Pennsylvania Railroad Logo, Black & Gold Mug

By 1882, the Pennsylvania Railroad had become the largest railroad (by traffic and revenue), the largest transportation enterprise, and the largest corporation in the world. Its budget was second only to the U.S. government.[1] The corporation still holds the record for the longest continuous dividend history: it paid out annual dividends to shareholders for more than 100 consecutive years.[2] Over the years, it acquired, merged with or owned part of at least 800 other rail lines and companies.[3] At the end of 1926, it operated 11,640.66 miles (18,733.83 kilometres) of rail line;[notes 1][4] in the 1920s, it carried nearly three times the traffic as other railroads of comparable length, such as the Union Pacific and Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroads. Its only formidable rival was the New York Central (NYC), which carried around three-quarters of the Pennsy's tonne-miles. Images Copyright © Stan Feldman July 18 1999 - 2022