How to read these consists

Above is an example of WPB4’s consist and what each column means (at least the ones I know.)  The Pennsylvania was unusual to include where the car was received from interchange and from who on their consists; most consists that I’ve seen only include where the car is going.  This is very helpful figuring out where the car might’ve originated.

Not all of the consists fit the above example, but they are similar.

The Consists

PRR CE4 5-5-1962 – this train ran from Cleveland to Edge Moor Yard in Delaware.  According to the 1960 Freight Schedule, this train should have blocks for the Chrysler plant in Newark, DE and an Edge Moor block, and this train appears to be blocked that way.  There is also a large block of auto parts for the GM plant in Wilmington.

PRR CE4 6-18-1965 – much like the train three years earlier above, this train has many loads of auto parts for the Chrysler plant in Newark.  Finished autos for Newark are again present in the train.  However, today’s train does not have the auto parts for the GM plant in Wilmington.  Of interest to me is the load of bauxite in RI 122, a covered hopper, going to the Sunoco refinery in Marcus Hook.  Presumably this bauxite came from Arkansas, but I’m not sure what its use would be.

PRR PE3 5-4-1962 – this train originates at Potomac Yard with traffic from southern connections and is bound for Enola.  There is some perishable traffic on this train along considerable kaolin clay for northern paper mills.  Many of the cars are bound for interchange with the Delaware & Hudson at Buttonwood Yard in Wilkes-Barre.

PRR PE3 6-18-1965 – like the train above, this train runs from Potomac Yard to Enola.  This train has a large block of phosphate rock ACL covered hoppers (e.g. ACL 89733) bound for the Electric Reduction Company of Canada phosphate plant in Port Maitland, Ontario on the Toronto Hamilton & Buffalo.  This plant was significant for being a catalyst of the environmental movement in Canada.  A later picture of this facility can be found here and a discussion of the uses of the TH&B covered hoppers in the picture here.

PRR BF14 6-18-1965 – this train operated from Buffalo to Enola.  In the 1960 PRR schedule, it shows having perishable blocks on the train, but there are no perishables on this short train.  Indeed, this train will no longer operate by 1968, although BF4, another Buffalo to Enola train, will continue for several more years and be extended through to Baltimore.  It is also possible that this paperwork is only showing the Renovo pickup and is not a complete train list.

PRR EC6 6-18-1965 – this short train originated from Newberry Yard in Williamsport, PA and ran to Enola.

PRR ET1 6-18-1965 – this train originated at South Amboy and is bound for Enola.  It is possible this list only shows the Morrisville pickup and not the entire train.  The tin plate bound for American Can probably originated at the US Steel Fairless Works in Morrisville.

PRR TH3 6-19-1965 – this train operated from Thurlow Yard in Chester, PA to either Enola or Conway with a pick up at Edge Moor.  The empty auto parts cars were most likely picked up at Edge Moor and are probably from the GM Wilmington Assembly plant.  In previous years, there would’ve also been empty auto parts cars from Thurlow from the Ford Plant in Chester, but this plant closed in 1961.

PRR WPB4 CE4 5-20-1965 – this is a combined train: WPB4 from Wheeling or Conway to Baltimore, and CE4 from Cleveland to Edge Moor.  WPB4 has blocks for Baltimore, Washington, and Potomac Yard, while CE4 has an Edge Moor block as well as a Thurlow block which includes wood pulp for the Scott Paper toilet paper plant in Chester.

PRR WPB4 6-19-1965 – This train originated either at Wheeling or Conway; I don’t have access to a freight schedule of the time to be sure.  There are consists for both Conway and Altoona; 1 car was set out at Johnstown, but otherwise the consist was unchanged.  A large block of coke for United States Steel at Philadelphia ends the train.

PRR BC10 9-16-1966 – This is a Conway to Altoona symbol routed via the Conemaugh Divsion with blocks for Kiski Jct. (Kiskiminetas Jct.) and Conemaugh Yard.

PRR BC10A 9-17-1966 – this looks it originated from Conway with a train of empty hoppers for Blairsville.  It then picked up a few cars from the B&O interchange at Millvale and proceeded to Blairsville where it traded its empty hoppers with loads of mostly coal.

PRR AST4 9-17-1966 – a Penn Central schedule map from 1968 shows this train originating at Enola and running to Harsimus Cove, with AST-2 scheduled from Logansport to Enola.  So I am not sure of the origin of this symbol in 1966.  This was a short train of priority traffic for multiple East Coast destinations.  Of interest are two reefers of California oranges received from the Santa Fe at Chicago to be reiced at Huntingdon (seen here from Jerry Britton’s PRR Middle Division in HO Scale site.)

PRR PG34 SW6B 5-20-1965 – this appears to be a combined PG34 / SW6B running through to Enola.  I am not sure what the significance of the “B” on SW6B is.  Unlike the PG34 shown below, this consist is before the train has set out at Conemaugh, and there is a large block of coal for Bethlehem Steel at Johnstown.  Much like the PG34 below, only a few cars are bound for Cresson, where the PG34 would normally terminate.

PRR PG34 9-16-1966 – this train runs from Pitcairn to Cresson and works Conemaugh Yard.  This consist is after the train has departed Conemaugh, as it shows cars received from the B&O at Johnstown.  Only a few cars are bound for Cresson proper, including three cars for the car shop at Colver on the Cambria & Indiana.  For more information on the C&I, check out this Appalachian Railroad Modeling page.

PRR Coal Barnesboro to Renovo 9-16-1966 – this coal train appears to have come from Barnesboro heading to Renovo with coal for Pepco’s Herbert Wagner power plant and Baltimore Gas and Electric (possibly their Gould Street plant?).  Although the train apparently originated at Barnesboro, many of the cars were received from the Monongahela Railway at Brownsville Jct., and a few from other railroads such as the Norfolk & Western at Hagerstown and Columbus.

PRR CI Pennsylvania Power and Light Unit Coal 9-16-1966 – This is a unit train of Pennsylvania Power & Light hoppers received from the Cambria & Indiana at Rexis bound for the Brunner Island Steam Electric Station in York Haven.  According to A Short History of the Cambria & Indiana, this train may have originated at Stiles.

PRR JDA2 9-17-1966 – a coal train with cars for multiple destinations received from multiple mines.  I don’t know how PRR symbols coal trains; if anyone has that info, please let me know.

PRR WPB4 9-16-1966 – I don’t have access to a PRR freight schedule from 1966 so I’m not sure of this train’s origin.  In 1960, this train originated at Wheeling; in 1968, at Conway.  Baltimore was the destination in both cases.  The train of this date has blocks for Baltimore Bay View and Mount Vernon classifications, Washington DC, and Potomac Yard.  This train had many cars of General Electric appliances from the L&N at Cincinnati which probably originated at GE’s Appliance Park near Louisville.

PRR WPB4 9-17-1966 – It’s always nice to multiple days of consists.  The next day of WPB4 again has a large block of wheat for Baltimore, but does not have the appliances that the previous day did.

PRR CG2 5-5-1962 – this train contains mostly perishable traffic.  Unlike most of these consists, some of the perishables include where the shipment originated and at what time, giving an idea of transit times.  Besides the many cars of produce and meat, both this train and the CG2 four years later below include two boxcars of bandages or Band-Aids for Johnson & Johnson at New Brunswick, NJ, their headquarters building.

PRR CG2 9-17-1966 – this is a perishable and priority train probably originating at 59th Street Yard in Chicago bound for Greenville Yard in New Jersey with many ice cooled reefers in the consist.  Some of the cars were picked up at Dolton received in interchange from the IC, C&EI, and IHB.

PRR SW6 9-17-1966 – this is a train from East St. Louis bound for Enola.  Much of this train is traffic received from the Cotton Belt, Frisco, and MP at St. Louis.  Of interest to me is the adipic acid in DUPX covered hoppers and hexamethylene diamine in tanks.  These are nylon intermediate chemicals that probably originated at DuPont’s plant in Orange, TX (based on the SSW routing) bound for their nylon plant in Seaford, DE.

PRR TT4 5-20-1965 – this train from East St. Louis is all loads and predominantly trailers, autos, and auto parts.  There are some miscellaneous other loads as well as two loads of cattle.  Blocks are for Harrisburg, Philadelphia, and South Kearny where this train terminates.

PRR TT4A 9-17-1966 – unlike the train above, this train has only cars for Philadelphia and Harrisburg.  This is probably a 2nd section of TT4.

PRR SWC1 2-21-1967 – this is a train of almost entirely empty reefers.  At this time period it probably operated from Harsimus Cove to Conway Yard.