Two AMTRAK RAILROAD POLICE CERAMIC PORCELAIN COFFEE MUGS Depicts UNIFORM PATCH

Description

Two > AMTRAK RAILROAD POLICE CERAMIC PORCELAIN COFFEE MUGS Depicts UNIFORM PATCH
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AGAIN THIS MONTH, WE ARE OFFERING MORE EXAMPLES OF FINE ANTIQUE RAILROAD ARTIFACTS FROM THE ESTATE OF SEVERAL ADVANCED COLLECTORS, INCLUDING MEMORABILIA FROM A NUMBER OF RAILROADS
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RAILROAD
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Many people are fascinated by railroads. At one time, railroads were connected to most aspects of community and economic life, and almost everyone had the experience of taking the train to some distant destination. Today, railroads are still a vital part of the nation's commerce, but they have largely evolved into less publicly visible movers of freight. For the most part, the romance and glory of the great age of the railway has passed from the scene.
One way of remembering this bygone era is through collecting artifacts that have survived the years. Most RR lines were, and still are large enterprises requiring vast amounts of material and equipment to operate. While much of this material and equipment like locomotives, cars, buildings, etc. are "collectible" for only a small number of people and organizations with the resources to maintain them, smaller items like lanterns, china, paper, and locks are well within the reach of individual collectors. Therefore, many people seek out such items -- often called "railroadiana" -- at auctions, garage sales, antique shows and "collector events".
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COLLECTING RAILROAD EPHEMERA & MEMORABILIA
An immense amount of paper of various kinds was used by the railroads. Some examples: public timetables to inform passengers about train schedules, maps to advertise routes and attract freight business, employee timetables to inform crews about rules and operations, brochures to entice the public to tourist destinations served by a particular line, passes to allow guests and dignitaries free travel on trains, and many other types of paper. For paper items that were produced for the public, railroad companies gave a lot of attention to attractiveness and design. Some companies went so far as to commission artists to paint special artwork that was then reproduced on timetables, brochures, calendars, and other items. Even though some of this paper was produced in relatively large quantities, the fragile nature of paper combined with the tendency of most people to throw it away after use has resulted in some of it being rather rare.
Today, many collectors seek out this paper, some specializing in particular types such as timetables or passes. They appreciate it as an means of understanding how railroads operated many years ago, as a window on travel before the age of commercial aircraft, or as artistic examples of early public relations. In fact, railroad paper seems to have recently "come of age" as a collectible, and rare examples have begun to command impressive prices at auction. Still, more common examples of railroad paper remain one of the least expensive types of railroadiana, and many collectors have gotten their start in the hobby with paper.
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DESCRIPTION
~ INCLUDES
TWO
EXAMPLES ~
A PAIR OF WHITE CERAMIC CHINA COFFEE CUPS, STANDING 3.75" TALL, MEASURING 3" IN DIAMETER, EACH WEIGHING A SUBSTANTIAL -12- OUNCES
HARD FIRED, REPEATED TO THE SIDES, THE DEPARTMENT UNIFORM PATCH IS FEATURED IN FULL COLOR READING
POLICE
~
AMTRAK
, ABOVE AND BELOW THE FEDERAL EAGLE SEAL WITH  BANNERS READING
E PLURIBUS UNUM
.
CONDITION REPORT
>
SUPERB, VINTAGE CONDITION, BEST NOTED BY EXAMINING THE IMAGES OFFERED.
HISTORY OF AMTRAK
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, known as Amtrak, officially began service on May 1, 1971 when Clocker no. 235 departed New York City's Penn Station at 12:05 a.m. bound for Philadelphia on Penn Central's electrified Northeast Corridor. Formed by Congress to relieve the railroads of the financial burden of providing unprofitable passenger service, Amtrak took over the operations of all but three railroads who continued their own intercity passenger train service for a period of time. They were the Rock Island Railroad, the Southern Railway, and the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad. The Reading Company also opted out for its runs from Philadelphia to Jersey City and Reading, as they were considered more commuter than intercity, and maintained these trains until the 1980's.
In the early years of operation, Amtrak's equipment was made up of cars and engines from the railroads that signed on. Due to the dire financial straits of eastern railroads, maintenance on these cars and engines was minimal prior to acquisition by Amtrak, and most of the fleet of so called Heritage cars came from the western roads like Union Pacific, Southern Pacific and Burlington Northern. A notable exception was the fleet of stainless steel cars built for the Pennsylvania Railroad by the Budd Company at their Northeast Philadelphia Red Lion Plant. On the NEC, the PRR MP54's (aka the red cars) and Silverliners from Budd and GE held down commuter service, and motive power for locomotive hauled cars was provided by the venerable Pennsylvania GG1's, now under their third owner and in their fourth decade of service, An early Amtrak standout were the relatively new Metroliner multiple unit (or MU) cars, first conceived by the PRR and the Department of Transportation, built by the Budd Company and put into revenue service by the PC. One ofthe first orders of business for Amtrak was to purchase new cars, and they turned to the Budd Company again, ordering the first of hundreds of Amfleet cars, basically unpowered coaches and dining cars based on the Metroliner design.
Amtrak currently operates over more than 22,000 route miles, mostly on the tracks of freight carriers. It owns 730 route miles, about 3% of the total nationwide, primarily the Northeast Corridor between Boston and Washington, DC, and in Michigan. These were acquired on April 1, 1976 as part of the creation of Conrail from the bankrupt Penn Central and other railroads in the Northeast. The Northeast Corridor, of which the New York to Washington DC portion was originally electrified by the Pennsylvania Railroad in the 1930's, is Amtrak's busiest route. On weekdays, Amtrak operates up to 265 trains per day, excluding commuter trains, and over 100 of these trains travel through Philadelphia. As the second busiest station in the system, Philadelphia's 30th Street Station saw over 3.7 million travelers in 2001. 30th Street is also the changeover point for long distance trains. Trains from New York City have their electric locomotives replaced by diesel engines in preparation for travel off the NEC to points in the south and west. Other Amtrak served stations in the area are North Philadelphia, Cornwells Heights and Paoli.
In 2002, Amtrak's roster of equipment includes 2,188 railroad cars including 173 sleeper cars, 743 coach cars, 66 first class/business class cars, 65 dormitory/crew cars, 65 lounge/caf/dinette cars, and 83 dining cars. Baggage and Mail and Express cars make up the remainder of the fleet. Amtrak operates 436 locomotives, 360 diesel and 76 electric. Introduced in 2001, twenty Acela Express trainsets will provide high-speed rail service along the Northeast Corridor between Washington and Boston. Two of the three heavy maintenance facilities that Amtrak owns are in the area, the locomotive maintenance shops in Wilmington, DE and the car maintenance shops in Bear, DE, with maintenance also performed at Race Street Yard and Penn Coach Yard adjacent to 30th Street Station in Philadelphia.
HISTORY OF THE RAILROAD POLICE
In the United States the unique branch of law enforcement known as the Railroad Police has a long and legendary history as one of the oldest police forces in America. Beginning in 1865, four years before the completion of the transcontinental railroad, Railroad Police were first authorized in Pennsylvania when a new law established railroad policeman statewide. Other states soon followed and today Federal authority for Railroad Police, including law enforcement powers, is part of the U.S. Code with each state having its own supplemental authorizing regulations.
Make no mistake about it; Railroad Police are not watchmen or security guards. They are duly appointed sworn law enforcement officers certified or commissioned under state and federal statues. Railroad Police have the power and the duty to preserve the peace, detain or arrest offenders, and enforce laws in any jurisdiction in which the rail carrier owns property, including but not limited to those laws pertaining to crimes committed against railroad employees, passengers and property, both on or off land owned, adjacent to or controlled by the Railroad.
The heritage of the railroad police of today traces back to 1848 when a young Chicago police detective gave up his city career and established the first private police and detective force in the US at the urging of Illinois Central Railroad lawyer Abraham Lincoln. Thus was born Allan Pinkerton's National Detective Agency, which would count on railroad clients as its mainstay business until gradually displaced by the growth of the railroad industry's own Railroad Police force in the decades following the civil war. The vast American West, the lack of organized law enforcement and a shortage of U.S. Marshals to protect the remote property, passengers and freight across far-flung routes of the growing rail industry, would find the Pinkerton's protecting trains and chasing celebrated railroad bandits into the history books. In time the special requirements and complications unique to railroad work became the domain of the railroad's own police force as the industry flourished. The demands of a growing America and an expanding frontier, however, lead to more and more states enacting railroad police legislation and Railroad Police Officers soon became the largest police force in the United States.
In the early days railroads hired any one with a gun willing to defend the company's interests, leading to a period of abuse and an unsavory reputation for what commonly became known as the Railroad Bull. Even worse terminology abounded, especially during the 1920's and 1930's, but by the 1950's an expanding professionalism and increased training began the transformation into the highly respected specialized branch of US law enforcement that is the modern Railroad Police force of today.
Throughout the United States, and also in Canada which has its own railroad police enacting legislation, all of the major rail carriers, along with Amtrak, commuter rail services, most regional rail lines, and numerous short line railroads, each maintain a legally-recognized established and active Railroad Police Department. Together this Railroad Police Force remains one of this nation's largest and most unique and specialized law enforcement agencies, and perhaps also one of the least known police organizations in North America.
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