Stewartstown Railroad facts for kids
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Stewartstown |
| Locale | Stewartstown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Dates of operation | 1885–present |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4' 8 1/2 |
| Length | 7.4 miles |
| Other | |
| Website | www.stewartstownrailroadco.com |
The Stewartstown Railroad is a special kind of train line called a heritage railroad. It runs in Stewartstown, Pennsylvania.
This railroad was started in 1884 by people living in the Stewartstown area. It opened for trains in 1885. What's cool is that it still looks and works much like it did back then! The railroad started running trains again in 2015. A team of amazing volunteers helps to run everything today.
You can take passenger and tourist trains from the old Stewartstown Railroad Station, which was built in 1914. You can choose to ride in a regular coach car or even in a caboose! These rides go about a mile down the track and then come back. A special old train car, the Reading Railroad coach 1341, has been back in service since 2016. Also, a new Open Air car, built by friends of the railroad, is ready for rides.
Contents
All About the Stewartstown Railroad
Fun Train Rides
You can also go on "motorcar" rides. These are small, open cars that run on the tracks. They start at the Stewartstown Railroad Station. These rides go along the whole 7.4-mile track! About once a month, motorcar trains travel from Stewartstown all the way to New Freedom and back.
The railroad also has special trains for holidays! You can ride the Easter Bunny Trains in spring. In the fall, there are Fall Foliage Runs to see the colorful leaves. Around Halloween, you can find spooky trains, and in winter, there are Santa Trains!
Historic Buildings and Bridges
Some parts of the Stewartstown Railroad are very old and important. The Shrewsbury Railroad Station, the Stewartstown Railroad Station, and the Stewartstown Engine House in Stewartstown are all listed as historic places. This means they are protected because of their history.
Several bridges on the line are also historic. These include the Deer Creek Bridge, the Ridge Road Bridge, the Stone Arch Road Bridge, and the Valley Road Bridge.
The Railroad's Locomotives
The Stewartstown Railroad has a few different train engines, called locomotives. Each one has its own story!
Locomotive 9
This engine was built in 1943 by the Plymouth Locomotive Works. It's an ML-8 switcher, which is a type of engine used for moving cars around. It first worked for the South Carolina Ports Authority. In 1960, the Stewartstown Railroad bought it. Today, Locomotive 9 is the main engine that pulls the regular passenger and caboose trains. It's still working hard!
Locomotive 10
Locomotive 10 is a 44-ton switcher built by GE Transportation in 1946. It used to work for other railroads like the Coudersport & Port Allegany. In 1972, it was leased to the Lykens Valley Railroad. Later, it worked for Rail Tours, Incorporated, before coming back to the Stewartstown Railroad in 1985. This locomotive returned to active service in April 2019.
Locomotive 12
This is another engine built by GE Transportation. It's an 80-ton switcher. This locomotive is privately owned, meaning it belongs to an individual, not the railroad itself.
Locomotive 84
Locomotive 84 is an SW9 engine built in 1952 by EMD. It first worked for the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad. In 1976, the Maryland & Pennsylvania Railroad bought it. In 2018, the York Railway donated it to the Stewartstown Railroad. Right now, this engine is being fixed up in York, Pennsylvania, so it can run again soon!
