The Pennsylvania Railroad in 1917 was one of the largest, wealthiest, and most powerful corporations in the entire country. It was, in every sense of of the term, a national institution. Operating over 11,000 miles of line, this year the System would generate $81,305,000 net operating income on revenues of $491,421,000. At this time the Company was employing 223,768 people, with a payroll exceeding $211,000,000 a year. For generations, the Pennsylvania had paid regular dividends, even during times of national financial crisis, and in 1917 was to pay six percent on 9,985,413 shares of capital stock held by 90,388 shareholders. During 1916, the shares traded between $55.00 and $60.00 per share, and were considered a gilt-edged investment. The years between 1890 and 1920 were distinguished with one engineering triumph after another as the Company spent millions of Dollars upgrading the physical plant, with new termini in New York, Washington, and Baltimore, the bridge over the Susquehanna at Rockville, and numerous other works.

This year would be an eventful one in its history, for the Pennsylvania would, in April, open the Hell Gate Bridge linking Pennsylvania Station in New York City to the New Haven Railroad, and thus complete the final phase of the monumental engineering work of its entrance into that metropolis. The total cost of the Hell Gate connection alone would be $27,000,000. In the chronological train listings which follow, it will be noted that direct connections to Boston are conspicuously absent; the Hell Gate Route was not yet opened, and the ferrying of through cars around New York harbour had been suspended. Additionally, April would see the entry of the United States into the First World War, and in December would come the ultimately disasterous Federal takeover of the Nation's railway system.

Like most other large railroad companies in the country, the Pennsylvania was an amalgamation of numerous smaller entities and connecting lines acquired over the years through lease, stock control, or outright purchase. The situation in Baltimore reflected this, and indeed the station was named Union because it was located where several of these smaller predecessor companies met. Although space does not permit a full examination of the corporate development of the lines radiating out from the city, a brief overview would be helpful.

From the station, the tracks extending north along the Jones Falls Valley to Harrisburg and beyond were the Northern Central Railway, operated for many years by the Pennsylvania, and formally leased on July 29, 1914. During 1910, stockholders of the Northern Central had requested the Pennsylvania to lease the line, and negotiations had been opened, however an anti-lease faction within the group of minority stockholders had delayed the action. Eventually, the suits were withdrawn or satisfied, and the property was leased to the Pennsylvania for a term of 999 years. The lease had a retroactive date of January 1, 1911 which was the date the lease was originally to have begun. Beyond the station, a mile to the South in the heart of the city, lay Calvert Station, the actual, although not the original terminus of the Northern Central. Southward extended the Baltimore and Potomac to Washington; and northeastward ran the Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore. These last two were merged in 1902 to form the Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington. The P.W.&B. was still, in 1917, a separately operated railroad; with earnings and expenses accounted for as an entity within the Pennsylvania System. This distinct corporate identity is shown through individual listing pages in the Official Guide, and in the running of the trains themselves. Unlike operations in the present day, where trains passing through Baltimore are running principally between New York and Washington; traffic in 1917 was definitely divided, with trains running between Washington and Philadelphia, and Philadelphia and New York. There were of course through trains in 1917 between New York and Washington, The Congressional Limited naturally comes immediately to mind, but the majority of these through runs were connecting trains for southern railroads at Washington.

About midway between Union and Calvert stations, at a point known as Hillen Junction, a short branch departed to Hillen Station, the Baltimore passenger terminal of the Western Maryland Railway. Western Maryland trains had running rights of over the P.B.&B. from Fulton Junction on the line to Washington, through Union Station to Hillen Junction. The Western Maryland was at this time still operating through sleeping cars to Pittsburgh and Chicago over the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie from Connellsville to Youngstown, then over the Erie to Cleveland, where connection was made with the New York Central for the continuation into Chicago.

Baltimore was listed in numerous timetables in the Guide and the following represents a distillation of all of those references. Some tables showed both arrival AND departure times for a train, others only arrival OR departure times. Where only one time was available, the other was hypothecated using a variety of methods. Additionally, trains originating or terminating in Baltimore Union Station itself didn't just materialize out of thin air, rather they had to be shunted to and from the coach yards around the station, or those known as Mount Vernon Yards located up along the Northern Central line. Where trains needed to be shown as arriving from or departing to the various yards, times were hypothecated for such movements, and inserted into the chronology. These times are shown in italic type, to distinguish them from the arrivals and departures of trains actually documented in the Guide by one or both timetable times. In addition to the Pennsylvania System pages in the Guide, the listings of several other lines were consulted for times and consists; the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac, the Atlantic Coast Line, the Seaboard Air Line, the Southern, the Chesapeake & Ohio, the Norfolk & Western, and the Florida East Coast. Western Maryland trains required references to the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie, the Erie, and the New York Central System.

*

Train, or noted equipment, running daily. Return to the train listing.

+

Train, or noted equipment, running daily except Sundays. return to the train listing.

S

Train, or noted equipment, running Sundays only. Return to the train listing.

--?-

This symbol, used in place of a regular train number, indicates that the original source documentation did not indicate a movement number. Several times in the Guide trains were listed in the same time column with others, or as footnotes like "...additional trains to x depart at..." without any other distinguishing identification. Where the Guide did not provide a train number, every effort was made to determine one using additional original sources. Alas, these searches were often fruitless. Return to the train listing. Additionally, please see the listing of materials which are sought to complete the project.

Cafe-Obs

Cafe observation car, configuration otherwise unspecified, may be either railroad or Pullman owned and operated. Return to the train listing.

Parlor-dr

Pullman parlor car, with one or more drawing rooms.Return to the train listing.

Ps

Pullman sleeping car, exact configuration not specified in timetables or equipment listings.Return to the train listing.

Ps-dr

Pullman sleeping car, with one or more drawing rooms, or other private rooms, but exact configuration not specified in timetables or equipment listings.Return to the train listing.

Ps-comp

Pullman sleeping car, with one or more compartments, or other private rooms, and possibly with open sections as well, but exact configuration not specified in timetables or equipment listings. Return to the train listing.

Ps-compdr

Pullman sleeping car with drawing rooms and compartments in unspecified combinations, possibly with open sections as well. Return to the train listing.

Ps-obs

Pullman observation sleeping car with unspecified arrangement of sleeping accomodations.Return to the train listing.

Ps-12sdr

Pullman sleeping car with twelve open sections, and one drawing room. This type car was the most common during the heavyweight era. Return to the train listing.

Ps-10s2compdr

Pullman sleeping car with ten open sections, two compartments, and one drawing room.Return to the train listing.

Ps-6s5comp

Pullman sleeping car with six open sections and five compartments. Return to the train listing.

Ps-10s/obs

Pullman observation sleeping car with ten open sections. Return to the train listing.

Ps-10s/lib/obs

Pullman observation sleeping car with a featured library area and ten open sections.Return to the train listing.

Ps-7comp2dr

Pullman sleeping car with seven compartments and two drawing rooms. Return to the train listing.

A Few Words on Dining Cars...

During the period under discussion, the Pennsylvania referred to dining cars as restaurant cars. In the interest of space, and because the two terms are synonymous, we have used the more common term in the equipment listings. An interesting anecdote: Lucius Beebe, the famous author, railfan and epicure, in volume two of The Trains We Rode quoted from Henry L. Mencken's The Divine Afflatus in which Mencken wrote; "No man within twenty-four hours after eating a meal aboard a Pennsylvania Railroad dining car could conceivably write anything worth reading." Could the Pennsylvania's renaming of its dining cars be an attempt at public relations?Return to the train listing.

RETURN TO WHAT'S HERE SO FAR... RETURN TO THE TOP OF THE CHRONOLOGICAL LISTINGS.

	Notes

Note 1

Train 503, The Pacific and Northern Express, serves as a connection at Harrisburg for train 3, The Pacific Express; train 37, The Iron City Express; and by extention trains 449-3, 449-3-333, 449-3-17, and 37-637.Return to the train listing.

Note 2

Train 518 serves as a connection from train 18, The Mail. Return to the train listing.

Note 3

Train 541 serves as a connection for train 203, The Express; and by connection trains 203-71-611, 203-41-601, and 333. Return to the train listing.

Note 4

The all-Pullman Capital Express, train 52, is also a connection from train 614-208, The Philadelphia Express; train 32, The New York Express; train 38-52, The Buckeye Limited; and trains 13304-614, 22-52, and 1440-52. The through timetables for long-distance trains show number 52 with arrival times in Harrisburg, York, Baltimore and Washington, but the local timetables do not show this train at all. It has been assumed that because it carried only Pullman cars, the train would stop in these cities only to discharge passengers, and not to pick-up. The departure time shown in the chronological section is hypothesized from the arrival time in Washington of 8:26 a.m., and the average running time of express trains between Baltimore and Washington of sixty-two minutes. The nineteen minutes the train thus stayed in Baltimore Union Station would certainly have been enough time to switch in the dining car carried from Baltimore to Washington, although if the train were full, there would doubtless be a number of un-breakfasted passengers when the train reached its final destination.Return to the train listing.

Note 5

Train 974, The St. Louis Express, although it does not carry through cars from its namesake city, serves as a connection from train 14, The New York Mail; train 6, The Mercantile Express; and trains 4-208, 332-6, and 400-1006-6. Return to the train listing.

Note 6

Train 990 is the connection from train 32, The New York Express. Return to the train listing.

Note 7

The Buffalo and Pittsburgh Express, while carrying a through parlor car to Buffalo, does not operate any through cars to Pittsburgh, although it is shown as the connecting train for number 15, The Pittsburgh Express; number 15-13, The Fast Mail; and 15-343. Return to the train listing.

Note 8

The famous Broadway Limited, train 28, is the only connection shown for train 528, The Washington Night Express. Return to train listing.

Note 9

Another train which does not carry any through cars for its namesake city is number 525, The Chicago Special. The through cars that are carried on this train travel only as far as Pittsburgh. Return to train listing.

Note 10

Train 527 also serves as the connecting train for number 217-1, The Main Line Express; and number 27, The Commercial Express. Return to train listing.

Note 11

The Keystone Express, number 530, is the connection from train 20, The Keystone Express; train 34, The Seaboard Express; and train 30, The New Yorker. Return to train listing.

Note 12

Train 505, The Pennsylvania and St. Louis Express, is the connecting train for number 5, The Pennsylvania Limited; and also, by extention, numbers 5-203 and 5-1404. Return to train listing.

Note 13

Number 502, The Chicago, St. Louis, and Washington Express, is the connecting train from number 2, The Pennsylvania Limited; train 26, The Commercial Express; and trains 202-2, and 126-26. Return to train listing.

Note 14

The Chicago and St. Louis Express, train 529, is the connection for The Broadway Limited, number 29; and also train 33, The Panhandle Limited; and train 21, The Keystone Limited. Return to train listing.

Note 15

Train 544, The New York and St. Louis Express, serves as the connection from number 12-242, The Main Line Express; number 8, The Eastern Express; train 44, The New York Day Express; and trains 202-8, 810-8, and 124-44. Return to train listing.

Note 15a

Unlike her running mate, train 52, which is virtually undocumented east of Harrisburg, train 51 is shown on several tables with arrival and departure times. The through cars arrive in Baltimore on train 5122, an express Washington to Baltimore run. After dropping the coaches, the remaining sleeping, parlor, and dining cars become the all-Pullman Chicago Limited. Return to train listing.

Note 16

The westbound train 51, the all-Pullman Chicago Limited, is also shown in the timetables as the connection for train 23, The Manhattan Limited; and trains 31, 51-39 and 51-401. Return to train listing.

Note 17

The Buffalo and St. Louis Express,train 975, is the connection for train 9, The Western Express; and train 7, The Mercantile Express. Return to train listing.

Note 18

Train 979 is the connecting train for number 19, The Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Chicago Express; number 35, The Pittsburgh Night Express; number 9, The Western Express; and trains 19-1719, 19-1319 and 9-1409.

Train 560 is shown in the timetables as the connection from number 606-36, The Harrisburg Express; number 36, The Day Express; and by extention, numbers 136-36, 302-600-36 and 312-36. Return to train listing.

Note 20

It does seem ridiculous to operate sleeping cars from Washington to Harrisburg, especially two cars, one running thirty minutes behind the other, and these two entries might very well have been typographical errors in the equipment listings. The idea that these two listing might have been errors is further reinforced by the omission of any occupancy limitations in Harrisburg station. In the Guide, these sleeping car lines running between Washington and Harrisburg are immediately above the parlor car routes for trains 7 and 19. It may be that these two cars should have been included in the next catagory down, but the Guide showed them as sleeping cars, and thus have we described them in the chronological section. Return to train listing.

Note 21

The Sparrow's Point trains to which this note refers may have been a combined movement to the coach yards, although for consistancy they have been shown as two movements. Return to train listing.

Note 22

Through a coincidence of timing, numbers 185 and 186, all-Pullman Florida and southern points connecting trains, if running on-time probably pass one another at a point between Frederick Road and Arbutus just south of Baltimore; perhaps at Loudon park, a point made immortal through the many excellent photographs of the late Charles Chaney. Return to train listing.

Note 23

This is a general note regarding Western Maryland trains 2, 3, 7 and 8. The Western Maryland timetables in the Guide would seem to indicate that there were two trains in each direction daily with through cars to and from Chicago. Howver, after examining the listings for the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie, the Erie, and the New York Central, we determined that only trains 2 and 3 operated sleeping cars to Chicago, while 7 and 8 carried through sleeping cars to and from Pittsburgh. It is this arrangement that has been used in the chronological section. We have shown the cafe observations running in all four trains, albeit without terminal points other than Hillen Station (Baltimore). The cars may have run through to Connellsville, or may have been turned in Hagerstown or Cumberland. Return to train listing.

RETURN TO WHAT'S HERE SO FAR...

	A Few Notes on how Arrival and Departure Times were computed when they were missing in the original source documentation.

This portion of the project is still under construction, so for now you can

	Things we didn't have, but you might, which would definitely enhance the project.

To be known well things must be known in detail, but as detail is almost infinite,
our knowledge is always superficial and imperfect.
François, duc de La Rochefoucauld

READ THIS FIRST...it's important...
Photocopying and postage are expensive. If you have something to contribute, send us some information about it, together with the anticipated costs of duplication and mailing, and we'll reimburse you in advance.

An Employees' Timetable from the period would be the ideal resource to establish exact timings and chronological ordering. Did the railroad operate arranged freight train services in 1917? When were the mail trains inserted into the operations? These questions are just a few of the many that an employees' timetable might answer. The earliest employee timetable in our combined collections is a Maryland Division one from 1952. If any reader would be willing to copy an example from 1917 (plus or minus) it would be greatly appreciated.

Like most large railroads, the P.R.R. (and hopefully its numerous daughter companies) issued passenger train consist books. These would most likely have been separately issued for East-West trains and for those in the Washington-New York corridor. Consist books were used to show yard masters how trains should be put together. One of these from the 1917 period would be the ultimate consist source.

Does anyone have any Dispatchers Train Movement Sheets? These would be useful in determining engine numbers, from which could be deduced engine classes. Additionally these may show basic consist information or even entire train formation.

It would be wonderful to get train numbers for all of those Sparrow's Point trains. We're looking for a Public Timetable for the Sparrow's Point Branch. This may be either from the P.R.R., the P.B.&.W., or the Baltimore and Sparrow's Point R.R.

Upon the land where the Post Office building now stands, once could be found the engine terminal and the wye entrance to the tracks leading to Hillen Junction and Calvert Station. While a kind of wye still exists, the tracks at that end of the station have been greatly changed from the configuration that existed in 1917. We would be very appreciative if a reader could supply copies of any types of track diagrams, signal department drawings, railroad engineering department drawings, et cetera. Indeed almost anything that could be scanned into a .gif or .jpeg image, or redrawn into a scanable format, would be a tremendous addition. We have a set of division signal department diagrams from 1965, and it's a nice start, but the alterations made between 1917 and 1965 were so vast that the '65 edition is almost useless.

From here you may