The Pennsylvania Railroad called itself "the Standard Railroad of the World, " and perhaps it was. It had bigger boundaries, larger revenues, and a larger public debt than many small nations. It paid the longest continous dividend of any company on the New York Stock Exchange. The Pennsylvania Railroad was incorporated by the Pennsylvania State Legislature on April 13, 1846 and was ultimately egineered and constructed into the nation's largest railroad. While moguls tinkered with their railroads for personal gain, enormous fortunes and social status, the men of the Pennsylvania strictly adhered to superior engineering, sound, conservative fiscal policy and the constant practice of designing, testing and building the wares they used on their Railroad. Standardization of the best designs, utilizing interchangeable parts, patterns, castings, etc. was carried out to the degree that "outsiders" considered the Pennsylvania Railroad radically ecumenical, insular, possessing a culture of its own.