be to narrow your focus in terms of an area of the state as well as a timeframe, and then spend some time with Google. Here are a couple of map sites I've used before. The second one is mostly Ohio-focused, but if you are looking for western PA resources it will help some. pennsyrr.com/index.php/maps/general-inform railsandtrails.com/Maps/ Jeff
Pensy inter-changed with the Mil, C&EI and NYC in Terre Haute IN, I know for sure. I think they changed with the IC, up in Mattoon IL and maybe Effingham IL inch
Numerous interchanges around the Pennsy system with the N&W. Southern Ohio, WV Eastern Panhandle, Southern WV... heck, right in Pittsburgh, PA area too.
THE place to find interchange information is in an Official Railway Equipment Register, published quarterly back in the 1950s. The end of the PRR section in my April 1954 Register lists 2 1/2 pages of freight connections in fine print, five columns to the page. Here is an ALPHABET of connections (with the omission only of the initials O, Q and X) Akron & Barberton Belt Baltimore & Eastern Cambria & Indiana Delray Connecting RR East Erie Commercial RR Federal Barge Lines Genesse & Wyoming Hoboken Manufacturers RR Illinois Northern Jay Street Connecting RR Kentucky & Indiana Terminal Lake Erie & Eastern Manistee & Northeastern Newburgh & South Shore Patapsco & Back River Raritan River RR St. Louis & O'Follon Toledo, Angola & Western Unity RR Valley RR Washington & Old Dominion Youngstown & Northern Zanesville Belt & Terminal (most of these are NOT in Pennsylvania, which would help you better...)
Pennsylvania RR freight connections in the state of Pennsylvania, per April 1954 Official Railway Equipment Register. Baltimore & Ohio: Bessemer, Curwensville, Everson, Falls Creek, Foxburg, Gratztown, Hyndman, Johnstown, Josephine, New Castle, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Vintondale, Washington, PA. Bellefonte Central: Bellefonte, PA. Bessemmer & Lake Erie: Butler, Erie, Houston Jct., Mercer, Shenango, PA. Cambria & Indiana: Nantyglo, Rexis, PA. Central RR of New Jersey: Buttonwood, PA. Conemaugh & Black Lick RR: Johnstown, Morrellville, PA Cornwall RR: Cornwall, Lebanon, PA. Delaware & Hudson: Buttonwood, Hudson, South Wilkes-Barre, PA. Delaware, Lackawanna & Western: Martins Creek, Northumberland, West Nanticoke, PA. Donora Southern: Donora, PA. East Broad Top RR & Coal Co.: Mt. Union, PA. East Erie Commercial RR: Erie, PA. Erie RR: Brockway, Corry, Johnsonburg, New Castle, Oil City, Sharon, Sharpsville, Transfer, PA. That's the first page. Note: some of the railroads, especially short lines and switching railroads did not necessarily own any revenue/ interchange cars with their names of them. That information can be looked up, RR by RR, in the Register.
An acquaintance of mine was head of the PRR's Marketing Office in New Orleans. He coordinated joint shipments with the L&N and SOU, and I'm sure others as well.
A down side of using an ORER, is not having one for the desired time period. Another is finding one. They are a very popular collectible, and can be pricey.
The Mattoon location was close, the Pennsy line from Paris, IL to Decatur went through Arcola where it crossed the Illinois Central (just north of Mattoon). The Wabash Valley RR shortline took over and went broke after Conrail and the line is now gone. Bruce Stikkers
More PRR interchange points in Pennsylvania from the April 1954 ORER. Etna & Montrose RR: Etna, PA. Huntington & Broad Top Mountain: Huntington, Mt. Dallas, PA. Johnstown & Stony Creek: Johnstown, PA. Lake Erie, Franklin & Clarion: Summerville, PA. Lehigh & New England: Martin's Creek, PA. Lehigh Valley: Laurel Jct., Mt. Carmel, Newton, Shenandoah, PA. Ligonier Valley: Latrobe, PA. Maryland & Pennsylvania: York, PA. McKeesport Connecting: McKeesport, PA. Monongahela, Brownsville Jct., PA. Monongahela Connecting RR: Pittsburgh, PA. Montour: Hills, McDonald, PA. New York Central: Clearfield, Erie, Farrell, Irvona, Jamestown, Keating, Loch Lomond Jct., Mahaffey, McElhattan, Mill Hall Jct., North Girard, Oil City, Rose, Sharon, Sharpsville, Titusville, PA. Pittsburgh & Lake Erie: Beaver Falls, Brownsville Jct., Connellsville, Ellwood Jct., Homestead, Kobuta, Lowellville, New Castle, Sharon, Walford, PA. Pittsburgh & Ohio Valley: Scully, PA. Pittsburgh & West Virginia: Bridgeville, Clairton, PA. Pittsburgh, Chartiers & Youghieghany: Carnegie, Scully, PA. Reading Co.: Birdsboro, Camp Hill, Carlisle, Chadd's Ford Jct., Chester, Coatesville, Columbia, Conshohocken, Dillerville, Downington, Harrisburg. Lancaster, Landisville, Lebanon, Milton, Montgomery, North Philadelphia, Paper Mill, Philadelphia, Pottsville Jct., Reading, Sagon Jct., Shamokin, Shippensburg, Sunbury, Williamsport, PA. That's the second page.
The remainder of the Pennsylvania RR interchange locations in the state of Pennsylvania, from the April 1954 ORER. Steelton & Highspire RR: Highspire, Steelton, PA. Stewartstown RR: New Freedom, PA. Strasberg RR: Leaman Place, PA. Tylerdale Connecting RR: Washington, PA. Union RR: Bessemer, Clairton, Hays, Kenney Yard, South Duquesne, Thomson, PA. Unity RR: Renton Jct., PA. Upper Merion & Plymouth: Ivy Rock, Swedeland, PA. Valley RR: West Line, PA. Western Maryland: Connellsville, Hanover, Waynesboro, PA. Winfield RR: Winfield Jct., PA.
