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Penn Central Transportation Company

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The Penn Central Transportation Company , commonly abbreviated to Penn Central , was an American class I railroad that operated from 1968 to 1976. Penn Central combined three traditional corporate rivals (the Pennsylvania , New York Central and the New York, New Haven and Hartford railroads), all united by large-scale service into the New York metropolitan area and (to a lesser extent) New England and Chicago. The new company failed barely two years after formation, the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history at the time. The Penn Central's railroad assets were nationalized into Conrail along with the other bankrupt northeastern roads; its real estate and insurance holdings successfully reorganized into American Premier Underwriters .

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93-565: The Penn Central railroad system developed in response to challenges facing northeastern American railroads during the late 1960s. While railroads elsewhere in North America drew revenues from long-distance shipments of commodities such as coal, lumber, paper and iron ore , railroads in the densely-populated northeast traditionally depended on a heterogeneous mix of services, including: These labor-intensive, short-haul services proved vulnerable to competition from automobiles, buses, and trucks ,

186-770: A different heritage scheme to honor a predecessor railroad. Locomotive 217 was painted in the Penn Central Blue and Yellow scheme. Northeast United States The Northeastern United States (also referred to as the Northeast , the East Coast , or the American Northeast ) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau . Located on the Atlantic coast of North America ,

279-667: A first step toward improved reporting on deferred maintenance and repairs. The Board is working, and will continue to work, closely with stakeholders interested in improved reporting on deferred maintenance and repairs. By addressing definitional issues as a first step, the Board will facilitate continued cooperation. Two areas in need of improvement relate to (1) the lack of comparability when assessing asset condition both within and among agencies and (2) measurement and reporting practices that vary greatly among agencies. These issues arise—in part—due to agencies having differing interpretations regarding

372-690: A governor. Massachusetts and New Hampshire also shared a governor for some time. The beginnings of the American Revolutionary War would be in the Northeast, specifically in Massachusetts. The Battles of Lexington and Concord in northeast of Boston would be the first military engagements between the Revolutionaries and the British. Many of the major battles of the revolution would be fought in

465-472: A holding company chartered in 1870, reincorporated in 1958 and long a subsidiary of the PRR, remained a separate corporate entity throughout the period following the merger. The former Pennsylvania Railroad, now the second PCTC, gave up its railroad assets to Conrail in 1976 and absorbed its legal owner, the second Penn Central Company, in 1978, and at the same time changed its name to The Penn Central Corporation . In

558-717: A policy of continued deferred maintenance may result in higher costs, asset failure, and in some cases, health and safety implications. The technical community (e.g., engineers, facilities managers, and logisticians , etc.) makes distinctions between maintenance and repairs whereas accountants generally do not. Accountants typically look at maintenance and repairs as period costs requiring immediate expensing as opposed to capital improvements that become capitalized and depreciated over some future time period. The technical community often defines maintenance in terms of retaining an asset's functionality compared to repairs that restore an asset's functionality. The accounting standard-setter for

651-593: A threat recently invigorated by the new limited-access highways authorized in the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 . At the same time, contemporary railroad regulation restricted the extent to which U.S. railroads could react to the new market conditions. Changes to passenger fares and freight shipment rates required approval from the capricious Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), as did mergers or abandonment of lines. Merger, which eliminated duplicative back office employees, seemed an escape. The situation

744-490: Is home to the Northeast megalopolis , which includes many of the nation's largest metropolitan areas, including Boston , New York City , and Philadelphia . The megalopolis makes up 67% of the region's total population of 57,609,148. The gross domestic product of the region was $ 5.1 trillion as of 2022 and contains some of the most developed states based on the Human Development Index , with every state with

837-573: Is now the eastern United States . Among the many tribes inhabiting this area were those that made up the Iroquois nations and the numerous Algonquian peoples . In the United States of the 21st century, 18 federally recognized tribes reside in the Northeast. For the most part, the people of the Northeastern Woodlands, on whose lands European fishermen began camping to dry their codfish in

930-826: Is often not immediately reported—and sometimes, not at all. Maintenance which is deferred because of insufficient funding may result in increased safety hazards, poor service to the public, higher costs in the future, and inefficient operations. On May 11, 2011 the Chairman of the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB), Tom Allen, announced that the FASAB issued Statement of Federal Financial Accounting Standards (SFFAS) 40, Definitional Changes Related to Deferred Maintenance and Repairs: Amending Statement of Federal Financial Accounting Standards 6, Accounting for Property, Plant, and Equipment. SFFAS 40 represents

1023-492: The 2020 U.S. census , the population of the region was 57,609,148, representing 17.38% of the nation's total population. With an average of 345.5 people per square mile, the Northeast is 2.5 times as densely populated as the second-most dense region, the South . Since the last century, the U.S. population has been shifting away from the Northeast and Midwest toward the South and West . The region's racial composition as of 2020

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1116-647: The Atlantic coastal plain , which extends south to the southern tip of Florida . The coastal plain areas include Cape Cod in Massachusetts, Long Island in New York, and most of New Jersey , and are generally low and flat with sandy soil and marshy land. The highlands, including the Piedmont and the Appalachian Mountains, are heavily forested, ranging from rolling hills to summits greater than 6,000 feet (1,800 m), and pocked with many lakes. The highest peak in

1209-735: The Battle of Yorktown in Virginia. The idea of an independent United States of America, with the designs of its government would be created primarily in the Northeast in a series of declarations, constitutions, and documents. The Continental Congresses would meet in Philadelphia, which would produce the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation . Following the American Revolution,

1302-553: The English colonial empire . The territory became the colonies of New York and New Jersey . New Jersey was originally split into East Jersey and West Jersey until the two were united as a royal colony in 1702. New England played a prominent role in early American education. Starting in the 17th century, the larger towns in New England opened grammar schools , the forerunner of the modern high school . The first public school in

1395-638: The MetLife Building and Waldorf-Astoria Hotel . In November 2018, the MTA proposed purchasing the Hudson and Harlem Lines as well as the Grand Central Terminal for up to $ 35.065 million, plus a discount rate of 6.25%. The purchase would include all inventory, operations, improvements, and maintenance associated with each asset, except for the air rights over Grand Central. The MTA's finance committee approved

1488-563: The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). The U.S. Surface Transportation Board approved the sale of several of American Financial Group's remaining railroad assets to Midtown TDR Ventures LLC, an investment group controlled by Argent Ventures , in December 2006. The current lease with the MTA was negotiated to last through February 28, 2274. The MTA paid $ 2.4 million annually in rent in 2007 and had an option to buy

1581-505: The Mid-Atlantic states of New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. This definition has been essentially unchanged since 1880 and is widely used as a standard for data tabulation. The U.S. Census Bureau has acknowledged the obvious limitations of this definition and the potential merits of a proposal created after the 1950 census, that would include changing regional boundaries to include Delaware , Maryland , and Washington, D.C. with

1674-453: The Nixon administration developed Amtrak , which relieved any railroad that desired it of the obligation to operate passenger service. PC unsuccessfully attempted to sell-off the air rights to Grand Central Terminal , and allow developers to build skyscrapers above the terminal, in order to fund continued operations. The resulting lawsuit, Penn Central Transportation Co. v. New York City ,

1767-579: The Rust Belt consumed shippers through the Northeast and Midwest . Penn Central's executives tried to diversify the troubled firm into real estate and other non-railroad ventures, but in a slow economy these businesses performed little better than the original railroad assets. Worse, these new subsidiaries diverted management attention away from the problems in the core business. To create the illusion of success, management also insisted on paying dividends to shareholders, desperately borrowing funds to buy time for

1860-518: The United States Railway Association sorted through the assets of PC (and six other bankrupt railroads: EL, LV, Reading , Lehigh & Hudson River Railway , Central Railroad of New Jersey and Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines ) to decide what could be reshaped into a viable railroad. Then, on April 1, 1976, Penn Central transferred those rail operations to the government-owned Consolidated Rail Corporation ( Conrail ). Facing

1953-512: The capital of the newly formed United States would move around in the states of Pennsylvania , New Jersey , and New York . It was based in New York City from 1785 until 1790, when it was moved to Congress Hall in Philadelphia , where it remained for a decade, until 1800, when the construction of the new national capital of Washington, D.C. was completed. The Constitutional Convention

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2046-494: The humid subtropical zone ( Cfa/Do ) begins at Martha's Vineyard and extreme SW Rhode Island and extends southwestward down the coastal plain to central and southern Maryland. The oceanic climate zone ( Cfb/Do ) only exists on Block Island , Nantucket , and the far coastal islands of Maine. It is the only area of the Northeast where all months average between 0 and 22 °C (32 and 72 °F). Cape Cod borders this zone and warm-summer humid continental ( Dfb/Dc ). As of

2139-470: The "Northeastern Woodlands" as one of the cultural regions that existed in the Western Hemisphere at the time of European colonists in the 15th and later centuries. Most did not settle in North America until the 17th century. The cultural area, known as the " Northeastern Woodlands ", in addition to covering the entire Northeast U.S., also covered much of what is now Canada and others regions of what

2232-519: The 1960s. New York state lost its claim to being the most populated state after it was surpassed by California in the 1970s. Some Northeastern cities, including New York City, have recovered from its decline in the mid-20th century. Many new information and service industries have risen in the northeast, which has led to a boom in the 21st century in some cities in the Northeast like Boston, New York, and Philadelphia. Some other cities like Hartford , Syracuse, and Buffalo still are declining though in

2325-670: The 1970s and 1980s, the company now called The Penn Central Corporation was a small conglomerate that largely consisted of the diversified sub-firms it had before the crash. Among the properties the company owned when Conrail was created were the Buckeye Pipeline and a 24 percent stake in Madison Square Garden (which stands above Penn Station) and its prime tenants, the New York Knicks basketball team and New York Rangers hockey team, along with Six Flags Theme Parks. Though

2418-463: The 21st century, a large industrial decline in the Northeast resulted in a depopulation of many Northeastern cities, many of which had not yet recovered from it into the 21st century. This led to the rise of programs of urban renewal and demolition of large parts of Northeastern cities during the mid and late 20th century. There has also been a large population shift to the Sun Belt states starting in

2511-464: The 21st century. Hurricane Sandy would impact much of the northeast in 2012, severely damaging much of the coast and causing flooding inland. The hurricane would directly impact New Jersey and caused large amounts of flooding in New York City. Although the first settlers of New England were motivated by religion, since the 21st century, New England had become one of the least religious parts of

2604-580: The American involvement in both World Wars, the Northeast would become a large base of war production, with the Brooklyn Naval Yard producing many navy ships. Many worker strikes would occur in the states, including the Homestead strike in 1892. Many of these cities would see a peak population and industrial output in the aftermath of World War II in the 1950s. Starting in the 1950s and continuing into

2697-589: The Appalachians partially protect these locations from the extreme cold coming from the west and the interior of North America. The basic climate of the Northeast can be divided into a colder and snowier interior, including western Maryland, most of Pennsylvania, most of North Jersey , Upstate New York , and most of New England, and a milder coastal plain region from Cape Cod and southern Rhode Island southward, including Long Island , Southern Connecticut , New York City , central and southern New Jersey , part of

2790-520: The English colonies was the Boston Latin School , founded in 1635. In 1636, the colonial legislature of Massachusetts founded Harvard College , the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. In 1681, William Penn , who wanted to give Quakers a land of religious freedom, founded Pennsylvania and extended freedom of religion to all citizens. Penn strongly desired access to

2883-562: The Mid-Atlantic states, but ultimately decided that "the new system did not win enough overall acceptance among data users to warrant adoption as an official new set of general-purpose State groupings. The previous development of many series of statistics, arranged and issued over long periods of time on the basis of the existing State groupings, favored the retention of the summary units of the current regions and divisions." The U.S. Census Bureau confirmed in 1994 that it would continue to "review

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2976-677: The Nickel Plate and the Wabash, in 1964. Regulators also required the new company to incorporate the bankrupt New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad (NH) and New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway (NYS&W); if neither the N&;W and C&O would buy the Lehigh Valley Railroad (LV), then that railroad should be incorporated as well. Ultimately, only the New Haven successfully joined

3069-524: The Northeast and Midwest and would become prominent towards the mid-19th century, these groups advocated the shrinking or banning of slavery in the United States. Some Northeastern states still had small amounts of slaves into the 1850s, though some would ban it during the decade. The election of 1860 led to the start of the Civil War; southern states seceded from the United States in late-1860 and early-1861. States like Maryland and Delaware would remain in

3162-509: The Northeast is Mount Washington in New Hampshire at 6,288 feet (1,917 m). As of 2012 , forest-use covered approximately 60% of the Northeastern states, including Delaware, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., about twice the national average. About 11% was cropland and another 4% grassland pasture or range. There is also more urbanized land in the Northeast (12%) than any other region in

3255-501: The Northeast, and frequent (but brief) thundershowers are common on hot summer days. In winter, the subtropical high retreats southeastward, and the polar jet stream moves south bringing colder air masses from up in Canada and more frequent storm systems to the region. Winter often brings both rain and snow as well as surges of both warm and cold air. In the southern part of the Northeast from coastal Rhode Island southwest to eastern Maryland,

3348-568: The Northeast. The British would evacuate Boston in early-1776 and would move to capture New York City . The revolutionaries were pushed to the Delaware River before suddenly moving forward against the British in the Battles of Trenton and Princeton . A stalemate was reached in 1778, between the British and American Revolutionaries and continued until the end of the war in 1783. The war would move to southern states and eventually conclude with

3441-688: The Northeastern United States in somewhat different ways. The Association of American Geographers divides the Northeast into two divisions: "New England", which is the same as the Census Bureau; and it has the same "Middle States" but adds Delaware. Similarly, the Geological Society of America defines the Northeast as these same states but with the addition of Maryland and the District of Columbia . The narrowest definitions include only

3534-550: The Northeastern region have distinct histories. The first European explorer known to have explored the Atlantic shoreline of the Northeast since the Norse was Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1524. His ship La Dauphine explored the coast from what is now known as Florida to New Brunswick. The first Europeans to settle and colonize New England were Pilgrims from England , who landed in present-day Massachusetts in 1620. The Pilgrims arrived on

3627-561: The PC had unsuccessfully tried to implement between 1968 and 1970. Hundred of miles of former PRR and NYC trackage were abandoned to adjacent landowners or rail trail use. The stock of the subsequently-profitable Conrail was refloated on Wall Street in 1987, and the company operated as an independent, private-sector railroad from 1987 to 1999. The Pennsylvania Railroad absorbed the New York Central Railroad on February 1, 1968, and at

3720-599: The Penn Central Company, the former Pennsylvania Railroad, absorbed the first PCTC and was renamed the second Penn Central Transportation Company the next day; the Penn Central Holding Company became the second Penn Central Company. Thus, the company that was formerly the Pennsylvania Railroad became the first Penn Central Company and then became the second PCTC. The old Pennsylvania Company ,

3813-550: The Penn Central; the conglomerate failed before it could incorporate the latter two. The only railroad leaving the Penn Central was the PRR's controlling interest in the N&W, whose dividends had generated much of the PRR's premerger profitability. The legal merger (formally, an acquisition of the NYC by the PRR) concluded on February 1, 1968. The Pennsylvania Railroad, the nominal survivor of

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3906-583: The Pennsylvania portion of the Delaware Valley including Philadelphia , Delaware , and most of Maryland . In the latter region the hardiness zone ranges from 7a to 8a. Annual mean temperatures range from the low-to-mid 50s F from Maryland to southern Connecticut, to the 40s F in most of New York State, New England, and northern Pennsylvania. Most of the Northeast has a humid continental climate ( Dfa/Dfb/occasional Dfc/Dc ). The northernmost portion of

3999-697: The U.S. Many parks on a state and national level cover the inland parts of the region. Large parks include the Adirondack Park in northeastern New York, Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont, White Mountain Forest in northern New Hampshire, Baxter State Park in northern Maine, Acadia National Park on the eastern coast of Maine, Allegheny National Forest in northwestern Pennsylvania, and Catskill Park in southern New York. There are also some parks closer to

4092-556: The U.S. Government ( FASAB ) defines deferred maintenance to also include deferred repairs thus: “Deferred maintenance and repairs” are maintenance and repair activities that were not performed when they should have been or were scheduled to be and which, therefore, are put off or delayed for a future period. Maintenance and repairs are activities directed toward keeping fixed assets in an acceptable condition. Activities include preventive maintenance; replacement of parts, systems, or components; and other activities needed to preserve or maintain

4185-581: The United States (western and Northeastern states) and the Confederacy (southeastern states). The admission of Maine as a free state in exchange for Missouri becoming a slave state as part of the Missouri Compromise in 1820 would settle the final boundaries of the Northeastern states. The Mason-Dixon line would be established as the border of slavery, following the border of Pennsylvania and Delaware/Maryland. Abolitionist movements would start in

4278-503: The United States during the war, conflicts did arise, like the New York draft riots in 1863. The war would end in 1865 with the United States taking back control of Southern states. Following the Civil War, the Northeast would see a large economic boom and would become one of the most industrialized regions in the world. Many technological innovations would be made in the Northeast during this time. The Second Industrial Revolution would see

4371-700: The United States. The War of 1812 would see less fighting in the Northeast and instead more fighting in western and southern areas. A failed invasion of Canada and the occupation of Maine would be some of the major conflicts during the war. The war would end in 1815 and most of the Northeast has not seen any major conflict since then. The American Industrial Revolution was launched in Blackstone Valley in Rhode Island and Massachusetts , where textile mills spread across New England, and in eastern Pennsylvania , where coal, steel, and industrialization launched

4464-557: The United States. In a 2009 Gallup survey, less than half of residents in Maine , Massachusetts , New Hampshire , and Vermont reported religion as an important part of their daily life. In a 2010 Gallup survey, less than 30% of residents in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts reported attending church weekly, giving them the lowest church attendance among U.S. states. The vast area from central Virginia to northern Maine , and from western Pennsylvania , from Pittsburgh in

4557-557: The area became known as New Netherland . In 1625, the city of New Amsterdam (the location of present-day New York City) was designated the capital of the province. The Dutch New Netherland settlement along the Hudson River and, for a time, the New Sweden settlement along the Delaware River divided the English settlements in the north and the south. In 1664, Charles II of England formally annexed New Netherland and incorporated it into

4650-446: The asset. Maintenance and repairs, as distinguished from capital improvements, exclude activities directed towards expanding the capacity of an asset or otherwise upgrading it to serve needs different from, or significantly greater than, its current use." (Statement of Federal Financial Accounting Standard 40) An example of deferred maintenance for a household would be putting off the recommended 1-year checkup on one's car, or putting off

4743-456: The business to turn around. Within two years, Penn Central could no longer remain solvent, and, on June 21, 1970, the nation's sixth-largest corporation had become its largest bankruptcy. (The Enron Corporation 's 2001 bankruptcy eclipsed the PC in large measure). George Drury described the bankruptcy as "a cataclysmic event, both to the railroad industry and to the nation's business community," not least because Penn Central increasingly appeared

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4836-593: The company retained ownership of some rights-of-way and station properties connected with the railroads, it continued to liquidate these and eventually concentrated on one of its subsidiaries in the insurance business. The former Pennsylvania Railroad changed its name to American Premier Underwriters in March 1994. It became part of Carl Lindner 's Cincinnati financial empire American Financial Group . Until late 2006, American Financial Group still owned Grand Central Terminal , though all railroad operations were managed by

4929-554: The company's left hand from talking to its right, and incompatible computer systems meant that PC classification clerks regularly lost track of train movements. Subpar track conditions, the result of years of deferred maintenance , deteriorated further, particularly in the Midwest. Derailments and wrecks occurred regularly; when the trains avoided mishap, they operated far below design speed , resulting in delayed shipments and excessive overtime. Operating costs soared, and shippers soured on

5022-450: The components of the regions and divisions to ensure that they continue to represent the most useful combinations of states and state equivalents." Many organizations and reference works follow the Census Bureau's definition for the region. In the history of the United States, the Mason–Dixon line between Pennsylvania ( the North ) and Maryland ( the South ) traditionally divided the regions, but in modern times, various entities define

5115-424: The continued loss of market share to the trucking industry, the railroad industry and its unions asked the federal government for deregulation . The 1980 Staggers Act , which deregulated the railroad industry, proved to be a key factor in bringing Conrail and the old PC assets back to life. During the 1980s, the deregulated Conrail had the muscle to implement the route reorganization and productivity improvements that

5208-452: The damage from Hurricane Agnes destroyed important Penn Central branches and main lines, and pushed the other northeastern roads into bankruptcy. By the mid-1970s, no major player east of Rochester - Pittsburgh , north of Pittsburgh- Philadelphia , and southwest of the Maine-New Hampshire border remained solvent. Under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT), Penn Central agreed to trial new technologies to revive

5301-582: The definition of “deferred maintenance” in SFFAS 6. “Redefining the term ’maintenance’ to include repair activities and better reflect asset management practices is an initial step in resolving the problems noted,” according to Chairman Allen. “However, the Board also plans to address measurement and reporting issues through continued consultation with stakeholders which could lead to the issuance of additional guidance and/or standards. In December 2011 FASAB finalized statement of federal financial accounting standard #42, (SFFAS 42) amending existing standards regarding

5394-435: The early 1600s, lived in villages, especially after being influenced by agricultural traditions of the Ohio and Mississippi valley societies. All of the U.S. states making up the Northeastern region were among the original Thirteen Colonies , though Maine and Vermont were part of other colonies before the United States became independent in the American Revolution . The two cultural and geographic regions that form parts of

5487-401: The exception of Maine above the national average. It is also the most densely populated region in the United States, with 320 people per square mile (120 people/km ). The U.S. Census Bureau defines the Northeast United States as having a total area of 181,324 sq mi (469,630 km ), making it the smallest region of the United States by total area. Anthropologists recognize

5580-426: The flagging passenger services on what would become the Northeast Corridor . PC continued to operate the PRR's Metroliner service between New York City and DC , and introduced a new United Aircraft TurboTrain between New York City and Boston . But the new equipment proved useless without high-quality track to run it on, or a railroad capable of releasing schedules to the ticket-seeking public. In response,

5673-416: The lines had fought bitterly over New York-Chicago custom and ill-will remained in the executive suites. Amongst middle management , the company's corporate cultures all but precluded integration: a team of young, flexible managers had begun reshaping the NYC from a traditional railroad into a multimodal express-freight transporter, while the PRR continued to bet on a railroad revival. At a technical level,

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5766-460: The measurement and reporting of deferred maintenance and repairs (DM&R). The principal changes in this SFFAS require federal entities to (1) describe the policies over maintenance and repairs (M&R) and the prioritization of M&R activities, (2) identify factors considered in determining acceptable condition standards, (3) identify the general property, plant and equipment (PP&E) and stewardship PP&E to which DM&R relates and provide

5859-448: The merger, changed its name to Pennsylvania New York Central Transportation Company, and soon began using "Penn Central" as a trade name. That trade name became official a month later on May 8, 1968. Saunders later commented: "Because of the many years it took to consummate the merger, the morale of both railroads was badly disrupted and they were faced with unmanageable problems which were insurmountable. In addition to overcoming obstacles,

5952-718: The nation's manufacturing sector. After the end of the War of 1812, industry boomed in the Northeast in the early and middle parts of the 19th century. With the construction of railroad and canals crossing the northeast and the rise of western territories and resources from the south, the Northeast experienced the development of new industries and a fast-growing population. Many of the coastal cities, including Boston , New York City , and Philadelphia , served as ocean trade ports for American goods. Cities, including Allentown , Buffalo , Pittsburgh , Rochester , and Syracuse , were settled and emerged as major industrial centers. By 1860, New York City, based on its present-day boundaries,

6045-405: The northeast grow massively, even more so than before the Civil War. Many cities in the Northeast would explode in population, with cities like Philadelphia and New York climbing over one million people, while other cities like Buffalo, Boston, and Pittsburgh would rise above half a million during this time. New York City eventually grew to become one of the largest cities in the world by 1900. With

6138-461: The principal problem was too much governmental regulation and a passenger deficit which amounted to more than $ 100 million a year." Almost immediately after the transaction cleared, the organizational headwinds presaged during the merger negotiations began to overwhelm the new corporation's management. As ex-PRR managers began to secure the plum jobs, the forward-thinking ex-NYC managers departed for greener pastures. Clashing union contracts prevented

6231-494: The products. In 1969, most of Maine's potato production rotted in the PC's Selkirk Yard , hurting the Bangor & Aroostook Railroad , whose shippers vowed never to ship by rail again. Although both PRR and NYC had been profitable pre-merger, Penn Central was — at one point — losing $ 1 million per day. As PC's management struggled to wrestle the company into submission, the structural headwinds facing all northeastern railroads continued unabated. The industrial decline of

6324-444: The proposed purchase on November 13, 2018, and the purchase was approved by the full board two days later. The deal finally closed in March 2020, with the MTA taking ownership of the terminal and rail lines. Few railroad historians and former employees view the mega-railroad's brief existence favorably, and the company has little presence in the railroad enthusiast press. The preservation group Penn Central Railroad Historical Society

6417-401: The proverbial canary in the coal mine . Across the nation, railroads discontinued Penn Central's core business (passenger trains) as fast as regulators would let them. The Rock Island , midway through a decade arguing a merger with regulators, was stumbling towards another stunning bankruptcy, as was the Milwaukee Road , the nation's most technologically advanced transcontinental . In 1972,

6510-423: The rationale for PP&E that may be excluded, (4) provide DM&R balances by category of PP&E, and (5) explain significant changes from the prior year. Pursuant to the FASAB Rules and Procedures, the proposed Statement has been submitted concurrently to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the Comptroller General, and the Secretary of the Treasury for a 90-day review. FASAB will announce it as

6603-567: The region borders Canada to its north, the Southern United States to its south, the Midwestern United States to its west, and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The Northeast is one of the four regions defined by the U.S. Census Bureau for the collection and analysis of statistics. The Census Bureau defines the region as including the six New England states of Connecticut , Maine , Massachusetts , New Hampshire , Rhode Island , and Vermont , and three northern Mid-Atlantic states of New Jersey , New York , and Pennsylvania . The region

6696-469: The region. The climate of the Northeastern United States varies from northernmost state of Maine to its southernmost state in Maryland . The region's climate is influenced by its positional western to eastern flow of weather in the middle latitudes in the United States. Summers are normally warm in northern areas to hot in southern areas. In summer, the building Bermuda High pumps warm and sultry air toward

6789-420: The repairs recommended at that checkup: the car will not run as smoothly or efficiently and will be more likely to break down or crash . The term is usually used in the context of large organizations or governments, however. Maintenance competes for funding with other programs and is often deferred because appropriations are not available or were redirected to other priorities or projects. Deferred maintenance

6882-571: The revolution the Northeast would see small skirmishes like the Whiskey Rebellion in western parts of Pennsylvania. Many northeastern states would continue trading with the British and other European powers. Tensions between the United States and Europe (specifically Britain) would sour in the lead up to the War of 1812 . This caused certain trade merchants to meet in Hartford to propose succeeding from

6975-451: The same time changed its name to Pennsylvania New York Central Transportation Company to reflect this. The trade name of "Penn Central" was adopted, and, on May 8, the former Pennsylvania Railroad was officially renamed the Penn Central Company. The first Penn Central Transportation Company (PCTC) was incorporated on April 1, 1969, and its stock was assigned to a new holding company called Penn Central Holding Company. On October 1, 1969,

7068-618: The sea for the Province of Pennsylvania and leased what then came to be known as the "Lower Counties on the Delaware" from the Duke . Penn established representative government and briefly combined his two possessions under one General Assembly in 1682. By 1704, the province of Pennsylvania had grown so large that their representatives wanted to make decisions without the assent of the Lower Counties and

7161-480: The ship Mayflower and founded Plymouth Colony so they could practice religion freely. Ten years later, a larger group of Puritans settled north of Plymouth Colony in Boston to form Massachusetts Bay Colony . In 1636, colonists established Connecticut Colony and Providence Plantations . Providence was founded by Roger Williams , who was banished by Massachusetts for his beliefs in freedom of religion, and it

7254-655: The shore, though these are usually smaller and squeezed in-between urbanized areas. These include the Palisades Park in New Jersey, Fire Island in Long Island, and the Cape Cod shoreline in Massachusetts. The Northeast has 72 National Wildlife Refuges , encompassing more than 500,000 acres (780 sq mi; 2,000 km ) of habitat and designed to protect some of the 92 different threatened and endangered species living in

7347-604: The states of New England. Other more restrictive definitions include New England and New York as part of the Northeast United States, but exclude Pennsylvania and New Jersey. States beyond the Census Bureau definition are included in Northeast Region by various other entities: While most of the Northeastern United States lie in the physiographic region of the Appalachian Highlands , some are also part of

7440-564: The station and tracks in 2017, although Argent could extend the date another 15 years to 2032. The assets included the 156 miles (251 km) of rail used by the Hudson and Harlem Lines , and Grand Central Terminal, as well as unused development rights above the tracks in Midtown Manhattan . The platforms and yards extend for several blocks north of the terminal building under numerous streets and existing buildings leasing air rights, including

7533-454: The two companies served independent markets east of Cleveland (running through their namesake states), but virtually identical trackage west of Cleveland meant any merger would have anticompetitive effect. For decades, merger proposals had tried to balance the competitors instead, joining them with lesser partners end-to-end. The unexpected NYC+PRR proposal required all the northeastern railroads to reconsider their corporate strategy, clouding

7626-433: The two groups of representatives began meeting on their own, one at Philadelphia , and the other at New Castle, Delaware . Penn and his heirs remained proprietors of both and always appointed the same person Governor for their province of Pennsylvania and their territory of the Lower Counties. The fact that Delaware and Pennsylvania shared the same governor was not unique. From 1703 to 1738, both New York and New Jersey shared

7719-563: The union, even with slavery still legal. For the first two years, the eastern theater of the war would remain in Virginia and Maryland, but in 1863 the war would reach its northeastern most extent in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania . The Battle of Gettysburg is considered a turning point in the Civil War, seeing the end of the Confederate push northwards. While all Northeastern states would remain in

7812-835: The waters for the ICC. The resulting negotiations took nearly a decade, and when the PRR and NYC merged, they faced three competitors of comparable size: the Erie had merged with the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western to create the Erie Lackawanna Railway (EL) in 1960, the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway (C&O) acquired control of the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) in 1963, and the Norfolk & Western Railway (N&W) absorbed several railroads, including

7905-456: The west to the Atlantic Ocean in the east, have all been loosely grouped into the Northeast. The U.S. Census Bureau 's definition of the Northeast includes nine states: Maine , New York , New Jersey , Vermont , Massachusetts , Rhode Island , Connecticut , New Hampshire , and Pennsylvania . The region is often subdivided into New England , the six states east of New York state and

7998-643: Was 20.5% under age 18, 57.36% from 18 to 62, and 22.1% who were 62 years of age or older. The median age was 40.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.4 males. For every 100 women ages 18 and over, there were 94.3 men. Deferred maintenance Deferred maintenance is the practice of postponing maintenance activities such as repairs on both real property (i.e. infrastructure ) and personal property (i.e. machinery ) in order to save costs, meet budget funding levels, or realign available budget monies. The failure to perform needed repairs could lead to asset deterioration and ultimately asset impairment. Generally,

8091-429: Was 64.42% white , 11.51% African American, 0.51% Native American, 7.25% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 8.17% from other races, and 8.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.27% of the population. There were 22,418,883 households and 14,189,719 families in 2021. Of the 22,418,883 households, 27.7% included children under the age of 18. In 2021, the region's the population's age distribution

8184-514: Was decided in 1978, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that PC could not sell Grand Central's air rights because the terminal was a New York City designated landmark . In May 1974, the bankruptcy court concluded that the railroad operations of PC could never provide enough income to reorganize the company. In the Regional Rail Reorganization Act of 1973, the federal government nationalized Penn Central to save it. For two years,

8277-511: Was formed in July 2000 to preserve the history of the often-scorned company. As part of Norfolk Southern Railway 's 30th anniversary, the railroad painted 20 new locomotives utilizing former liveries of predecessor railroads. Unit number 1073, a SD70ACe, is painted in a Penn Central Heritage scheme. As part of the 40th anniversary of the Metro-North Railroad , four locomotives were painted in

8370-464: Was held in Philadelphia, where the new United States Constitution was drafted in 1787. 6 of the first 13 states to ratify the new constitution would be in the Northeast, with the last of the original 13, Rhode Island, ratifying the constitution in 1790. Vermont would be admitted in 1791 as the 14th state. The first Congress would convene in Federal Hall in New York City in March 1789. Following

8463-527: Was particularly acute for the Pennsylvania (PRR) and New York Central (NYC) railroads. Both had extensive physical plants dedicated to their passenger custom. As that revenue stream faded following WWII , neither could slim their assets fast enough to earn a substantial profit (although the NYC came much closer). In 1957, the two proposed a merger, despite severe organizational and regulatory hurdles. Neither railroad had much respect for its merger partner;

8556-521: Was the first U.S. city to reach a population exceeding one million. Due to the settlement of the Midwest and Great Plains , agriculture would collapse in the Mid-Atlantic and New England, with many farms being abandoned by the end of the century, returning to rural forest. Conflicts with the south over the spread of slavery would become a large factor in the start of the American Civil War, between

8649-554: Was the first colony to guarantee all citizens freedom of worship. Anne Hutchinson , who was also banished by Massachusetts, formed the town of Portsmouth . Providence, Portsmouth and two other towns ( Newport and Warwick ) consolidated to form the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations . Henry Hudson explored the area of present-day New York in 1609 and claimed it for the Netherlands. His journey stimulated Dutch interest, and

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