All Aboard!

Our road trip actually began in Pennsylvania Dutch country and of course we visited the famously named village of Intercourse (click the link to see how it got it's name - no, it's not what you think).   The village is situated in beautiful farm country and hosts thousands of visitors each year.  It has many attractions including buggy rides that showcase the area and covered bridges.

Strasburg is not far from Intercourse and just a few miles south east of Lancaster, PA. That's where you'll find the Strasburg Railroad and the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.  The Strasburg Railroad has been running since the mid-1800s and celebrates it's 177th year of railroad charter this year.  It has been in operation as a tourist railroad since 1958 and operates on a four-and-a-half mile track.  The old steam engine hauls the historic passenger cars through the Amish countryside at a leisurley pace where you can be entertained by a 'train robbery' or enjoy a meal in the dining car.

Of course, my main interest was photographing the train and some of the old engines across the street at the museum.  The engines at the museum were in pretty poor shape. As you can see from the photo here Engine #90 is in very good shape and ready to take it's passengers for thier evening ride.

A hundred years, or so ago the rail cars were not quie so comfortable as you'll find in modern trains.  For example, each car had a wood burning stove at one end to keep passengers warm in the winter.  


I suppose passengers in the seats next to the stove could be too hot while the ones at the other end of the car might be too cold.

The seats themselves may leave a lot to be desired for modern day travellers. First class carriages had well upholstered seats while other classes had seats more akin to wooden benches.  I suppose you could bring your own cushion if taking a long journey.  You'll also notice in the following photos that the upper class carriage has windows whereas the cheaper class carriage does not - it's open to the elements.   For modern passengers taking a nostalgic four-and-a-half mile ride on a nice summer evening it's just fine.  Having to ride a train with no windows in winter must have been tough!

 

If you'd like to see more photographs from Strasburg Railroad click the following link: Strasburg Railroad Photographs

Eric Franks Photography