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 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.^[1] The railroad hosts 300,000 visitors per year.^[2]

Strasburg Rail Road

East Strasburg station in July 1979
Overview
Headquarters	Strasburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Reporting mark	SRC
Locale	Strasburg and Paradise Townships, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Dates of operation	1832 (1832)–present
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length	4.02 mi (6.47 km)
Other
Website	strasburgrailroad.com

v t e Strasburg Rail Road
Legend
Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania 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

The Strasburg Rail Road is one of the few railroads in the U.S. sometimes using steam locomotives to haul revenue freight trains. 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.

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.^[3][4] The small amount of goods that were destined for Philadelphia traveled via a wagon road through Strasburg.^[4] 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.^[5] 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]".^[6]

Ex-PRR 4-4-0 No. 929 hauling a hopper train 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.^[5][7] 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.^[7] 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.^[8] 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.^[9]

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, equal to $1,312,361 today. In 1878, the Strasburg Rail Road and the shops were sold.^[10] The railroad was sold again 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 because tracks for the Conestoga Traction Company's streetcars had reached Strasburg in 1908, offering a more direct route between Lancaster and Strasburg.^[11]

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.^[11] By 1958, the railroad fell on hard times from the cumulative effect of years of declining freight business and infrequent runs, damage caused by Hurricane Hazel, and lack of approval for operation of the Plymouth locomotive by inspectors from the Interstate Commerce Commission.^[11][12]

Upon the death of Bryson Homsher, the Homsher estate filed for abandonment with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.^[13] Learning of the potential abandonment, an effort to purchase and save the railroad was organized by railfans from Lancaster Henry K. Long and Donald E. L. Hallock. 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.^[14] A week later, the first carload of revenue freight was hauled to what was then the only customer, a mill in Strasburg.^[14]

Tourist excursion service began on January 4, 1959, and the first steam locomotive arrived in June the following year.^[15]

No. 475 hauling an excursion train in 2004

Today, the line carries 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. A percentage of each train ticket's revenue is contributed to the Lancaster Farmland Trust.^[16]

The railroad operates 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^[17] (Cagney steam-powered ridable miniature railway), a vintage pump car and several c.1930s "cranky cars", along with several gift shops and a cafe.

The railroad's mechanical and car shops maintain and restore locomotives and rolling stock and a wide variety of public and private clients, including other 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 increasing demand for their services.

Its freight department provides shipping and transloading for local and regional clients. Interchange is with Norfolk Southern at Leaman Place Junction on Amtrak's Keystone Corridor.^[18]

When the railroad returned to operation for tourism, freight business was still pursued but was diminished compared to the past. Business from the Homsher feed mill ended in 1976, and one of the only sources of freight traffic was imported plastic pellets for a battery manufacturer in Lampeter. Occasional carloads of lumber were also carried, but freight traffic as a whole came to a near standstill a few years into the 2000s; the plastic pellet business was lost to trucks. Several years went by with no freight shipments at all, and the railroad was in danger of losing its designation as a common carrier entirely. The railroad made a strategic decision to actively seek out new freight business in 2008; at the time, the railroad was averaging less than one freight car per month. Improvements were made to the main line to accommodate the heavier weight of modern freight cars, and the railroad also purchased EMD SW8 #8618 to handle freight duties.^[18]

Since 2008, freight carloads have increased substantially, which resulted in the development of a new $1.5 million transloading facility funded by the railroad and matching grants.^[19] Increased freight shipments justified an additional locomotive purchase, a rebuilt EMD SW9, in 2019.^[18] On February 12, 2023, the railroad inaugurated a six-track freight yard located off of Route U.S. 30, the Lincoln Highway.^[20] The United States Department of Labor ordered the railroad in January 2025 to pay back wages and compensatory damages to an employee of the Strasburg Railroad who had unlawfully fired after the employee raised safety concerns.^[21]

Equipment

Locomotives

Locomotive details^[22][23][24]

Number	Image	Type	Class	Builder	Built	Former owner	Status
1		Diesel	Gas turbine	Plymouth Locomotive Works	1926	None	Operational
2		Diesel	Gas turbine	Plymouth Locomotive Works	1930	Unknown	Operational
3		Steam	4-4-0	Cagney Bros.	1920	Coney Island	Operational
9		Steam	4-4-0	Cagney Bros.	1903	Coney Island	Stored
10		Railcar	Doodlebug	Sanders Machine Shop	1915	Lancaster, Oxford and Southern Railway	Operational
15		Steam	0-6-0ST	H.K. Porter, Inc.	1917	Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal	Operational
89		Steam	2-6-0	Canadian Locomotive Company	1910	Canadian National Railway	Operational
90		Steam	2-10-0	Baldwin Locomotive Works	1924	Great Western Railway of Colorado	Operational
475		Steam	4-8-0	Baldwin Locomotive Works	1906	Norfolk and Western Railway	Operational
972		Steam	4-6-0	Montreal Locomotive Works	1912	Canadian Pacific Railway	Stored, awaiting restoration
1235		Diesel	SW9	Electro-Motive Diesel	1953	Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway	Under restoration
7312		Steam	0-6-0	Baldwin Locomotive Works	1908	Canadian National Railway	Undergoing 1,472-day inspection and overhaul
8618		Diesel	SW8	Electro-Motive Diesel	1952	New York Central Railroad	Operational

Former units

Locomotive details^{[22][25][26][27][28]}

Number	Image	Type	Class	Builder	Built	Current owner
21		Railcar	Railbus	Mack	1921	Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
1187		Steam	0-4-0	Baldwin Locomotive Works	1903	Age of Steam Roundhouse
1223		Steam	4-4-0	Juniata Shops	1905	Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
7002		Steam	4-4-2	Juniata Shops	1902	Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
8000		Diesel	Electric	American Locomotives, General Electric Company & Ingersoll Rand	1931	National Museum of Transportation
9331		Diesel	44-ton switcher	General-Electric	1948	Walkersville Southern Railroad (privately owned)

Units visited or rebuilt

Number	Image	Type	Wheel arrangement	Builder	Built	Notes
B&O Tom Thumb replica		Steam	2-2-0VB	Baltimore and Ohio Railroad	1926-1927	Rebuild[29]
WDWRR 1/Walter E. Disney		Steam	4-6-0	Baldwin Locomotive Works	1925	Overhauled between 2016 and 2020[30]
WDWRR 2/Lilly Belle		Steam	2-6-0	Baldwin Locomotive Works	1928	Overhauled between 2010 and 2016[31]
WDWRR 3/Roger E. Broggie		Steam	4-6-0	Baldwin Locomotive Works	1925	Overhauled between 2019 and 2023[32]
WDWRR 4/Roy O. Disney		Steam	4-4-0	Baldwin Locomotive Works	1916	Under overhaul since 2024[33]
B&O 25/William Mason		Steam	4-4-0	Mason Machine Works	1856	Rebuild[34]
37		Steam	2-8-2T	American Locomotive Company	1924	Stored at Strasburg between 2010 and 2023
39		Steam	4-6-0	Juniata Shops	1929	Awaiting restoration since 2008[35]
40		Steam	2-8-0	Baldwin Locomotive Works	1925	Rebuilt to operating condition between 1990 and 1991[36]
98		Steam	4-4-0	American Locomotive Company	1909	Stored at Strasburg 1961-1964[37]
611		Steam	4-8-4	Roanoke Shops	1950	Visited Strasburg in 2019 and in 2021-23[38][39][40]
614		Steam	4-8-4	Lima Locomotive Works	1948	Owned by RJD America, LLC, with Strasburg contracted for restoration to operating condition[41]
764		GP7	(B-B)	Electro-Motive Diesel	1954	Leased in 2016
902		FP7	(B-B)	Electro-Motive Diesel	1950	Visited Strasburg in 2001[42]
903		FP7	(B-B)	Electro-Motive Diesel	1950	Visited Strasburg in 2001[42]

Pre-1958

Locomotive details^[7]

Number	Image	Type	Wheel arrangement	Builder	Built	Notes
560		Steam	0-4-0	Juniata	1893	Ex-PRR A3 class switcher. Strasburg's last steam locomotive before acquiring the Plymouth.
937		Steam	4-4-0	Juniata	1876	Ex-Pennsylvania Railroad D5 4-4-0 engine. Renumbered as Strasburg's second No. 1 and scrapped in 1924 after it was retired from service.
929	Strasburg Rail Road ex-PRR 4-4-0 number 929 in Strasburg around 1894.	Steam	4-4-0	Juniata	1873	Ex-Pennsylvania Railroad D3 4-4-0 engine. Renumbered as Strasburg's first No. 1. Sold in 1906 after the Plymouth was cheaper to maintain.
"Strasburg"		Steam	4-4-0T	Baldwin Locomotive Works	1863	Strasburg's first new locomotive
"William Penn"		Steam	4-2-0	Long & Norris	1835	Ex-Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad. Strasburg's first locomotive, rumored to be one of the first 50 locomotives built in the US. Possibly rebuilt when sold in 1865.
5203		Combination coach	(B+B)	Juniata	Unknown	Ex-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 in 1929, remained on the property until the 1950s.
5203		Monitor rood combination coach	(B+B)	Juniata	cir. 1860s	Ex-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 dismantled for parts
W-04		Boxcar	(B+B)	Pressed Steel Car Company	1907	Ex-New York, Philadelphia and Norfolk Railroad boxcar. The oldest equipment still surviving from the pre-tourist era, other than 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^[22]

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, 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".[43]
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".[43]
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 SRC 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".[43]
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 to star in movie.
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	Significance in the name unknown. 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.	Significance in the name unknown. 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 funded the restoration. Put into service at Strasburg in 1996.
99	Valley View		Laconia	1909	Open Air	ex-Boston and Maine, built as Coach	Significance in the name unknown. 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

Accidents and incidents

• On September 4, 2014, an empty excursion train was departing from the station when open-air passenger car No. 99 suddenly derailed. There were no injuries.^[44] The derailment was caused by a glitch in one of the track switches by the station.^[44] The crew eventually got the passenger car back on track by 3:30 pm.^[44]
• On November 2, 2022, while running around a passenger train at Leaman Place, No. 475 collided head-on with an excavator parked on a siding.^[45] The impact punched a hole in the smokebox door.^[45] No crew or passengers were injured, and the damage done was deemed relatively minor.^[46] 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.^[45][47] The accident was caused by a misaligned switch, and was investigated by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).^[45] Strasburg announced that repairs on the No. 475 locomotive had commenced on November 3, the day after the accident.^[48] Repairs were completed with the No. 475 locomotive returning to service on the 7th.^[49]

Appearances in media

The Strasburg Rail Road and its locomotives have appeared in a number of films and television series, including Hello, Dolly!, Wild Wild West,^[50] Thomas and the Magic Railroad,^[51] The Gilded Age, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood,^[52] The Men Who Built America,^[53] and I Heard the Bells.^[54][55]