Strasburg Rail Road

The Strasburg Rail Road (reporting mark SRC) is a heritage railroad and the oldest continuously operating standard-gauge railroad in the western hemisphere, as well as the oldest public utility in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Chartered in 1832, the Strasburg Rail Road Company is today a heritage railroad offering excursion trains hauled by steam locomotives on 4.02 mi (6.47 km) of track[1] in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, as well as providing contract railroad mechanical services, and freight service to area shippers. The railroad's headquarters are outside Strasburg, Pennsylvania.

Strasburg Rail Road
Overview
HeadquartersStrasburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Reporting markSRC
LocaleStrasburg and Paradise Townships, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Dates of operation1832 (1832)–present
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length4.02 mi (6.47 km)
Other
Websitestrasburgrailroad.com
Strasburg Rail Road
Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
PA-741.svg
PA 741
Gap Road
 East Strasburg
Paradise Lane
Esbenshade Road
Groundhog Cut
 Cherry Hill
Pop. 17 (more or less)
Cherry Hill Road
 Groff's Grove
Carpenters
Black Horse Road
Pumpkinville Turnpike
Leaman Place
Keystone Corridor

Strasburg has a total of five operational steam locomotives on its roster, as well as several others in various stages of restoration. As of 2022, Canadian National No. 89, Norfolk & Western No. 475 and Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal No. 15 (rebuilt as Thomas the Tank Engine) are all in active service, while Canadian National No. 7312 is currently undergoing restoration back to operation and Great Western No. 90 is currently in storage, awaiting to undergo its FRA inspection and overhaul in late 2023 or early 2024.[2][3] The other steam locomotive is 15” Gauge 4-4-0 built by Cagney in the early 1900s.[2] They also have the nation's largest operating fleet of historic wooden passenger coaches. The Strasburg Rail Road is one of the few railroads in the U.S. to occasionally use steam locomotives to haul revenue freight trains. It hosts 300,000 visitors per year.[4]

The nearby Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania occasionally uses Strasburg Rail Road tracks to connect to the Amtrak Philadelphia-to-Harrisburg Main Line junction in Paradise, Pennsylvania.

Description
Strasburg RR in 2004

Strasburg Rail Road is a shortline railroad that connects the town of Strasburg with Amtrak's Keystone Corridor mainline. Today, the line is used for excursion trains, that carry passengers on a 45-minute round-trip journey from East Strasburg to Leaman Place Junction through nearly 2,500 acres (1,000 ha) in southeastern Lancaster County.

The railroad includes the United States' only operational wooden dining car on which visitors may dine while riding. Attractions at the station include the fully operational 15 in (381 mm) gauge Pint-Sized Pufferbelly[5] (Cagney steam-powered ridable miniature railway) a vintage pump car and several c.1930s "cranky cars", along with several gift shops and a cafe.

A percentage of each train ticket is contributed to the Lancaster Farmland Trust.[6]

The railroad's mechanical and car shops maintain and restore locomotives and rolling stock for the Strasburg Rail Road and a wide variety of public and private clients, including fellow railroads, steam locomotive operators, train museums, and other heavy industries. In 2016–17, the shops were enlarged to 30,000 square feet (2,790 m2) to accommodate demand for their services.

Its freight department provides shipping and transloading for local and regional clients. Since 2008, freight carloads have increased substantially, which resulted in development of a new $1.5 million transloading facility funded by the railroad and matching grants.[7]

On February 12, 2023, the railroad opened up a six track freight yard that is located off of Route U.S. 30, Lincoln Highway.[8]

History

By the 1820s, the canal system had replaced the Conestoga wagon as the primary method of overland transportation. When the Susquehanna Canal opened, the majority of goods were directed through Baltimore, Maryland, rather than Philadelphia.[9][10] The small amount of goods that were destined for Philadelphia traveled via a wagon road through Strasburg.[10] Philadelphia attempted to reclaim its position as a major port city by constructing the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad in 1831. A railroad was easier and more cost effective to build than a canal. Because the new railroad would bypass Strasburg and cause Strasburg to lose its livelihood, a group of businessmen petitioned the state government for the right to build their own railroad to connect Strasburg to the Philadelphia and Columbia.[11] A charter was issued by the Pennsylvania Legislature with the signature of Governor George Wolf on June 9, 1832 to "incorporate the Strasburg rail road [sic]".[12]

Strasburg Rail Road ex-PRR 4-4-0 number 929 in Strasburg around 1894.

Although the pre-1852 history of the Strasburg Rail Road is sketchy, it is believed that the line was graded in 1835 and was operational by 1837.[11][13] The railroad operated as a horse-drawn railroad until it purchased a second-hand Norris-built, 4-2-0 steam locomotive named the William Penn in 1851.[13] Controlling interest in the railroad was purchased by John F. and Cyrus N. Herr in 1863. The rails were replaced around the same time with heavier ones to accommodate the locomotive.[14] In 1866, the Herrs were granted a charter to extend the Strasburg Rail Road to Quarryville; surveys were carried out, but the extension was eventually canceled because of an economic depression in 1867.[15] Isaac Groff managed The Strasburg Rail Road for about 20 years until the fire of January 16, 1871, which destroyed the depot, grist, and merchant-mill, planing-mill and machine-shop — in all, more than $50,000 worth of property. In 1878, the Strasburg Rail Road and the shops were sold.[16] The railroad was eventually again sold in 1888 to Edward Musselman, with the Musselman family retaining control of it until 1918 when it was purchased by State Senator John Homsher. By this time, the number of passengers had dropped off due to tracks for the Conestoga Traction Company's streetcars reaching Strasburg in 1908, which offered a more direct route between Lancaster and Strasburg.[17]

In 1926, the Strasburg Rail Road purchased a 20-short-ton (17.9-long-ton; 18.1 t), gasoline-powered, Plymouth switcher locomotive—the only locomotive that was ever built specifically for the Strasburg Rail Road.[17] By 1958, the railroad fell on hard-times from cumulative effect of years of declining freight business and infrequent runs, damage caused by Hurricane Hazel and inspectors from the Interstate Commerce Commission's lack of approval for operation of the Plymouth locomotive.[17][18] Upon the death of Bryson Homsher, the Homsher estate filed for abandonment with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.[19] Hearing of the potential abandonment, an effort to purchase and save the railroad was organized by Henry K. Long and Donald E. L. Hallock, both railfans from Lancaster. They organized a small, non-profit group to purchase the railroad. After the better part of a year of hard work, the purchase was completed on November 1, 1958.[20] The following week, on November 8, the first carload of revenue freight was hauled to what was then the only customer, a mill in Strasburg.[20]

Tourist excursion service began on January 4, 1959, and their first steam locomotive arrived the following year in June 1960.[21]

Equipment

Locomotives
SRC locomotive details[2][22]
NumberTypeImagesWheel arrangementBuilderBuiltSerial numberStatus
1GasBPlymouth Locomotive Works19262452Operational
2GasBPlymouth Locomotive Works1930UnknownOperational
3Steam4-4-0Cagney Bros.1920UnknownOperational
9Steam4-4-0Cagney Bros.1903UnknownStored
10DieselB-BSanders Machine Shop1915UnknownOperational
15Steam0-6-0TH.K. Porter, Inc.19175966Operational
89Steam2-6-0Canadian Locomotive Company1910922Operational
90Steam2-10-0Baldwin Locomotive Works192457812Stored, preparing for FRA inspection and overhaul
475Steam4-8-0Baldwin Locomotive Works190628343Operational
972Steam4-6-0Montreal Locomotive Works191251106Stored, awaiting restoration
1235DieselB-BElectro-Motive Diesel195318960Undergoing restoration
7312Steam0-6-0Baldwin Locomotive Works190832894Undergoing restoration
8618DieselB-BElectro-Motive Diesel195216193Operational

No. 1 has operated on the Strasburg Rail Road ever since it was built in 1926. The engine is notable for being used to reconstruct the track and rails for the railroad between 1958 and 1959, after the railroad was purchased to become a tourist line.[2][1]

No. 7312 originally operated for the Grand Trunk Railway and later the Canadian National Railway.[23] It was the very first steam locomotive to be purchased by the Strasburg Rail Road in June 1959, it arrived on property in June 1960 and was placed into service on September 1, 1960, pulling the railroad's very first tourist train.[23][24][2][25] It becoming the very first steam locomotive to return to service in the United States.[24] It continued service until 2009, when it was taken out of service to undergo an extensive Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) 1,472 day inspection and overhaul.[24] However, since 2021, work on the locomotive began again, but stopped again in 2022. As of March 2023, the engine was moved into the backshops were restoration and overhaul work resumed again with the hopes to return to active service in the near future.[24][3]

No. 90 originally operated on the Great Western Railway of Colorado to the company's towering mill in Loveland, Colorado where it hauled sugar beet trains.[1] It was purchased by the Strasburg Rail Road on April 5, 1967 for a price of $23.000.00, it arrived on property a month later on May 5, 1967.[1][2][26] Upon arrival, No. 90 would make its first run for Strasburg on May 13, 1967.[2][26] The engine is occasionally repainted into different paint schemes for photo charters, such as the Great Western Railway (Colorado) scheme in a 2013 charter.[27][1][28] In April 2023, No. 90 was taken out of primary service in preparation to undergo its Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) 1,472-day inspection and overhaul, which is set to begin in late 2023 or early 2024.[29][30][3]

No. 89 operated for the Green Mountain Railroad, in conjunction with Steamtown, U.S.A. It was purchased by the Strasburg Rail Road in July 1972, and while en route to Strasburg in June of that year, it was in Penn Central's Buttonwood, Pennsylvania yard when Hurricane Agnes flooded the Susquehanna River.[31][32][33] The floodwaters entered the locomotive's stack, delaying its debut at Strasburg. Upon arriving on property in June 1972, it underwent a complete overhaul, which lasted for a year, it wouldn't be until the following year on March 17, 1973 that No. 89 made its first official run on Strasburg Rail Road.[2] When No. 89 first arrived, it originally faced East hauling excursion trains, it would remain that way in that status until the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania's turntable was installed across the street in late 1973.[34][35][2] It is often the locomotive of choice to pull smaller train consists.[33]

No. 2 was acquired by the Strasburg Rail Road in 1984, it is occasionally used to move heavy equipment around the railyard. The engine would occasionally be re-themed to the Thomas character "Rusty" for the Day Out with Thomas events.[2][1]

No. 475 originally operated for the Norfolk and Western Railway hauling freight, after retirement, it was sold to several different owners until being purchased by the Strasburg Rail Road in June 1991.[36][37][38][39] Upon arriving on property on July 20, 1991, it went through a two year restoration and was returned to operating condition on November 4, 1993.[38][36][37][2][39] No. 475 would occasionally be refitted to resemble its sister locomotive No. 382 for Virginia Creeper photo charter events, hosted by Lerro Productions on separate occasions.[40][41] Additionally, for the movie Thomas and the Magic Railroad, No. 475 and three passenger cars (only two of which wound up being used) were re-lettered "Indian Valley".[42]

"Thomas" is actually Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal No. 15, originally built in March 1917 by the H.K. Porter Company.[2] The locomotive was sold to the SRC by Keith Brigode from the Toledo, Lake Erie and Western Railway in March 1998 and rebuilt to resemble the character, Thomas the Tank Engine for the SRC's annual Day Out With Thomas events.[43] In April 2014, Thomas's face was replaced with the animatronic CGI face with the mouth's ability to open and close, and a voice speaker.[43]

No. 972 was acquired from Rail Tours Inc. of Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania after the company could not afford the payments for mechanical repairs that Strasburg was performing on the locomotive at the time.[44] It currently sits in storage until it can be repaired.[2]

SRC also has a collection of early internal combustion locomotives; all but No. 1235 are in operation.[2]

No. 10 original operated for the Lancaster, Oxford and Southern Railway until the line closed in 1918.[45] In 1919, it was sold to the Grasse River Railroad in New York where it continued service there until 1960.[45] That same year, it was later sold to Winston Gottschalk of the Strasburg Rail Road and arrived on property two years later in 1962.[2][45] In 1991, it entered the Strasburg shops for a complete restoration.[45] After six years of restoration work, the railcar re-entered passenger service in 1997 and has continued operating since then.[45][2]

No. 8618 originally operated for the New York Central Railroad, it was acquired by the Strasburg Rail Road in 2009.[2] The engine is used for freight services only and would also haul excursion trains on occasion from time to time. The engine would also be occasionally re-themed into the Thomas character "Mavis" for the Day Out with Thomas events.[2][1]

No. 1235 was brought to the railroad in late 2018.[2] It arrived in poor condition, painted in faded Santa Fe dark blue, and is currently under going restoration to operation. No. 1235 is an ex-ATSF SSB-1200, rebuilt from a 1953 EMD SW9. In 1984, it was sold by GE to Celanese Corp.[46][2]

While there are many locomotives which have gone through the backshop for restoration, some have been established to be in the shop only on hearsay. Only locomotives that have been publicly displayed or have been given a press release are counted as restorations and re-builds.

The railroad also has a collection of Cagney locomotives, but only one is in operation.[2]

No. 3 is a 15 in (381 mm) gauge miniature type steam locomotive that may have originally operated at Coney Island, New York, it was acquired by the Strasburg Rail Road in 2003 and has remained in active service ever since.[2][47]

No. 9 is another 15 in gauge miniature type steam locomotive that may have also operated at Coney Island, New York, it was acquired by the Strasburg Rail Road in 2012 to operate along with No. 3.[2] It was originally planned to enter service in 2013.[2] However, it is currently sitting in storage awaiting to enter service in the near future.[2]

Former units
Former Strasburg Rail Road locomotive details[2]
NumberTypeImagesWheel ArrangementBuilderBuiltSerial NumberCurrent owner
7Diesel(B-B)General-Electric1915UnknownMiddletown and Hummelstown Railroad
21Diesel(B)Mack19216005Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
1187Steam0-4-0Baldwin Locomotive Works190321831Age of Steam Roundhouse
1223Steam4-4-0Juniata19051399Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
7002Steam4-4-2Juniata1902929Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
8000Electric (B+B)American Locomotives, General Electric Company & Ingersoll Rand1931UnknownNational Museum of Transportation
9331Diesel(B-B)General-Electric194829964Walkersville Southern Railroad (Privately owned)

Both No. 1223 and No. 7002 were leased for operation. No. 1223 was leased from the PRR from 1965 to 1968, from Penn Central from 1968 to 1979 and from the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania from 1979 to 1989.[48] No. 7002 was also leased from the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. After ultra-sonic testing both engines were found to have thin spots in their fireboxes, which are a part of their boilers, thus the engines were taken out of service. The railroad stated they could have done the repairs but the lessor, the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, wanted to preserve the historical fabric of each locomotive and did not renew their leases the following year. No. 1223's last day of service for SRC was Thursday, October 26, 1989, while No. 7002's was earlier that year in January right after filming a Prudential Insurance commercial in Harrisburg Train Station. They have both remained on static display since being removed from service.

SRC No. 4 is a camelback-type locomotive originally built as Reading Railroad A4b No. 1187 by The Baldwin Locomotive Works. The locomotive has the distinction of being the only SRC locomotive to arrive under its own power, doing so in 1962 from E&G Brooke Iron Company of Birdsboro, PA.[2][49] It had inadequate strength for SRC's heavy trains. As such, it ran as a switcher during the summer months from 1963 to 1967. After a loan to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, it long sat dismantled pending long-term future restoration. It was acquired by the Age of Steam Roundhouse in Sugarcreek, Ohio during a July 15, 2020[50][51] auction and left the Strasburg yard on July 31, 2020.[50][51]

Visiting units
NumberTypeImagesWheel ArrangementBuilderBuiltNotes
B&O Tom Thumb ReplicaSteam0-4-0Baltimore and Ohio Railroad1926-1927Rebuild
WDWRR #1 Walter E. DisneySteam4-6-0Baldwin Locomotive Works1925Overhauled between 2016 and 2020
WDWRR #2 Lilly BelleSteam2-6-0Baldwin Locomotive Works1928Rebuilt between 2010 and 2016
WDWRR #3 Roger E. BroggieSteam4-6-0Baldwin Locomotive Works1925Overhauled between 2019 and 2023
B&O 25 William MasonSteam4-4-0Mason Machine Works1856Rebuild
PALCO 37Steam2-8-2TALCO1924Awaiting Restoration Since 2010
LIRR 39Steam4-6-0Juniata Shops1929Awaiting Restoration Since 2008
MSC 98Steam4-4-0ALCO1909Stored at Strasburg 1960-1964
611Steam4-8-4Roanoke Shops1950At Strasburg in 2019 and 2021-2023
764Diesel GP7 (B-B)Electro-Motive Diesel1954 Leased in 2016

Locomotives that visited Strasburg either for events, to undergo a rebuild or, under a lease agreement.

B&O Tom Thumb Replica visited once for a rebuild, owned by B&O Railroad Museum.

B&O 25 William Mason visited for a rebuild to prepare for an appearance in Wild, Wild West, owned by B&O Railroad Museum.[52]

No. 611 visited in 2019 for the N&W Reunion of Steam event, visited again in 2021 and 2022,[53][54][55] owned by the Virginia Museum of Transportation.[56] It ran its last excursions in late May 2023 and returned to the VMT.

No. 764 is an ex-Union Pacific (built), ex-Amtrak, ex-Maine Eastern, owned by RR Power Leasing, temporarily leased in 2016.[57]

No. 37 is an ex-Sugar Pine Lumber Company. Last operated in the 1990s. Purchased by Timber Heritage Association in November 2003 and moved from Wilmington & Western Railroad to Strasburg Railroad in 2010 to await funding for restoration to operational status. Recently, the locomotive was sold to the Age of Steam Roundhouse.[58]

No. 39 is a PRR G5 class "Ten Wheeler" type steam locomotive.[59] Ex-Long Island Rail Road.[2] Boiler arrival on property in 2008, currently awaiting for restoration. The rest of the locomotives parts are stored at the Railroad Museum of Long Island.

No. 98, though never owned by SRC, was stored at East Strasburg station from 1960-1964. No. 98 was purchased by father and son T. Clarence Marshall and Thomas C. Marshall, Jr. from Paulsen Spence's ill-fated Louisiana Eastern Railroad collection, for use on Historic Red Clay Valley, Inc's Wilmington and Western Railroad. No. 98 arrived on the Wilmington & Western in 1964 and was operational by 1972. No. 98 is currently out of service undergoing a overhaul and is expected to be operational sometime in 2023-4.[60]

Since 2010, the Walt Disney World Railroad locomotives, No. 1 Walter E. Disney, No. 2 Lilly Belle, No. 3 Roger E. Broggie, and No. 4 Roy O. Disney would travel to the Strasburg Rail Road shops to undergo overhaul services and rebuilts.[61][62]

Pre-1958

Strasburg rostered at least six steam locomotives prior to 1958. Evidence suggests that Strasburg only rostered one locomotive at a time, operating it until it was no longer economically viable to run it anymore and would purchase a new locomotive to replace it.

NumberTypeImagesWheel ArrangementBuilderBuiltNotes
560Steam0-4-0Juniata1893EX-PRR A3 class switcher. Strasburg's last steam locomotive before acquiring the Plymouth.
937Steam4-4-0Juniata1876EX-Pennsylvania Railroad D5 4-4-0 engine. Renumbered as Strasburg's second No. 1 and scrapped in 1924 after it was retired from service.
929Steam
Strasburg Rail Road ex-PRR 4-4-0 number 929 in Strasburg around 1894.
Strasburg Rail Road ex-PRR 4-4-0 number 929 in Strasburg around 1894.
4-4-0Juniata1873EX-Pennsylvania Railroad D3 4-4-0 engine. Renumbered as Strasburg's first No. 1. Sold in 1906 after plymouth was cheaper to maintain
"Strasburg"Steam4-4-0TBaldwin Locomotive Works1863Strasburg's first new locomotive.
"William Penn"Steam4-2-0Long & Norris1835Ex-Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad. Strasburg's first locomotive, rumored to be one of the first 50 locomotives built in the US. Possibly rebuilt Sold in 1865. Possibly rebuilt when sold.
5203combine coach(B+B)JuniataunknownEx-Pennsylvania Railroad combine coach. Rebuilt with an added door to better load and unload milk and supplies at Leaman Place station and the Homsher Mill. Retired 1929, remained on the property until the 1950s
5203monitor rood combine coach(B+B)Juniatacir. 1860sEx-Pennsylvania Railroad 1860s monitor roof combine coach. Used from 1892 to cir. 1926, cut down to a flatcar and remained on the property for 3 more years until she was taken to parts
W-04boxcar(B+B)Pressed Steel Car Company1907Ex-New York, Philadelphia and Norfolk Railroad boxcar. Is the oldest equipment still surviving from the pre-tourist era, next to Plymouth 20 ton No. 1. Boxcar number SRC #110, NY&PNRR #998, PRR #96451. Used on photo charters like the other equipment.

Passenger car equipment
Current rolling stock[2]
SRR No. Name Image Builder Built Type Notes Significance of Car Name
10 Reading Harlan and Hollingsworth 1913 Business ex-Reading Original name given to the car by Edward Stotesbury, former president of the Reading Railroad. Originally named "Paradise" from 1964 to 2001. Restored to original "Reading" paint scheme.
20 William M. Moedinger Jackson & Sharpe 1913 Coach ex-Maryland and Pennsylvania Named for Strasburg Rail Road Company founder and fifth company president (1971-1982). Put into service at Strasburg in 1959. Number 20 is its original MA&PA number. Originally named "Willow Brook" from 1959 until 2007 when it was renamed "William M. Moedinger".[63]
58 Cherry Hill / Huber Leath Harlan and Hollingsworth 1911 Coach ex-Reading Named for Strasburg Rail Road Company founder and CMO (1962-1986). Arrived at Strasburg in 1958. Originally named "Cherry Hill" from 1958 until 2007 when it was renamed "Huber Leath".[63]
59 Grasshopper Level B&M Salem Shops 1904 Coach ex-Boston and Maine A nickname for an area of Lancaster County just south of Strasburg along Route 896. Arrived at Strasburg in 1959.
60 Eshleman Run / Donald E.L. Hallock B&M Concorde Shops 1903 Combine ex-Boston and Maine Named for Strasburg Rail Road Company founder and 3rd company president (1965-1970). Arrived at Strasburg in 1960. Originally named "Eshelman Run" from 1960 until 1999 when it was renamed "Donald E.L. Hallock".[63]
62 Gobbler's Knob Pullman 1897 Coach ex-Boston and Maine A nickname for an area in Lancaster County just south of Strasburg along Route 896. Put into service in 1962.
65 Walnut Hollow Harlan & Hollingsworth 1910 Coach ex-Reading Unknown significance. Put into service at Strasburg in 1965.
68 Hello Dolly Pullman 1896 Open Air/Observation ex-Boston and Maine built as a coach Named for the 1969 movie for which this car was rebuilt and in which this car starred.
70 Cherry Crest Pullman 1904 Coach ex Boston and Maine Named for the ex-Cornelius Ferree farm along the Strasburg Rail Road line. Put into service at Strasburg in 1970.
71 Daffodil Spring Pullman 1904 Open Air ex-Boston and Maine built as a coach No significance in the name. Put into service at Strasburg in 1971.
72 Mill Creek Pullman 1906 Coach ex-Boston and Maine Named for the tributary of the Conestoga River. Put into service at Strasburg in 1972.
73 Pleasant View Pullman 1907 Open Air ex-Boston and Maine, built as Coach. No significance to the name. Put into service at Strasburg in 1973.
75 Henry K. Long Laconia 1910 Lounge ex-Boston and Maine, built as Coach Named for Strasburg Rail Road Company founder and first company president (1958-1963). Put into service at Strasburg in 1975.
88 Marian Laconia 1910 Parlor ex-Boston and Maine, built as Coach Named "Marian" for Strasburg Rail Road Company founder and first board secretary. She was the wife of William M. Moedinger. Put into service as the First Class Parlor car at Strasburg in 1988.
92 Susquehanna Harlan & Hollingsworth 1910 Coach ex-Reading Named "Susquehanna" for the Susquehanna River, which forms the western boundary of Lancaster County. Put into service at Strasburg in 1992.
93 Lee E. Brenner Laconia 1909 Diner ex-Boston and Maine, built as Coach, only wooden dining car in regular service in the US Named for Strasburg Rail Road Company founder and the second company president (1963-1964). Put into service at Strasburg as the dining car in 1993.
96 William McFarlan Pullman 1896 Coach ex-Boston and Maine Named for a former Strasburg Rail Road Company VP whose estate gift funds to the company, from which the restoration of this car was made possible. Put into service at Strasburg in 1996.
99 Valley View Laconia 1909 Open Air ex-Boston and Maine, built as Coach No significance with the name. Put into service at Strasburg in 1999.
105 Warren F. Benner Barney & Smith 1912 Coach ex-Western Maryland Named for Strasburg Rail Road Company founder and second company treasurer (1967-1998). Put into service at Strasburg in 2005.
118 Linn W. Moedinger American Car & Foundry 1910 Lounge ex-Baltimore and Ohio Cocooned from 1990 to 2015. Restored 2015–2018. Completed November 2018. Inaugural run November 19, 2018. Named for Strasburg Rail Road Company CMO (1988-2018), president (2000-2018), and son of William and Marian Moedinger.
3214 none Laconia 1909 Baggage ex-Boston and Maine, built as Combine rebuilt in the 70's and used for a photo charter in the 80's. Now used for storage purposes
TBD TBD Wagner Palace Car Company. 1899 Coach ex-Rutland 704, cocooned
TBD TBD Barney & Smith 1910 Cafe/Observation ex Baltimore and Ohio, cocooned
TBD TBD Jackson & Sharpe 1899 Coach ex-Bangor and Aroostook, cocooned
TBD TBD Jackson & Sharpe 1899 Coach ex-Bangor and Aroostook, cocooned
9125 TBD ACF 1946 Baggage ex-New York Central used for storage
9140 TBD ACF 1946 Baggage ex-New York Central used for storage
9146 TBD ACF 1946 Baggage ex-New York Central used for storage

2022 accident

On November 2, 2022, while running around a passenger train at Leaman Place, Paradise, No. 475 collided head-on with an excavator parked on a siding.[64] The impact punched a hole in the smokebox door.[64] No crew or passengers were injured, and the damage done was deemed relatively minor.[65] The collision was broadcast live via Virtual Railfan and was caught on video via cellphone by one of the passengers on board the train that day.[64][66] The accident was caused by a misaligned switch, and it is being investigated by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).[64] Strasburg announced repairs on the No. 475 locomotive had commenced immediately on November 3, the day after the accident.[67] Repairs were completed with the No. 475 locomotive returning to service on November 7, 2022.[68]

In film and television

The Strasburg Rail Road and its locomotives have appeared in a number of films and television series, including Hello, Dolly!, Wild Wild West, Thomas and the Magic Railroad, The Gilded Age, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, The Men Who Built America and I Heard the Bells.[69][42][70][71][72][73][74]

References
  1. Bell, Kurt; Plant, Jeremy (2015). The Strasburg Rail Road In Color. Scotch Plains, NJ: Morning Sun Books. p. 49. ISBN 978-1-58248-479-2.
  2. "Equipment Roster" (PDF). July 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  3. "New Strasburg GM packs experience, skills". Trains. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  4. "Locomotives find new life among the crash and bang of Strasburg Rail Road's mechanical shop". LancasterOnline.com. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  5. Strasburg Rail Road - Pint-Sized Pufferbelly
  6. "Lancaster Farmland Trust". 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  7. Rutter, Jon (August 21, 2011). "When the Strasburg Rail Road hauls freight, it means business". LancasterOnline. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  8. "Strasburg Rail Road opens six-track freight yard". Trains. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  9. Hallock, p. 132.
  10. Hallock, p. 133.
  11. Hallock, p. 134.
  12. Journal of the Forty-second House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Vol. 1. Harrisburg: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. 1832. p. 986.
  13. Hallock, p. 135.
  14. Hallock, p. 136.
  15. Hallock, p. 140.
  16. Ellis, Franklin (1883). History of Lancaster County Pennsylvania: With biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men. (1883). United States: Everts and Peck. p. 1067.
  17. Hallock, p. 141.
  18. Soloman, p. 76.
  19. Hallock, p. 143.
  20. "History". Strasburg Rail Road. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  21. "Strasburg Rail Road's History: How We Became America's Oldest Continuously Operating Railroad". Strasburg Rail Road. August 3, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  22. "Full Equipment Roster". Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  23. "Canadian National Ry No. 31". SteamLocomotive.com.
  24. "LOCOMOTIVE NO. 31". Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  25. Bell, Kurt (2015). The Strasburg Rail Road in Color. Scotch Plains, NJ: Morning Sun Books Inc. p. 25. ISBN 978-1-58248-479-2.
  26. "LOCOMOTIVE NO. 90". Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  27. Conrail6370 (2008-11-14), "A Near Miss at Cherry Hill Siding" on the Strasburg Railroad November 8,2008, archived from the original on 2021-12-21, retrieved 2018-11-07
  28. "No. 90". Archived from the original on 2020-11-17. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
  29. Cupper, Dan (November 2, 2022). "Strasburg collision damages No. 475, no one hurt". Trains. Kalmbach Media. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  30. "90 In-Cab Experiences". Strasburg Rail Road. Archived from the original on March 5, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
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Bibliography
  • Bell, Kurt; Plant, Jeremy (2015). Strasburg Rail Road In Color (1st ed.). Morning Sun Books. ISBN 978-1-58248-479-2.
  • Conner, Eric; Barrall, Steve (2017). Strasburg Rail Road. Images of Rail (1st ed.). Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4671-2507-9.
  • Moedinger, William M. (1993). The Road to Paradise: The Story of the Rebirth of the Strasburg Rail Road (3rd ed.). The Strasburg Rail Road Shop.
  • Edson, William D.; Corley, Raymond F. (Autumn 1982). "Locomotives of the Grand Trunk Railway". Railroad History. Boston, Mass.: The Railway and Locomotive Historical Society, Inc. (147). ISSN 0090-7847.
  • Hallock, Donald E. L (1964). "A brief history of the Strasburg Rail Road". Journal of the Lancaster County Historical Society. Lancaster, PA: Lancaster County Historical Society. 68 (4): 129–146.
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