Edward Henry Harriman was one of the great railroad moguls. He was different than other well-known moguls in that he did not control just one railroad, but many.  He started out with short line railroads and worked his way up. By the time of his death, he controlled Union Pacific, Southern Pacific, Illinois Central, Central of Georgia and a number of others in what was known as the Associated Lines.

By controlling so much, Harriman was able to pursue the development of what were called the “Common Standard Specifications” for the Associated Lines. Basically, this led to the development of a variety of standard equipment that could be used across the different railroads. This led to larger orders than any one railroad would be able to place with lower per unit costs. It also provided for standards parts an maintenance practices across the Associated Lines, which also reduced costs and improved efficiency.

One of the best examples of these standards are the Harriman passenger cars. These cars, that ran in some form or another from the early 20th century until the 1960’s, were seen across the United States and well beyond the original Associated Lines railroads.