Harrington, Delaware

The Philadelphia, Baltimore & Washington Railroad operated over 717 miles of track that served the Delaware, Maryland, and Washington, D.C areas. A subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Railroad, the PB&W was formed in 1902 through the merger of two other Pennsylvania subsidiaries. Although the railroad was always a separate legal entity, it continued to operate over the years as a Pennsylvania Railroad subsidiary. In 1968 the ill-fated merger of the Pennsylvania and the New York Central Railroads formed the Penn Central Transportation Company and continued to operate the PB&W. Even through the famous bankruptcy of 1970, the largest bankruptcy in the nation's history up to that time, the remains of the Penn Central continued control and operations of the PB&W for yet another six years until finally being sold off to Amtrak. This circa 1910 gelatin-glazed postcard shows two PB&W slide-valve locomotives from the low-mounted marker light years. Note the smoke coming from the engine's stacks. It was either a windy day or, most likely, a retoucher added the smoke that is more appropriate for locomotives running at a higher speed rather than waiting at a station.