Penn Central, Volume 5

The Penn Central was a railroad suspended in financial limbo when Emery Gulash shot these scenes in the mid-1970s. Bankrupt since 1970, the reorganization court had decided in May 1974 that, based on its income, the PC was not re-organizable. The future of the PC and a number of other bankrupt railroads in the Northeast was placed in the hands of a government agency, the United States Railway Association. The middle of the decade was the worst of times for the PC. It may not have been the best of times for the trackside observers watching the Penn Central’s trains in action but the urgency was there to record on film all that they could before the curtain dropped on the large fleet of Brunswick Green locomotives, even as their appearance became a little shabbier.

The rail action on the PC was definitely dynamic. Eventually, Conrail picked up the pieces – but that is for the next program in our Penn Central series. Locations include: Ypsilanti, MI., Ann Arbor, MI., Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, Juniata River Valley, Horseshoe Curve, Conemaugh Jct., Carleton, Town Line, Advance Departure Yard, River Raisin, Lima, OH., US RT-23 Bridges, Westland, MI., Mich. Central Depot, Kalamazoo, MI., Maumee River Bridge, Trenton, MI., Dearborn, MI., W. Detroit, Wayne Jct., and South Bend.

Equipment Includes: GP-40s, GE U Boats, Alcos such as – C-636s & C-628, GP-35s, GP-38s, Budd Rail Diesel Car, SDP-40-Fs, E-units, Amtrak, French Turboliner, GP-9, F-40-PHs.