[Group of Six Penn Central Track Charts]

From the drafting room of the Penn Central!

This informative collection of official track charts was published variously between 1967 and 1970 by the Penn Central Railroad. Organized by regional division, the booklets present elevation profiles, traffic density maps, a legend, an index, and numerous manuscript updates. Coverage is almost exclusively on the Western/Columbus Division, focusing on Ohio and a few branches extending into Indiana and West Virginia.

Each diagram is filled with minute details that locate a huge variety of railroad infrastructure – stations, towers, bridges, switches, crossings, tunnels, signals, and much more. Streaks of color, applied by hand, indicate different types of rail. The complex composition and many modifications reflect the complicated nature of railroad operations. The group consists of the following:

• Buckeye Division – Southwestern Region – 1967 (Drafting Room Color Master copy, technically from the Pennsylvania Railroad);
• Southern Region Buckeye Division 1968 Track Program Chart (Inspection Copy);
• Buckeye Division Western Region 1968 Track Program Chart (Inspection Copy);
• Track Chart Columbus Division Southern Region Branches (Drafting Room Copy, dated 1970);
• 1970 Maintenance Program and Track Chart Columbus Division Main Lines Southern Region (Drafting Room Copy);
• [Untitled and Undated Track Chart of the Columbus District].

The short-lived Penn Central Transportation Company was formed in 1968 through the merger of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central Railroad, two of the largest railroads in the United States. Intended to create a more efficient and financially stable operation, the merger quickly led to operational chaos, labor disputes, and severe financial losses. In 1970, just two years after its creation, Penn Central filed for bankruptcy, marking the largest corporate bankruptcy in American history at the time. The failure of Penn Central ultimately prompted federal intervention, leading to the creation of Conrail in 1976, which took over many of the predecessors’ assets and operations.