Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad

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Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad
Map
Map of the Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad up to 1945
standard gauge
Electrification12 kV 25 Hz
Length717 miles / 1,154 km
(pre-PCC&StL merger)

The Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad (PB&W) was a

the District of Columbia in the 20th century, and was a key component of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) system. Its 131-mile (211 km) main line ran between Philadelphia and Washington.[1]: 228  The PB&W main line is now part of the Northeast Corridor, owned by Amtrak
.

History

This 1906 bridge over the Susquehanna River, now called the Amtrak Susquehanna River Bridge, replaced the Civil War-era 1866 PW&B Railroad Bridge between Havre de Grace and Perryville, Maryland.

The railroad was formed in 1902 when the Pennsylvania Railroad merged two of its southern subsidiaries, the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad and the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad.[1]: 226 

In 1907, the PB&W became a co-owner of the new

Washington Union Station, the marble structure dubbed the "Transportation Temple of America".[2]

In 1916, the PB&W operated 717 miles (1,154 km) of road, including 9 miles (14 km) of

trackage rights.[1]
: 226–227 

Acquisitions

The PB&W acquired six railroad companies:

Improvements

In 1928, the PRR began to

catenary. Electrification of the PB&W portion was completed in 1935.[3] Amtrak still uses the 25 Hz traction power system
.

Dissolution

Union Junction Tower in Baltimore, built in 1910. It operated into the Amtrak era and was closed in 1987.

In 1968, the Pennsylvania Railroad and its longtime rival

Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail).[4]: 122  [5]

In popular culture

  • Flip Wilson's "Ugly Baby" (1965) routine is set on the Pennsylvania Railroad, outbound from Baltimore.[6][7]

See also

  • List of defunct Pennsylvania railroads
  • List of Delaware railroads
  • List of defunct Maryland railroads
  • List of Washington, D.C., railroads

References

  1. ^ a b c Poors Intermediate Manual of Railroads. New York: Poor's Manual Co. 1917.
  2. ^ Tindall, William (1914). Standard History of the City of Washington. Knoxville, TN: H.W. Crew. p. 418. Retrieved 2009-09-16. washington terminal company.
  3. ^ "Electrification History to 1948". Pennsylvania Railroad Electrification. www.railsandtrails.com. Archived from the original on 2012-09-08. Retrieved 2010-05-24.
  4. OCLC 36676055
    .
  5. ^ "Penn Central Railroad." Archived 2011-07-17 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 2010-05-23.
  6. ^ Wilson, Flip (1965). "Ugly Baby". Johnny Carson Show. Archived from the original on 2012-06-26.
  7. ^ Pompilio, Natalie. "Legends and Legacies: Flip Wilson". Legacy.com. Archived from the original on June 30, 2015. Retrieved June 27, 2015.

External links

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