2025 08 21 Penn Central's Albatross: How the New Haven Derailed the Nation's Largest Merger’

Many people know that the inclusion of the New Haven in the newly-formed Penn Central Transportation Company contributed mightily to the new railroad's horrific financial losses and subsequent bankruptcy. Historian and author Albert Churella tells the story behind the story, one that includes political intrigue involving two U.S. presidents and an attorney general. Prof. Churella Churella discusses the final days of a company that was simultaneously a vital transportation artery and an example of everything that was wrong with the postwar railroad industry. This program was initially presented to Mass Bay RRE on August 21, 2025.