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The depot at the corner of West Pennsylvania and Hills St. in Stewartstown. The station house was closed and the orange caboose served as the ticket window and gift shop.
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Last Train to Stewartstown?
Good Friday 2004 began as a beautiful Spring day and the Stewartstown Railroad was
scheduled to run three "Easter Bunny" trips. I decided that it would be a perfect
day to cruise to Stewartstown and take my first train ride on this little railroad.
I found out that that weekend might be my last chance to travel on the Stewartstown. It was
rumored that the owner, George Hart, was not in good health and that insurance costs were eating
up what little revenue the road brought in. I called a week ahead to make reservations and was
surprised to hear that all of the tickets were sold! But I chose to drive the two hours and
see if I could find a way on board the one o'clock train. At Stewartstown, I found myself
in line behind eight other people who had similar ideas. To the railroad's credit, they
were able to find room for all of us.
The railroad has tracks that stretch 7.2 miles (11.6 kilometers) between Stewartstown and New Freedom,
PA. But this trip, like most, only took us as far as
Tolna, a small village mid way along the line. The train then reversed direction and ran
backwards a short distance to a wooded picnic area where hidden easter eggs awaited the
children on board.
Surprisingly, I was one of a handful of railfans on board, the majority of the passengers were
families out entertaining the kids. Many had no idea that this may be there last trip
over these old rails.
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Leaving the depot, the train must cross busy Route 851 in Stewartstown. |
Children anxiously await the engineman's whistle, signaling them to start the great Easter egg hunt.
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The Valley Road bridge was built in 1870 - predating the railroad by 15 years. It was originally from the Northern Central. The bridge was rebuilt in 1927 by adding a steel span beneath. The original iron girders were kept, but carry no weight whatsoever!
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Another view of the bridge with the train backing up returning to Stewartstown. |
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Two 72 foot (21.9 meters) long steel coaches, No.1158 and
No.1341, built in the 1920's for the Reading
Company by Bethlehem Shipbuilding carried our precious cargo. These secondhand coaches
were quite worn and had certainly seen better days. They were being pulled by
No.10 engine, a modest 44-ton
(39 916 kilograms) General Electric diesel
built in 1946 and purchased by the railroad in 1972.
We all disembarked at the picnic grounds and found a roped off area where many colored eggs
were dropped by the mysterious Easter Bunny. Everyone gathered around and anxiously waited
for the engineman to blow the whistle. Finally - "Wheeeep" - and the children rushed in to
collect their treasure.
Afterwards, we all piled back into the cars and the train returned to Stewartstown. All in
all, it was a very enjoyable day!
The last trip of the Stewartstown Railroad left at three o'clock the following day. I was
not there but I heard that it turned out to be an adventure. Due to the tracks spreading,
the westbound train derailed near the iron bridge a little over a mile (1.6 kilometers) out of town. No one
was injured, and the railroad got out an extra coach and "Mighty Mo" - a small 35-ton
(31 752 kilograms) gasoline Plymouth locomotive - to tranfer
the passengers back to Stewartstown. Two trips were required but the afternoon was pleasant
and it was said that everyone coped with the accident well. By nine o'clock that evening the
crew had the cars rerailed and back at the station.
There continues to be a rumor that a person or persons are interested in purchasing the
railroad and putting it back into shape. We'll all just have to wait and see what happens
to the little Stewartstown.
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