Railroad Forums
1962 Harrisburg Wreck
- Discussion relating to the PRR, up to 1968. Visit the PRR Technical & Historical Society for more information.
I was working in Pittsburgh at the time; that night I was out late and decided to stay around and watch the westbound fleet go through in the midnight hours. Nothing showed up and I finally went home wondering whether something had happened. I found out the next morning what it was. The word was that the trackwork wasn't finished in time and the track foreman was afraid to admit it so he released the track as being ok for traffic.
PR and EC90:
I remembered reading a published article with photographs previously about this particular wreck:
The Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society "Keystone" quarterly magazine had an article published in 2014-Volume 47-Issue #2 titled -
"Baseball Special Wreck; Steelton, PA"
In the Inquirer article the mention of the mileage east of Harrisburg is 3.7 miles which would put the location of the wreck at about Mile 100 from Philadelphia and not 103.
The proper term for the poles should have been catenary - and not telephone - poles
on this electrified rail line.
The route would have taken the train to North Philadelphia via the "Pittsburgh Subway"
and to the Phillies game which was at Connie Mack Stadium in North Philadelphia (at
22nd and Lehigh). The Phillies played their games there until the 1970 season. In 1971
the Phillies moved into the then newly-constructed Veterans Stadium in S. Philadelphia.
Was there any mention about the motor (likely a GG1) that was used on this train?
See: www.prrths.com
MACTRAXX
I remembered reading a published article with photographs previously about this particular wreck:
The Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society "Keystone" quarterly magazine had an article published in 2014-Volume 47-Issue #2 titled -
"Baseball Special Wreck; Steelton, PA"
In the Inquirer article the mention of the mileage east of Harrisburg is 3.7 miles which would put the location of the wreck at about Mile 100 from Philadelphia and not 103.
The proper term for the poles should have been catenary - and not telephone - poles
on this electrified rail line.
The route would have taken the train to North Philadelphia via the "Pittsburgh Subway"
and to the Phillies game which was at Connie Mack Stadium in North Philadelphia (at
22nd and Lehigh). The Phillies played their games there until the 1970 season. In 1971
the Phillies moved into the then newly-constructed Veterans Stadium in S. Philadelphia.
Was there any mention about the motor (likely a GG1) that was used on this train?
See: www.prrths.com
MACTRAXX
EXPRESS TRAIN TO NEW YORK PENN STATION-NO JAMAICA ON THIS TRAIN-PLEASE STAND CLEAR OF THE CLOSING TRAIN DOORS