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  • Odenton station keystone signs

  • Discussion pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
Discussion pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Moderator: therock

 #1498145  by TheOneKEA
 
Are the keystone signs at Odenton station original PRR signs? They appear to be present in the video footage of the NEC cab ride taken by Pentrex back in the 90s, but they are missing in photos of the building when it was closed for a time (found at https://www.navpooh.com/odenton.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;). The signs look like they could be PRR originals, and I’ve always been curious about their origins.
 #1498324  by RRspatch
 
I'm almost 100 percent sure they're reproductions. After the merger Penn Central sent crews out to cut off the top and bottom of the PRR Keystone signs leaving just a square sign. I worked in several of the interlocking towers between Landover and Edgewood and it was easy to see just where the cuts on the signs had been made. The PC crews didn't miss any.
 #1498436  by TheOneKEA
 
RRspatch wrote:I'm almost 100 percent sure they're reproductions. After the merger Penn Central sent crews out to cut off the top and bottom of the PRR Keystone signs leaving just a square sign. I worked in several of the interlocking towers between Landover and Edgewood and it was easy to see just where the cuts on the signs had been made. The PC crews didn't miss any.
Thanks for the info. That must have been a sad thing to see at the time.

I wonder if the state of Maryland paid for them or if they were paid for by a private citizen and donated to the state.
 #1498533  by MACTRAXX
 
KEA and RRD:

Could these PRR signs (I also think that they are reproductions) been made using an original PRR
sign for a sand casting or mould to make repro signs as displayed at Odenton?
Good to see that this Loewy-designed station building has been preserved.

I recall that something along these lines was used at Lansdowne Station (SEPTA Media-Elwyn Line)
as part of a station renovation project back in the 1990s to show PRR heritage.
An old PRR station sign in an outside collection was used to cast two reproductions.

I had no idea that Penn Central actually went and cut off the PRR keystones on station signs.
Were they repainted PC colors when this was done?

When did Penn Central install the green and white painted flat station signs at Odenton which I
do remember from the second half of the 1970s?

The PC signs used between Philadelphia and Washington on intermediate stations and towers had
their own unique letter font and were noticeably different then other PC green signs elsewhere.
Was there any possible reason for why these signs were different?

MACTRAXX