#52 Ancestors 2021 Week 50 Lines: Charles Orwig and the Pennsylvania Railroad

 

The Pennsylvania Railroad (Pennsy) was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia PA.  By 1882, it had become the largest railroad and the largest transportation enterprise in the world. 

Over the years Pennsy acquired, merged with or owned at least part of 800 other rail lines and companies.  At the end of 1926, it operated almost 12,000 miles of rail line and in the 1920's carried nearly three times the traffic as other railroads of comparable length. 

The route map below shows the reach of the Pennsy from the east coast as far west as Chicago and St. Louis. 

Pennsy's famous "Blue Ribbon Fleet" included such service as "The Broadway Limited" between New York and Chicago and "The Spirit of St. Louis" between New York and St. Louis. These streamlined trains featured a classic Tuscan red livery with gold pinstripes and an interior that was decorated in yellows and blues.  

The Broadway Limited ca. 1955

For more than 40 years, my sons' great-grandfather, Charles Edward Orwig, worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad, most of that time as a car inspector making sure that the trains were operating safely.  Charles was born in January 1887 in Union County PA, the son of Nelson Baker Orwig and Sarah Amanda Boyer.  In 1907, he married Margaret Florence Yoxtheimer with whom he went on to have 11 children, the youngest of whom was my sons' grandmother, Shirley Ruth Orwig. 

About 1910, when the Pennsylvania Railroad decided to construct a new classification yard at Northumberland, Charles was part of the crew that installed the tracks.  (A Classification yard or marshalling yard or shunting yard is a railway yard found at some freight train stations, used to separate railway cars onto one of several tracks.  First the cars are taken to a track called a lead.  From there the cars are sent through a series of switches called a ladder onto the classification tracks.  Larger yards put the lead on an artificially built hill called a hump to use the force of gravity to propel the cars through the ladder.) The Northumberland Classification Yard, completed in August 1911, contained an area of 700 acres with 70 miles of track, round house and shops. 

Northumberland Roundhouse

With the completion of that yard, Charles and his family moved to Northumberland where he began working for the railroad, first in the shops as a repairman (identified in the 1920 Census as a car repairman in the railroad industry.) 

Later (1927), he was promoted to the inspection division and moved to the Berwick yards.  (The 1930 Census shows him as car inspector for the steam railroad.)

Here is how one writer described the inspector's job:

The car inspector is one railroad man who is always "looking for trouble." He is also looking for ways to promote safety. His job is to examine the cars to make certain that they are in good condition, or to discover defects which might lead to accidents or delays. He must have sharp eyes, keen ears and an alert mind as he goes up and down the train tapping wheels and axles and looking for defects.

This picture shows the car inspector examining the journal box to see if it is properly packed with oiled cotton waste. A journal box which is not adequately packed and oiled is likely to become overheated from friction, and this may make it necessary for the train to stop until it cools off.

Incoming passenger and freight trains at important stations and yards are examined carefully. Under, around, inside and on top of the cars the inspector clambers, his expert eye searching trucks, gears and other parts for signs of defects. Inside the cars, he notes the condition of roofs, walls, floors and doors. He reads the "air date" to see if the air-brake apparatus has been cleaned within the year. Tests are made before each train leaves its home terminal and when cars are added to or taken out of the train to see that the air-brake system is functioning properly.

At almost any hour one or more car inspectors may be seen about the station and yards of important terminals, carrying their kits of tools, and their lanterns at night, testing brakes and hose connections, examining journal boxes or listening for flaws as they tap their hammers against wheels, pipes and couplings. Cars which do not meet the severest service requirements are ordered out of the train for repairs. Every effort is made, however, to keep loaded freight cars moving and to avoid delays which might damage the contents of the cars or cause inconvenience to the consignees. Of course, many cars travel empty on their way to pick up loads. Such cars can usually be sent to the repair tracks without undue inconvenience. (The Catskill Archive).

The Berwick yard, where Charles worked, was also connected to the American Car and Foundry company that actually built train cars, so Charles would have been able to see rail cars under construction as well as in operation. In the drawing (ca. 1906) below, you can see the rail yard in the background behind the factory. 

Charles retired from the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1955 after 44 years of service to the company.  His grandson, Bob, can remember riding the railroad as a boy with his grandfather. 

Charles Orwig lived in the same house in Northumberland PA from 1911 until his death in 1968. In his spare time, he loved to work in his garden where he grew vegetables that provided many meals for his large family. 

Orwig Family ca. 1950