Time to Catch the Train - Strasburg, PA
by Susan Rissi Tregoning
Title
Time to Catch the Train - Strasburg, PA
Artist
Susan Rissi Tregoning
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Checking the time on the Strasburg Street Clock before hopping on the train at the historic Strasburg Rail Road station.
Today, Strasburg Rail Road is a historic shortline railroad excursion train that carries passengers on a 45-minute journey from East Strasburg to Leaman Place Junction through picturesque southeastern Lancaster County Amish Country. It’s hard to imagine now, but covered wagons and canals were still commonplace when the Strasburg Rail Road was chartered in 1832.
When the Philadelphia & Columbia Railroad began constructing 82 miles of rail between the two cities in 1831, they circumvented the town of Strasburg by five miles. It would have been the death blow to the most populous and wealthiest town in Lancaster County if the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania hadn’t granted a charter in 1832 to create a direct rail connection to P&C’s main line. But unfortunately, the construction of this shortline railroad had a rough start. It took twenty years for the dream to be realized in 1851 when the Strasburg Rail Road was incorporated, and it began carrying passengers and freight.
By 1954, the condition of the Strasburg Rail Road was seriously dilapidated, and the rails of the 4.5-mile run were weed-infested from lack of use. It had an annual gross revenue of less than $3000 when a group of railroad enthusiasts met in 1958 to discuss the purchase of the Strasburg Rail Road to save it. The rest is history. A half-century later, the Strasburg Rail Road averages 300,000 passengers a year.
Historically, it is the oldest continuously operating railroad in North America and the most visited heritage railroad in the United States.
Copyright 2023 Susan Rissi Tregoning
Uploaded
May 16th, 2023
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