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PRR MU Trip

Back in 1957 I, along with Rich Smith, Red Corson, and Bud Rothaar, rode a Pennsylvania RR. Fan trip out of Penn Station NY. To Enola, Pa. via the Trenton Cutoff. The four of us boarded at Newark, NJ. West on the mainline we went! All settled in on the PRR. MP54 "Boneshakers" as the MU fleet on the PRR. Was known, things went along uneventful.

After switching on to the cutoff at Morrisville, Pa. We were booking along, when around Langhorne, Pa. We came to a grinding stop! Seems the pantograph on the lead car snagged the catinary tearing down about a 1/4 mile of wire! Well we sat there for quite a time when the officials let us off the train. It was quite a sight to see pantographs all torn up on top of the cars! There were pieces of pantograph laying on the ground as well. It amazed us at the fans running around picking up these pieces for souvenirs! Wow! We thought, some people grab anything!

After a long while, along comes a lone Baldwin switcher out of Thorndale, couples on to the disabled train, proceeds to haul us to Harrisburg, via the Philadelphia-Harrisburg main line. At Harrisburg, a B-1 electric switcher drills out the disabled cars, and replaces them with good ones. Of course, things are much behind schedule. Finally we get under way west over the Rockville Bridge towed by our trusty Baldwin, back eastbound into Enola.

Once at Enola, we are allowed to detrain. There was to be a tour of the facilities, but it was too late for that.

We stopped at one of the humps where an I-1 was simmering away. The fan's went nuts! A Steam engine! Anyway, a fan backing up to get a picture, not looking where he was going, falls into the ash-pit on the adjacent track up to his neck! Things are not going well. They get him cleaned up, we leave Enola heading east.

Well by now night has fallen, and not much to see, the fan's were getting antsy! Someone discovers the whistle cords on the motormen's end of the cars. All you heard on the return trip to Penn Station was the sound of the MU whistles sounding through out the train. The PRR. Crew finally gave up trying to stop this! The trip was supposed to return somewhere around 6pm. Well guess what? 11pm. it was!

I think this was one of the last fan trips the PRR. Ever had!

Ed K. cp. Laurel Run

Edward J. Kaspriske

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