Set Up Running: The Life of a Pennsylvania Railroad Engineman, 1904–1949

by John W. Orr

Set Up Running tells the story of a Pennsylvania Railroad locomotive engineer, Oscar P. Orr, who operated steam-powered freight and passenger trains throughout central Pennsylvania and south-central New York. From 1904 to 1949, Orr sat at the controls of many famous steam locomotives; moved trains loaded with coal, perishables, and other freight; and encountered virtually every situation a locomotive engineer of that era could expect to see. John W. (Jack) Orr, Oscar’s son, tells his father’s story, which begins at the Central Steam Heating Plant in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. Oscar operated nearly every kind of steam locomotive the Pennsylvania Railroad owned, working from the bottom of the roster to the top position (number one in seniority). Orr has an ear for detail and a vivid memory. He tells about his father’s first encounter with an automobile along the right-of-way, about what it was like to operate a train in a blizzard, and about the difficulties railroadmen encountered in stopping a trainload of tank cars loaded with oil in order to take on water and coal―and many other stories. This compelling railroad history will enthrall not only everyone in the railroad community but also the general reader interested in railroads and trains, past and present.

Genres: Railways, Biography, History

392 pages, Paperback

First published February 19, 2001

Reviews

[Bikerider99 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book highly recommended, but only for serious railroad enthusiasts. Detailed descriptions of the everyday work (45-years) of a steam locomotive engine man and the policies of the Pennsylvania Railroad (both positive negative) when railroads dominated American transportation. More of a "family history" as it is the son documenting his father's career. Well worth the read.
It could be improved by: shorter chapters (they are all very loooong), adding drawings of the many locomotives designs, and more about the policies and politics of the all-powerful Pennsylvania Railroad and the union activities of its workers.

[Clark Hallman · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Set Up Running, John W. Orr tells the story of his father’s long career as a locomotive engineer on the Williamsport Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad. As a boy growing up in Ralston, PA the author developed a fascination for railroads fueled by his observation of railroad activity and his father’s railroading stories. His special relationship with his father, Oscar P. Orr, enabled him to experience his father’s working life through those stories, conversations, and detailed discussions until O.P. died in 1954. This oral history is one of the most remarkable books I have ever read. It presents incredible details about the daily work routines and experiences of this long-time steam locomotive engineer. It depicts a hard-working, skilled, engineman who was loyal to the Pennsy. However it also reveals the hardships and difficult life styles that were required of enginemen during the first half of the 20th century. It presents an abundance of detailed information about the operation and capabilities of the various steam locomotives that were used. Oscar P. Orr was born on in 1883 near Bellefonte, PA. He took his first job firing the stationary boilers at a steam heating plant in Bellefonte in 1902. O.P. began his PRR career as a fireman on the Williamsport Division in 1904. In 1909 O.P. was “set up running” as an engineer of a Class R H3 locomotive on a yard crew. Over the next 40 years O.P. would operate almost every type of stream locomotive (and every run) that ran on the Williamsport Division. His run assignments as an engineer included Williamsport Yards (1909-1910), Ralston to Tyrone (1910-1930), Southport to Altoona (1930-1931), Altoona to Wilkes-Barre (1931-1933), Altoona to Harrisburg (1933-1934), Lykons to Millersburg (1935-1936), Southport to Enola (1936-1937), Williamsport Yards (1937-1947), and Williamsport to Renovo (1947-1949). He much preferred over-the-road runs where he could “let the horses have their head” and run better than 80 miles an hour on selected sections of track. He clocked himself by timing mileposts at 93 miles an hour at times. However those over-the-road runs often prevented O.P. from getting home each night, so he took yard assignments, which enabled him to spend more time at home with his family. This book puts the reader in the cab where they can experience the complexity of these mighty steam locomotives, hear the conversations between the train crew, and witness the hardships and dangers that they endured. It also reveals the relationships between the train crews, the dispatchers, and the administration. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable and very informative read. Included are a few maps, track diagrams, and photographs, a glossary of terms, and a short list of other books and videotapes.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting biography of a railroad man. I understand now some of what my great-grandfather probably had to do on his job as an engineer for the PRR. Accolades to all the railroad men and women! Thank you for your service and hard work!

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like trains and history - this is sure to please you. It helps to know something about railroading before undertaking this because at times it covers fairly technical matters relating to locomotives.

One suggestion: including maps would make following the events easier.

[Zugführer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a lifelong railfan, and a railroader, a Locomotive Engineer myself. And before I even really got into reading I found myself glued to every page of this book.

[Tom Paolangeli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah, the Golden Age of Steam. Luxurious named trains like the 20th Century Limited conveying the rich and famous between cathedral-like stations with speed and comfort. Oscar Orr was a steam engineer during that time. But the closest he came to the above picture was when a passenger train thundered by as he sat idling on a siding with a load of coal cars behind him. But it is precisely his more seemingly mundane experience that makes “Set Up Running” such an interesting book to me.

The book details the life of “O.P.” as he was known, as told by his son John. O. P. worked on the Pennsylvania Railroad from 1904 until 1949. He primarily drove slow freight trains on the Williamsport division. Most of the book consists of John retelling tales of the road that he heard from his father. Since John wasn’t actually there, he either has a terrific memory of what O.P. told him or is just good at seamlessly filling in all the small details. Be that as it may, he paints a credible portrait of life on the Pennsy. Maybe it all didn’t happen exactly that way, but it sure seems like it could have.

I enjoyed this insider’s look at an oft-neglected aspect of a bygone era. You get a real feel for the daily life a freight train steam engineer. It’s probably too detailed for the non-railfan reader, but then again, such a reader probably wouldn’t pick up the book in the first place. And even casual railfans, like me, will be puzzled at times. (What, again, does a Johnson Rod do?)

It’s easy to romanticize the age of steam, but it was a tough, hard job running a train, especially when you’re pulling heavy loads up tough grades with less than cutting-edge equipment. The hours were long, the conditions harsh, but O.P. took pride in his skill as an engineer. We often hear about how he successfully dealt with various weather or scheduling or equipment problems.

This is the real nitty-gritty world of steam power. Since O.P. mostly worked either freight trains or in the yards, the engines he drove were a bit past prime. The newest and best were reserved for passenger and fast freight trains. Occasionally, though, he was called upon to test drive a new or improved engine, a job he much enjoyed.

Even for aficionados the book can drag in places – do we really need a mile by mile report again and again about the struggle up hills between Williamsport and Elmira? Or details about the schedule of trains he took to get back home?

Probably not, but then again, it does paint a very detailed and vivid picture of the life he led. After reading this book I feel I have a much better understanding and appreciation for what it was like to be a freight train steam engineer in the first half of the 20th Century.

In summary, if your idea of a great vacation destination is Scranton P.A (Steamtown!) you will probably enjoy this book.

[Woody Hancock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is railroad history at its best, and it isn't just for rail fans. This book is a remarkably detailed story of the life of Oscar Orr, the author's father, who worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad for most of the first half of the 20th Century. He was an ordinary though, it seems, very competent engineer, but through the pages of the book he comes to life as a real person. The story is one of daily life on the railroad. There are no financial statistics, no top management people, just the world as one of the company's thousands of employees saw it.

For anyone who wants a sense of what life was like on the railroad during the period when railroads were central to American life, this is a must-read.

[William Barr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story as well as an invaluable record of social history, made sense to me as a former freight train crew member but parts could mystify the uninitiated.