I don’t have Pennsylvania’s 1951 or 1952 annual reports, but for those who care, the 1953 report includes financial results for every year between 1949 and 1953. This report also includes a statistical supplement that was printed in a separate … Continue reading
Despite a railroad strike early in the year, Pennsylvania Railroad profits grew from $12.5 million in 1949 to $38.4 million in 1950. This was largely due to increased traffic in the second half of the year resulting from the Korean … Continue reading
Steelworkers went on strike in 1949, and PRR blamed this for the decline in net revenues from $34.4 million in 1948 to $12.5 million in 1949. The railroad reduced its passenger service by another 10 percent, but noted that increased … Continue reading
PRR earned a net income of $34.4 million in 1948, a substantial increase from 1947’s $7.3 million. However, the report still complains that regulation depressed earnings and prevented the railroad from doing needed maintenance. “If it had been permissible, under … Continue reading
The Pennsylvania Railroad increased its revenues in 1947 and, thanks to approved rate increases, earned a small profit of $7.3 million (compared with $49.0 million in 1945). Passenger revenues, however, dropped by $47.7 million from 1946, partly because fare increases … Continue reading
The Pennsylvania Railroad did a booming business in 1946, carrying more traffic than any previous peacetime year in its history. But it still managed to lose money, which it blamed on government regulation. Apparently, regulators ordered wage increases retroactive to … Continue reading
The somewhat ghost-like cover is appropriate, as this was the 80th and last annual report of the Great Northern Railway. Although the Burlington Northern merger did not officially take place until March 2, 1970, the merged railroad put out a … Continue reading
Big Sky Blue is the theme of this annual report. Passenger trains were no longer important enough to rate a cover photo, even in the new color scheme, but page 2 has a familiar yet still striking photo of a … Continue reading
Great Northern’s passenger revenues increased yet again in 1966, this time thanks to bus and airline strikes. Still, passenger costs exceeded revenues, making passenger service an “enigma” for the railway. It is difficult to see, but the Great Northern logo … Continue reading
The cover photo of this report is almost identical to a black-and-white photo on page 7 of the 1964 report. The two photos were obviously taken the same day as the piggy-back trailers are in exactly the same spot. The … Continue reading
