A Day in Palmyra, June 26, 1951

About this episode

This episode features sound recordings of Pennsylvania Railroad trains captured by John M. Prophet III in Palmyra, NJ during a road trip in 1951.

This is the second of a three part series documenting a road trip John M. Prophet III made back in July of 1951. In the last episode of Living with Steam, you heard the railroad sound recordings John made in Trenton, NJ; his last stop on the trip. Now, you'll hear the incredible recordings of many Pennsylvania Railroad trains John captured in Palmyra, NJ. In my opinion, these are some of his best work. Whether he liked it or not, John captured a slice of small-town America while he was in Palmyra. His goal may have been to only record PRR trains, but he also caught all the activity taking place in Palmyra's business district from early in the morning to the early evening. The Pennsy trains that ran through Palmyra every few minutes were part of the everyday life in 1951.

People in this episode

Host: Aaron Heverin

Topics covered

• railroad history
• sound recordings
• small-town America
• Pennsylvania Railroad
• 1950s culture

Keywords

• Palmyra
• Pennsylvania Railroad
• John M. Prophet III
• 1951
• railroad sound recordings
• small-town America
• Trenton

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Pennsylvania Railroad

Places: Palmyra, NJ, Trenton, NJ

More episodes of Living with Steam

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• LwS EXTRA: "Train Sounds for the Model Railroad" · January 2, 2026 · 1h 28m
• Tyrone, Huntingdon, Cresson & The Curve - Part 1 · November 6, 2025 · 1h 30m
• William A. Steventon & The Railroad Record Club, Part 3 · July 16, 2025 · 1h 55m
• Two, Too Many in Cove, Pennsylvania - July 24-25, 1951 · January 5, 2025 · 1h 22m
• The Pennsylvania Railroad Passenger Station at Trenton, NJ & Goodbye to PRR Steam in Buffalo · February 16, 2024 · 1h 11m