Rails to Penn State: The Story of the Bellefonte Central

by Michael Bezilla, Jack Rudnicki

Overview

More than five hundred short line railroads existed in the United States at the industry's height, and Pennsylvania had more than any other state. The history of the Bellefonte Central, which operated in central Pennsylvania from the 1880s until 1982, is a classic story of the rise and decline of short line railroads nationwide. Connecting with the Pennsylvania Railroad--a company that proved to be both friend and foe--the Bellefonte Central played an important role in developing the region's renowned limestone and hot-blast ironmaking industries and was Penn State University's economic lifeline for generations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780811752466
Publisher:	Stackpole Books
Publication date:	02/19/2007
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Michael Bezilla lives in Lemont, Pennsylvania, and works at Penn State University. He is the author of two previous books and many journal articles on railroad history.

Jack Rudnicki lives in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, and works for BNSF Railway Company.

Table of Contents

List of Maps     iv
List of Tables and Passenger Train Schedules     v
Preface     vii
Acknowledgments     ix
The Buffalo Run, Bellefonte and Bald Eagle Railroad     1
BRB&BE Reorganized: The Bellefonte Central     33
Breaking the PRR Monopoly     63
Penn State Lifeline     94
In the Shadow of the Evil Empire     117
Stockholder Uprising     147
Creating "the Gyp"     175
Lime, Limestone, and Potus     197
Trucks and Trouble     222
The Kyle Agreement     247
Epilogue     270
Notes on the Sources     275
Railway Operating Income, 1892-1982     292
Total Freight Tonnage, 1892-1982     295
Lime and Limestone Tonnage, 1900-1982     298
Passenger Traffic, 1892-1964     301
Locomotive Roster, 1892-1982     302
Index     304