Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) — Corporate Overview

Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR — 1846-1968), long known as “The Standard Railroad of the World,” was the largest and most influential Class I railroad in the United States for much of the 19th and 20th centuries. Chartered in 1846 to build a Philadelphia-to-Pittsburgh line, the PRR grew into a Northeast-Midwest colossus reaching from New York City and Washington DC westward to Chicago and St. Louis, and at one point was the largest publicly traded corporation in the world by revenue and workforce.

The PRR pioneered mainline electrification along the New York-Washington DC corridor (1930s-1940s) and operated a vast mechanical empire — including the Altoona Works (Altoona PA), one of the largest locomotive shop complexes in the world; the Juniata Shops (Altoona PA) for locomotive construction and repair; 30th Street Station (Philadelphia) and Pennsylvania Station (New York City) terminal operations; and major yard/shop complexes at Enola PA, Conway PA (Pittsburgh area), and Meadows NJ. The PRR merged with the New York Central Railroad on February 1, 1968, to form the Penn Central Transportation Company, which collapsed into bankruptcy in June 1970 and was folded into Conrail on April 1, 1976. Northeast Corridor passenger operations passed to Amtrak in 1971.

Documented ACM Footprint

Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) that the Pennsylvania Railroad — and its successor Penn Central, Conrail, and Amtrak carriers — exposed the railroad workforce to asbestos through the following documented pathways:

  • Steam locomotive era: allegedly asbestos block boiler lagging, asbestos-cement smokebox insulation, and asbestos rope firebox packing on PRR heavy freight and passenger steam power built at Altoona (through 1950s dieselization)
  • Diesel-electric locomotive era: allegedly asbestos-fabric traction motor winding insulation, asbestos arc chute plates in traction control cabinets, and asbestos exhaust manifold gaskets on Alco, EMD, and GE locomotives
  • Electric locomotive: allegedly asbestos-fabric arc chute insulation and traction motor lagging on GG1 and other Northeast Corridor electric locomotives
  • Passenger car: allegedly asbestos-cement body insulation panels, asbestos-fabric heating duct lagging, and Vapor Clarkson steam generators on Broadway Limited, Congressional, and other PRR named-train equipment
  • Freight car: allegedly asbestos brake shoe friction paired with WABCO / New York Air Brake / Symington-Gould brake components
  • Roundhouse / shop: allegedly asbestos pipe covering on shop steam mains, asbestos-fabric arc chute plates in shop switchgear, and asbestos-block bay lagging at Altoona Works, Juniata Shops, Enola Yard, Conway Yard (Pittsburgh), and Meadows Yard shop complexes
  • Terminal operations: allegedly asbestos pipe covering and boiler lagging in 30th Street Station Philadelphia and Pennsylvania Station New York mechanical spaces
  • FELA note: Railroad workers may pursue Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) claims for occupational asbestos exposure — a broader remedy than state workers’ compensation.

Workers Allegedly Exposed

  • Locomotive machinists, boilermakers, pipefitters, and electricians at Altoona Works, Juniata Shops (Altoona PA), Enola Yard (Harrisburg PA), Conway Yard (Pittsburgh PA), and Meadows Yard (Kearny NJ) shop complexes
  • Diesel-service and roundhouse workers servicing EMD, GE, and Alco locomotives across the PRR system
  • Railroad car repairmen (carmen) replacing asbestos brake shoes at PRR freight yards
  • Locomotive engineers, firemen, conductors, brakemen, and yard switchmen on PRR freight and passenger trains
  • Shop electricians (IBEW) working on allegedly asbestos-containing arc chutes in electric locomotive and diesel traction cabinets and yard switchgear
  • Insulators (HFIAW) applying and stripping asbestos pipe covering on shop steam distribution and passenger-car heating systems
  • Signal maintainers and catenary workers on the electrified Northeast Corridor
  • 30th Street Station and Pennsylvania Station stationary engineers and maintenance mechanics

If You Worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad

If you or a family member worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad — or its successor Penn Central Transportation Company, Conrail, or Amtrak — at any shop, yard, roundhouse, terminal, or locomotive-service facility during the asbestos era and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or another asbestos-related disease, you may have legal rights under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) — a broader remedy for railroad workers than state workers’ compensation.

Free, confidential case evaluation: Speak with O’Brien Law Firm — (314) 936-2956

Plants by State

The Pennsylvania Railroad operated shops, yards, roundhouses, and terminals across multiple U.S. states. Detailed premises information is available on the following state jobsite pages: