For many years, the Pennsy marketing magnates produced a series of wall and other calendars. These calendars included paintings of scenes from throughout the Pennsy system. A commissioned art program was in place from the years 1925 through 1958. Photos of those paintings are available herein.
For more information on the individual works, please refer to Cupper's "Crossroads" book -- an excellent reference. Cupper was kind enough to point out that the names printed on some of the scans are incorrect. The names in the table below are correct. (Descriptions below are taken verbatim from Cupper's book.)
Note: The entire collection of calendar art is also available on CD-ROM #2.
| Year | Description | Artist |
| 1925-26 | "Speed and Security" Eastbound train, east end of Rockville Bridge, near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Milepost 110. | Harold M. Brett |
| 1927 | "The Broad Way of Commerce" Steam passenger train passing steel mill by night, Pittburgh area. | Harold M. Brett |
| 1928 | "When the Broad Way Meets the Dawn" Eastbound Broadway Limited Juniata Valley, perhaps Milepost 158.5. | Grif Teller |
| 1929 | "Harnessing the Plane to the Iron Horse" Steam passenger train at Port Columbus, Ohio, airport, Milepost 183.8. | Grif Teller |
| 1930 | "Servant of the Nation's Industry" Rural/agricultural scene; allegorical city and industries beyond. | Grif Teller |
| 1931 | "Giant Conquerors of Space and Time" Rural open scene; steam train with Ford Tri-Motor airplane overhead. | Grif Teller |
| 1932 | "On Time!" Steam passenger train in snowstorm, alleged in broadside text to be western Indiana. | Grif Teller |
| 1933 | "Spirit of America" Steam passenger train with allegorical skylines of New York and Chicago. | Grif Teller |
| 1934 | "The New Day" Electric-powered passenger train between New York and Philadelphia. (The first calendar painting to show an electric locomotive.) | Grif Teller |
| 1935 | "The World's Greatest Highway" Westbound passenger train at Horseshoe Curve, near Altoona, Pennsylvania, Milepost 242. | Grif Teller |
| 1936 | "Speed-Safety-Comfort" Southbound electric passenger train at Claymont, Delaware, Milepost 19.5. | Grif Teller |
| 1937 | "Ready to Go!" Two steam locomotives at 46th Street engine terminal, Philadelphia, Milepost 4. | Grif Teller |
| 1938 | "The Main Line of American Commerce" Steam freight train in rural setting; observation car receeding. (The first calendar painting to show a freight train.) | Grif Teller |
| 1939 | "Leaders of the Fleet of Modernism" Night view, streamlined prototype S1 steam engine and passenger trains. | Grif Teller |
| 1940 | "Serving the Nation" Streamlined S1 engine with passenger train in snowy countryside. (The first calendar painting who title was duplicated by that of a later painting.) | Grif Teller |
| 1941 | "The Steel King" Streamlined S1 engine passing U.S. Steel Edgar Thomson Works, Milepost 341.5. | Grif Teller |
| 1942 | "Partners in National Defense" Steam freight train passing coal mine, composite site based on St. Michael, Pennsylvania. | Grif Teller |
| 1943 | "Serving the Nation" Steam freight train in industrial scene with allegorical sky and "Uncle Sam" character. | Dean Cornwell |
| 1944 | "Forward" Steam freight train in agricultural/industrial scene with allegorical tanks, troops, flags. | Dean Cornwell |
| 1945 | "Power" Industrial scene with streamlined train pulled by prototype T1 steam engine. | Alexander Leydenfrost |
| 1946 | "One Hundred Years" Lineup of four modern locomotives; also, three historical 19th century scenes. (First calendar painting to show a diesel locomotive.) | Frank J. Reilly |
| 1947 | "Working Partners" Diesel, steam trains at Marysville, Pennsylvania, Milepost 112 (Northern Central Milepost 91). | Grif Teller |
| 1948 | "Progressive Power" Diesel and steam trains passing at Aqueduct, Pennsylvania, Milepost 123. (The first of three calendar scenes that were painted in two versions, with the second showing different seasons of the year.) | Grif Teller |
| 1949 | "Main Lines -- Freight and Passenger" Electric-powered passenger train at Whitford, Pennsylvania, Milepost 28. | Grif Teller |
| 1950 | "Crossroads of Commerce" Three trains, west end of Rockville Bridge, near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Milepost 110.8. | Grif Teller |
| 1951 | "Main Lines of Commerce" Three trains at New Florence, Pennsylvania, composite view, approximately Milepost 290. | Grif Teller |
| 1952 | "The Horseshoe Curve" Three trains on Horseshoe Curve, near Altoona, Pennsylvania, Milepost 242. | Grif Teller |
| 1953 | "Crossroads of Commerce" Trains at east end of bridge, Weirton, West Virginia, and Steubenville, Ohio, Milepost 42. (The last calendar painting to show a steam locomotive.) | Grif Teller |
| 1954 | "Pittsburgh Promotes Progress" Train passing Golden Triangle, Pittsburgh, PRR Milepost 2.3 (Conrail Milepost 4.5). | Grif Teller |
| 1955 | "Mass Transportation" Trains lined up at Army-Navy Game, Municipal Stadium, South Philadelphia, Milepost 5. | Grif Teller |
| 1956 | "Dynamic Progress" Aerotrain and piggyback TrucTrain passing at Cove, pennsylvania, Milepost 117.5. | Grif Teller |
| 1957 | "Vital Links to World Trade" Ore dock and unloading facilities at Pier 122, South Philadelphia, Milepost 7. | Grif Teller |
| 1958 | "Conway Yard" Aerial view, Conway Yard, near Pittsburgh, Milepost 23.5. | Grif Teller |
Cupper, Dan, "Crossroads of Commerce: The Pennsylvania Railroad Calendar Art of Grif Teller", Great Eastern Publishing, Richmond, Vermont, 1992. Hardcover. Color. 184 p. ISBN 0-9625602-1-9. -- The preceeding is now out-of-print, but a softcover version is available from Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, Pa., 2003, Softcover. Color. 184p. ISBN 0-8117-2903-6. Thanks to Dan Cupper for this update.
From the "PRR-Talk" mailing list: Dan Cupper.
Copyright 1996 - 2008
Last modified: November 23 2007.
Keystone Crossings has served 4840710 pages since June 1, 1997.
