The Pennsylvania Railroad: The Railroad That Built America
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At its peak, the Pennsylvania Railroad was the largest corporation in the world. Not the largest railroad. The largest corporation — of any kind, anywhere. It employed more people than the U.S. Army. It moved more freight than any other company on earth. And it was headquartered in Philadelphia.
The Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was chartered in 1846 to connect Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, opening up the markets of the Midwest to the commerce of the East Coast. It grew rapidly, absorbing smaller lines and expanding its network until it stretched from New York to Chicago, from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico.
The PRR's main line through Pennsylvania was an engineering marvel — crossing the Allegheny Mountains through a series of tunnels, bridges, and grades that represented the cutting edge of 19th-century railroad technology. The Horseshoe Curve near Altoona, completed in 1854, became one of the most famous pieces of railroad infrastructure in America.
The Keystone
The Pennsylvania Railroad's logo — the Keystone, a nod to Pennsylvania's nickname as the Keystone State — became one of the most recognized corporate symbols in America. The PRR's red and gold color scheme, its fleet of streamlined passenger trains, and its magnificent stations (including the original Pennsylvania Station in New York, demolished in 1963 in one of the great acts of architectural vandalism in American history) made it one of the most visible and prestigious corporations in the country.
The Decline
The Pennsylvania Railroad merged with the New York Central in 1968 to form Penn Central, which went bankrupt in 1970 in the largest corporate bankruptcy in American history to that point. The collapse of Penn Central was a watershed moment in American business history — the end of an era in which railroads were the dominant force in American commerce.
The Pennsylvania Railroad Retro T-shirt, Sweatshirt, Hat, and Sticker are for railroad history lovers and Pennsylvania proud alike. Find them in the Philadelphia collection.