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Victoria, Virginia

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

Have you ever heard of the small town of Victoria in the southern region of the U.S. state of Virginia?  If you have never heard of this town, do not feel sad as very few people even know that this town even exists.  The town, located halfway between the port city of Norfolk at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay and the city of Roanoke, has no famous historic sites or landmarks.  It is your typical small town with a main street with stores.  The only routes through the town is Virginia State Routes 40 and 49.

Some of you are saying, “Well, that is not much.  With a name like Victoria, it would be funny if the town is named after some famous queen.”

Ladies and gentlemen, start laughing.  This small one-horse town is named after Queen Victoria.  Yes, it is named after the British Queen Victoria.  The county the town is located in, Lunenburg County, is named for a German Duke.  As you can see, the town of Victoria is a small town that has much European royalty.

Now some of you are saying, “Amazing.  Queen Victoria would be very proud to have a town named in her honor.  Being a small town with no castles or palaces, she would probably never visit here.  What is really bad is that there is no railroad in this town.  Therefore, I will not accept the royalty of visiting this town.”

So, you do not want to visit this town because of the fact that it is not a railroad town.  Ladies and gentlemen, you are about to learn about a small town in southern Virginia.

The U.S. state of Virginia is a state that has much history, and the history begins long before the state was established.  Before it was a state, it was a British colony, one of the original thirteen colonies.  It has the oldest continuous American city in the United States of America which is the site of the first English settlement in the nation, Jamestown.  (Yes, Taos, New Mexico and Saint Augustine, Florida are older establishments, but they were not part of the United States of America until years later.)  The state has many great historical cities like the state capitol, Richmond, a city that served as the Confederate capital during the American Civil War, and Williamsburg, a city that was once the state capital of Virginia, and Yorktown where a great victory over the British and where they surrendered during the American Revolutionary War, and, as mentioned, Jamestown, the oldest continuous American city, and Charlottesville, the home of Thomas Jefferson, and Manassas where the first major battle of the American Civil War took place and it the only place that was the site of two major battles during that war, and Alexandria, a city with deep history, and Bristol, a town that is partly in Virginia and partly in Tennessee where it is said that country music began here.  The state has produce more U.S. presidents than any other state.  The father of the nation, George Washington, and the man who drafted the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, two U.S. presidents, were born here and had their homes here.  Speaking of Thomas Jefferson, his home, Monticello, located in Charlottesville, is the only U.S. presidential home that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The state is one of the most visited states in the nation.

That brings us to the town of Victoria, a town that very few have heard of.

Some of you are saying, “If nobody has ever heard of this town, then the town most likely had no significance.”

What is special about the town of Victoria, Virginia?  When you arrive here, you with see a town just like any other small town, but then you notice something.  You see a park with a caboose.  What caboose?  It is from the Virginian Railway.  What is it doing here in this town?  You notice what appears to be a trail, but it is not an ordinary trail, but what appears to be a rail trail.

What is special about the town of Victoria, Virginia?  It was a planned community.  As mentioned, the town is halfway between Roanoke and Norfolk.  What is so important about that?  Norfolk, as mentioned, is a major port city, and it is the largest natural port in the world.  Both Roanoke and Norfolk were major railroad cities, and they are major railroad cities today.  Why is Norfolk a major port?  The Port of Norfolk is a major coal city, and the port is served by many coal trains bringing coal from the mines in Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia to the ships in Norfolk.

Some of you are saying, “That is nice, but what does Victoria have to do with it?”

As mentioned, Victoria, Virginia was a planned community.  What was the plan?  The town was planned around the railroad.  The Tidewater Railway came to town.  The Tidewater Railway was then taken over by the Virginian Railway.  The steam locomotive, after one hundred miles of operation, had to be serviced.  What is special about the town of Victoria, Virginia?  It was the site of a roundhouse and a railroad yard.  The town flourished.  As the steam locomotive was replaced by the diesel locomotive that required less maintenance and could go farther before needing maintenance, the roundhouse became obsolete.  The Virginian Railway was taken over by the Norfolk and Western Railway which became the last railroad to serve the town.  (The Norfolk and Western Railway was later taken over by the Norfolk Southern Railway.)  Like with many takeovers of railroads, certain railroad lines are abandoned.  Sadly, the railroad line through Victoria was one of those lines.  The tracks were taken up, and it was eventually turned into a rail trail.

The railroad in Victoria, Virginia is now gone… but it is not forgotten.

Virginian Railway Caboose Number 342 sits in the place where the railroad yard and main railroad line once was.  Next to the caboose, you will see the foundation of the passenger station.  What about the roundhouse?  Across the street from the caboose is the Victoria Railroad Park.  Like the passenger station, only the foundation of the roundhouse and a Virginian Railway gondola car remain.  You can walk and see where a roundhouse once stood.  What is now a quiet park was once a bustling place.  When the railroad left town, the town became what it is today.

The town of Victoria, Virginia is located in southern Virginia served only by states routes 40 and 49.  The railroad park is located off of Main Street (Virginia Route 40).  The rail trail, part of the Tabacco Heritage Trail, is paved.  The Victoria Railroad Park is open sunrise to sunset, and it is free.  Parking is on site.  The park is flat, but it is not completely paved.  Wheelchairs may have difficulty getting around.

The town of Victoria, Virginia, may not be as famous as other cities in Virginia, but it has a place in state, national, and international history.  It may be a small town, but it has much railroad royalty.

The Cover Photo is an AI generated photo.

The Statue of Liberty, Dauphin, Pennsylvania

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

Some of you are saying, “Wait a minute.  Something is wrong here.  The Statue of Liberty is in New York, not Pennsylvania.”

Well, the most famous statue was erected in 1886 by New York City locals in New York Harbor and welcomed people who arrived by ship into the harbor.  Yes, it is the most famous Statue of Liberty in spite of the fact that the original Statue of Liberty is located in Paris, France.  What made the New York statue more famous?  Location.  Although the original statue is on an island on the Seine River in the middle of the city, the most famous one on an island in New York Harbor welcomed people entering into the United States of America.  When France wanted to bring the statue to New York, the United States government was opposed to it.  That is when New York City area locals stepped in to fund the bringing of the statue to New York City, and it has been a symbol of American freedom welcoming people into the Land of Freedom one of the world’s top iconic sites ever since.

Other Statue of Liberty’s were erected across the United States of America.  One of these statue was erected in the middle of the Susquehanna River in the town of Dauphin in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, a suburb of Harrisburg, the state capital.  Why the Susquehanna River?  The Susquehanna River is the longest unnavigable river in the United States of America which means that no ships pass by here.  The only traffic is that on U.S. Routes 22 and 322.  A statue was erected here in 1986 to commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of the one in New York Harbor, but it was later destroyed.  Locals saw how significant that statue was and erected a new statue, and that statue stands today.  Now, drivers along U.S. Routes 22 and 322 can see a great icon along their journey through Pennsylvania.

Some of you are saying, “This is nice.  It is great that the people of France gave the Statue of Liberty to New York City, and it is great that the Statue of Liberty is a great icon not just for New York City and the United States of America, but for the entire world.  As for this one in the Susquehanna River, it is just a replica of the famous one.  Since this is just a replica of the famous one, I will not be using my liberty to see this replica statue.”

What is special about the Statue of Liberty in Dauphin, Pennsylvania?  As you drive along the highway and look out at the statue, you will notice what the statue was erected on.  What is it on?  The statue was erected on a piling of an old railroad bridge.  There was once a railroad bridge where the current statue stands.  Which railroad crossed the bridge is unknown at this point although it is upriver from the world famous Rockville Bridge, the longest stone arch bridge in the world and now owned by the Norfolk Southern Railway.

Now you can see that the Statue of Liberty in Dauphin, Pennsylvania is not just a replica of the famous statue and a symbol of American freedom, but the statue has a little bit of railroad history attached to it.

As mentioned, the original statue made with plywood and Venetian blinds was erected in 1986, but it was blown off the piling by strong winds and destroyed in 1992.  Locals later erected the current statue you see today, and it was made with steel.  The man who erected the original replica remained silent for many years until 2011.  He happened to be a local lawyer who erected the statue as a prank.  He had no idea that it would be a permanent and famous icon in the Susquehanna River Valley of Pennsylvania.

The Statue of Liberty of the Susquehanna Valley is located in the middle of the Susquehanna River west of the city of Harrisburg, and it can be seen from U.S. Routes 22 and 322.  Be advised that there is no pull-off on the highway to view the statue so you will need to be mindful as you drive on the highway.  (We do not want to see anyone getting stuck in the rear bumper while seeing the statue.)

The Statue of Liberty stands for American freedom.  Near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the Statue of Liberty stands on a piece of railroad history.

Railroad Memorial, West Lafayette, Ohio

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The eleventh day of the month of September is a day that those who lived through it will never forget.  In 2001, four planes were hijacked from three airports in the United States of America.  Two were rammed into the World Trade Center in New York City in the U.S. state of New York causing the two building to collapse.  A third plane was rammed into the Pentagon in Washington D.C. taking down a large section of the structure.  A fourth plane that was hijacked was taken over by the passengers and crashed into a field near the small town of Shanksville in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.  Like the attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December 7, 1941, September 11, 2001, was a day that (using the words of United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt) went down in infamy.  As many people who were alive on that day and during the attack on Pearl Harbor remember these very tragic incidents and will remember these days for years to come, another tragic incident happened on the eleventh day of September.  Instead of hijacked planes, this involved two trains.

The day was September 11, 1950.  The place is a small town called West Lafayette in the eastern region of the U.S. state of Ohio.  It was early in the morning.  The Pennsylvania National Guard Troop Train Number 4 was disabled on the railroad tracks east of the town.  The train was carrying troops from the 109th Field Artillery Battalion who were on their way to Germany to be deployed as the Korean War was happening.  The ‘Spirit of Saint Louis’, a passenger train, crashed into the rear of the train.  Thirty-three men of the 109th Field Artillery Battalion died.

Today, a memorial is at the railroad crossing at Ohio Route 93 in the center of West Lafayette, Ohio.  The memorial has the names of those of the 109th Field Artillery Battalion who lost their lives in the wreck.  The memorial also commemorates those in the region who were involved in the rescue efforts.  The memorial consists of an obelisk with the names of the soldiers who lost their lives and a commemoration of the locals who helped in the rescue efforts, and small section of railroad track, and an artillery gun.

The railroad memorial remembering the men of the 109th Field Artillery Battalion who lost their lives in a train crash in West Lafayette, Ohio is located next to the railroad crossing where Ohio Route 93 crosses the railroad tracks in the center of the town.  Parking is on site.  The town of West Lafayette on Ohio Route 93 just south of U.S. Route east of the town of Coshocton and west of Interstate 77.

The seventh day of December and the eleventh day of September will be days that will be associated with great tragedy.  Let us remember those who tragically died at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii.  Let us remember those who tragically died at the World Trade Center towers in New York City, New York.  Let us remember those who tragically died at the Pentagon in Washington D.C..  Let us remember those who tragically died in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.  Let us remember those of the 109th Field Artillery Battalion who tragically died on a train in West Lafayette, Ohio.

The Great Big Train Excursion

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized
The Old Central Railway of New Jersey Train Station in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

Jimmy and his parents were taking a ride down a road that rolled through the forest.

“Are we there yet?” he impatiently pondered.

“Not yet,” the father replied.  “We will be there soon.”

He was getting more and more impatient as he sat in the back seat of the car.

“Are we there yet?” he blurted out again.

“Almost,” the father replied.  “Almost.”

They went around a few bends and up a hill.

“We’re here,” the father said as they saw the steam rising from the locomotive as it was at the station waiting for the time for the passengers to board.

They got out of the car and made their way to the ticket booth.

“How many?” the elderly man in the ticket window asked with a big smile on his face.

“Two adults, one child,” the father replied as he handed him his credit card.

“Three tickets coming right up,” he said as he ran the credit card through the machine.

“Can we get on the train now?” Jimmy blurted out.

“Not yet,” the mother replied.  “It is not time for it to leave yet.”

“Have you ever been on a train before?”  The ticket agent handed them the tickets.

“This is his first ride,” the father took the tickets from the ticket agent.

“Well then,” the ticket agent said.  “I hope he enjoys his ride.”

“He hasn’t stopped talking about it,” the mother said.

“Can I go into the choo choo,” Jimmy blurted with excitement.

“I don’t know if you can get on…”

“Please?  Please?  Can I go into the choo choo?”  He pressed on.

“We will have to see,” the father said.

They walked over to the locomotive.  One of the engineers saw them coming over.

“Hey,” he said to Jimmy.  “How would you like to climb onto the locomotive?”

Jimmy was so excited.  The engineer picked him up and put him onto the train, and he climbed up after him.  Jimmy was jumping for joy as he looked around.  The engineer began to point everything out.

“This is where we sit to operate the train.  We look out the window to see where we’re going.  Over here is the coal car.  You can see all the coal we have here.  As we drive the train, someone with a big shovel scoops up the coal, and they throw it into that hole there that opens to let the coal in and closed to keep the heat inside.  The heat creates the steam that moves the train.

“Wow,” said Jimmy.  “Can I ride up here?”

“I wish I could,” said the engineer, “but it is not safe.  We have to move around so much with shoveling the coal.  You can get in somebody’s way.  You can get the same view from your seat.  Anyway, it is almost time to go.”

The engineer helped Jimmy down from the locomotive.

“That was so much fun,” he said as they were walking to board the train.  “I want to be an engineer when I grow up.”

They boarded the train, and they sat down.  Jimmy put his face up against the window.

“Calm down, pumpkin,” the mother pulled him back.  “We’re not moving yet.”

“ALL ABOARD!” the conductor shouted.

Moments later, the train began to pull away from the station.  For Jimmy, it was a trip he was going to remember for the rest of his life.

This memory was made possible by the engineers, the mechanics, the ticket people, the conductors and all of those who work to make the rail excursions enjoyable, and many of these people do their labor not for pay (as many of them are not paid but volunteer), but for the love of the railroad.  Their reward is the happy passengers who take a ride on the train.

To those who volunteer to keep the rail excursions rolling, consider yourself honored on this Labor Day.  The railroad would not run without you.  To those who volunteer at the railroad museums to keep the history of railroading alive, consider yourself honored on this day, but even if you are paid to work, this Labor Day is in honor of you.  Have a Happy Labor Day.

A Statue of a Conductor at the Chesapeake Beach Railway Museum in Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, U.S.A.

The Lyceum, Alexandria, Virginia

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The city of Alexandria in the U.S. state of Virginia is the most storied town in the United States of America.  It was once an independent city that is now a part of the Washington-Baltimore metropolis.  How many stories does this city have to tell?  Well, you could be here for centuries to hear half of them.  It was once one of the busiest ports in the Western Hemisphere.  It is the home of Christ Church.  What is special about Christ Church?  Let us say that all but a small handful of U.S. Presidents have attended a church service there.  George Washington, the first President of the United States of America, regularly attended here and had his own personal pew.  George Washington was a frequent visitor to Alexandria as his home, Mount Vernon, is south of here.  He also had meals at Gadsby Tavern.  Both sites are open to visitors.  Then you have the Jones Point Lighthouse which is where the southern end of the District of Columbia is located.  Where is the park?  It is under the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge, the only bridge to pass through three states.  (That is Maryland with the border of the Virginia shoreline of the Potomac River with a small section of the District of Columbia next to the Virginia shore.)  There is much more that can be told, but you can visit the Lyceum in Alexandria to learn more about Alexandria.

What is the Lyceum?  That is a good question.  A lyceum is a temple like structure.  Yes, it looks like an actual temple, and there are others in the northeast region of the United States of America.  The Lyceum in Alexandria, Virginia was originally a lecture hall, but it housed other things until it became the home of the Alexandria History Museum.  It you want to learn more about Alexandria, Virginia, the Alexandria History Museum at the Lyceum is the place to start.

Some of you are saying, “Wow!  That is nice.  Alexandria, Virginia is a great place to visit.  There is so much there.  As for the Lyceum, well, it is probably a nice place to see.  There is a very big problem.  As you can see, this Lyceum is the home of the Alexandria History Museum and has nothing to do with the railroad.  Therefore, you will not see a history of me at the Lyceum.”

Well, you have a point.  Why visit the Alexandria History Museum at the Lyceum.  It is not a railroad museum which is a good excuse not to visit.  Why visit?

As mentioned, the city of Alexandria, Virginia has an extensive history.  You walk over to the waterfront along the Potomac River, you see a marina with boats, but you see no ocean bound ships.  This was not the case one hundred years ago.  The peaceful waterfront was once one of the busiest ports in the Western Hemisphere.

What does this have to do with the railroad?

As mentioned, the city of Alexandria, Virginia has an extensive history.  This includes an extensive railroad history.  As a busy port, it was the railroad that brought the goods from the ports to towns west and south that did not have access to ports.  The Washington and Old Dominion Railroad which ran across the northern region of Virginia (now a rail trail) and the Alexandria and Orange Railroad which ran to towns in the central region of Virginia (later owned by the Southern Railway and now owned by Norfolk Southern Railway today) had direct access to the ports.  Trains from the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, the Pennsylvania Railroad, and the Southern Railway were stored in a large railroad yard in the northern region of the city.  The railroad yard was at a site that is now a large shopping center on U.S. Route 1.  Only the main railroad line which runs from the bridge crossing of the Potomac River and is now owned by CSX Transportation is all that remains today.  (The railroad line continues south to Richmond today.)

The railroad yard that was owned by the Alexandria and Orange Railroad remains today and stores railcars from CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway today.  (The yard is between Virginia Route 236 and Interstate 495 today.)  The original yard was much larger than it was today as it included a roundhouse at the east end of the railroad yard.  The roundhouse was demolished years ago, but it had a great place in history.  Why?  It was where a special railroad car was built.  What was this railroad car?  It was President Abraham Lincoln’s private railroad car.  You can call it the Air Force One of the railroad.  It was to be introduced to Abraham Lincoln, but he so desired to take his wife, Mary, to a play a Ford’s Theater that evening.  Did he ever ride his private railroad car?  Yes, he did, but not as President Abraham Lincoln.  That night, he was assassinated.  His private railroad car was renamed his funeral car, and it carried his remains back to Springfield, Illinois where his tomb is today.

Now, why visit the Alexandria History Museum at the Lyceum in Alexandria, Virginia?  Even though you do not see full size trains, and though there is no caboose outside the museum, you will see models and displays of the railroad in the museum.  You see stories of how that trains passed through Alexandria and how the ports benefitted from the railroad.

Is that all?  The answer is no.

During your visit to the Alexandria History Museum at the Lyceum, you will learn more things about the history of the railroad in Alexandria, Virginia.  Alexandria was the headquarters of the United States Military Railroad.  The railroad cars were stored in the same yard as the Alexandra and Orange Railroad.  Sadly, most of the tracks where the railroad cars were stored were taken up.  The United States Military Railroad also operated a railroad ferry.  This ferry took railroad cars and locomotives up and down the Potomac River.

It that it?  As mentioned, the city of Alexandria, Virginia has an extensive history.  As you look at the streets of Alexandria today, you will not see any evidence of trolleys.  The trolleys are long gone, but the Mount Vernon Electric Railway and the Washington-Virginia Railway Company ran trolleys through the town.

The Alexandria History Museum at the Lyceum has many stories to tell including the many stories of the railroad in Alexandria, Virginia.  Even after seeing every in the museum, you will realize that you still have not seen it all.

The Alexandria History Museum at the Lyceum is owned and operated by the city of Alexandria.  It is located in the heart of Old Town Alexandria Virginia at 201 S. Washington Street just blocks east of U.S. Route 1.  It is open Thursday and Friday 11:00am to 4:00pm, Saturday from 11:00am to 5:00pm and Sunday from 1:00pm to 5:00pm.  (It is closed Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.)  Parking is available from those visiting the Lyceum only.  Admission is free, and it is wheelchair accessible.  You can get more information at https://www.alexandriava.gov/Lyceum.

The city of Alexandria, Virginia is a city of extensive history, and it is a city of extensive railroad history.  Much of the railroads may be gone, but it stays alive at the Alexandria History Museum at the Lyceum.

The Williams Grove Historical Steam Engine Association, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

What in the world is the Williams Grove Historical Steam Engine Association?  If you think that is has something to do with steam, you are correct.  Located on the site of an old amusement park near the town of Mechanicsburg in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, the Williams Grove Historical Steam Engine Association hosts events throughout the year.  Yes, many of the events involve steam engines, but the main reason for a railroad fan to visit is, well, a train ride.

As you approach the site along Williams Grove the very first thing you will see is a railroad line.  You enter the site crossing these tracks.  Yes, a train does run on this railroad line.  Yes, you can ride this train.  No, it is not one of those tiny little trains.  It is a full size train.

The journey begins at an old train station where you buy the tickets.  This train station also has a small museum.  Then, it is time for the train to leave.  Some trains are pulled by a diesel locomotive, but this could be your lucky day.  Why?  Your train is being pulled by a steam locomotive.

Some of you are saying, “Many trains across the U.S. and around the world are pulled by steam locomotives.”

That is true, but the steam locomotive pulling this train is Number 643 of the Pennsylvania Railroad.  What is special about that?  This is the only Pennsylvania Railroad locomotive, diesel or steam, that is in operation anywhere in the world.  The passenger cars are open air cars and wheelchair accessible with a caboose that is sadly not wheelchair accessible.  The train leaves and goes along the tracks around the amusement park site.  The journey is only one mile, but being one who loves train rides, it is very enjoyable.

Along with the train ride and small museum inside the train station, you also have the Rural Life Museum.  What is great about the Rural Life Museum?  Yes, the museum is about rural life, but it also has a model train display, and it also has toy trains on display.

When you visit the Williams Grove Historical Steam Engine Association today, you see little life of an amusement park, but it is still a special place to visit even if the train is not running.

Williams Grove Historical Steam Engine Association is located at 1 Steam Engine Hill in Mechanicsville, Pennsylvania off of Pennsylvania Route 74 and U.S. Route 15 between Gettysburg and Harrisburg.  Admission is free to visit the park, but train rides do cost $7.00, and, as mentioned, the train is wheelchair accessible.  You can get more information and read more into the history of the park as well as Locomotive 643 and to take a look at the events and find the train schedule at https://www.wghsea.org/. Visit the Williams Grove Historical Steam Engine Association, a great place to let off some steam and to see some steam.

Tybee Island Lighthouse and Fort Screven, Tybee Island, Georgia

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

There is so much to thinking about when it comes to the U.S. state of Georgia.  It is home to the capital city of Atlanta which is home to many companies like Coca Cola, and it was the host of the 1996 Summer Olympics.  You have the city of Augusta which is the home to ‘The Masters’, the biggest golf event of the Professional Golf Association.  You have the historic port city of Savannah to include the birthplace of Julliette Gordon Low, the founder of the Girls Scouts of America which was established in Savannah.  The southern trailhead of the Appalachian Trail in in the northern region of the state.  There is so much in this state, but very few think about the state’s ocean coastline.  Among the towns on the coast of Georgia is the town of Tybee Island.  In Tybee Island is the eastern terminus of U.S. Route 80.  It is also the home of Fort Screven and the Tybee Island Lighthouse.

What is special about the Tybee Island Lighthouse and Fort Screven?  Fort Screven was a fort that was erected during the Spanish American War to protect the mouth of the nearby Savannah River with Fort Pulaski and Fort Jackson protecting the river further inland.  The fort was never completed as it never saw any action during that war.  The Tybee Island Lighthouse is the oldest and the tallest lighthouse in the state and one of the most intact lighthouses in the United States of America.  It is a site to see if you are ever in the Savannah region.

Some of you are saying, “This is wonderful.  Lighthouses were great for guiding ships through treacherous waterways, but lighthouses did nothing for railroads.  Therefore, do not leave the light on for me as I will not be visiting here.”

What history does the Tybee Island Lighthouse and Fort Screven have with the railroad?  The truth is that neither the lighthouse nor the fort has a history with the railroad.

Some of you are saying, “Well then.  There is no reason to visit here.”

As mentioned, the lighthouse and fort has no history with the railroad, but Tybee Island does.

The Tybee Island Lighthouse and Fort Screven features, of course, the lighthouse and a section of a fort.  The lighthouse features, of course, the lighthouse, plus it has the lighthouse keeper’s house and a few outbuildings.  The remaining section of Fort Screven houses a museum about the history of the island itself.  One of the things mentioned is how people traveled to the island.  In the beginning, people arrived by boat.  Travel time from Savannah to the island was three hours, and space was limited.

Then, in 1887, the Central of Georgia Railway built a railroad to the Island.  It brought more people to the island with trains running more frequently.  Sadly, U.S. Route 80 was built allowing more access to Tybee Island, and the railroad service ceased in 1933.  There are many panels that tell the story of the railroad to the island, and there is a small train display to see.  Today, as you travel U.S. Route 80, you can see some of the remains of the old railroad bed.

Tybee Island Lighthouse and Fort Screven is located at 30 Meddin Drive in Tybee Island, Georgia.  Parking is on site.  It is open 9:00and to 4:30pm but closed on Tuesday.  Please note that the structures are not wheelchair accessible.  You can learn more about admission and read more into the history of the lighthouse at https://www.tybeelighthouse.org/.

So, you have a reason to visit the Tybee Island Lighthouse.  The railroad may be gone, but the legacy of the railroad remains.

The Western Maryland Rail Trail, Big Pool, Maryland

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

In the heyday of Railroading, railroads were built to connect small town to big cities.  When the heyday came to an end, many of the railroad lines were abandoned.  On many of the lines, the rails were removed.  Some of the abandoned routes were lost to time allow trees and plants to grow on the old railroad bed.  Some of the railroad beds eroded over time.  Some of the railroads were eventually recovered and became an excursion line.  Then there were those that were made into hiking and biking trails.  Some of the trails were paved while some were left with dirt.  Among those ‘rail trails’ is the Western Maryland Rail Trail in the western region of the U.S. state of Maryland.

What is the Western Maryland Rail Trail?  Yes, it is in the western part of Maryland beginning in the town of Big Pool near the historic Fort Frederick going west through the town of Hancock and ending eighteen miles west to the town of Little Orleans in the panhandle region of the state.  The name comes from the fact that the railroad line was part of the Western Maryland Railway.  The railroad paralleled the old Chesapeake and Ohio Canal which paralleled the Potomac River.  The canal itself was never completed as the railroad gave quicker access to points west.  With the automobile and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad running just south of the Western Maryland Railway (now owned by CSX Transportation) and the decline of many small towns, the railroad line was no longer used.

Today, you cannot ride the train along this line, but you can hike and bike along this line.  You can feel the history of a railroad that once was.

The Mechanicsburg Museum, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The town of Mechanicsburg in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania is a suburban town of the capital city of Harrisburg.  How did the town get its name?  The town was established before the automobile so it did not get its name from automobile mechanics.  The town got its name from the fact that it was a town were Conestoga wagons were repaired.  When the Cumberland Valley Railroad came to the town, the town became a major stop for the railroad.  Today, the Norfolk Southern Railway owns the railroad line, and the trains no longer stop here, but the old train station, the freight house, and the stationmaster’s house remain, and they are all part of the Mechanicsburg Museum.

The Passenger Train Station was built by the Cumberland Valley Railroad in 1867.  It remained a passenger station until 1952.  Today, the exhibits tell the history of the Cumberland Valley Railroad and how the town was a great benefactor to the towns growth.

The Stationmaster’s House was more than just the home of the stationmaster.  It was an office for Adams Express, a company that was one of the early companies before the Railway Express Agency, and it was also where baggage was stored.  Today, the home is furnished with furniture the way it was furnished back in the day when the train station was active.

The Freight Station is across the tracks from the Passenger Station and Stationmaster’s House.  This is the second Freight House for the town that was built in 1886 that replaced the original one built in 1874.  It was here where the locomotives received water and wood.  There was a side track here where the trains were able to stop for a long time.  The track was removed after freight and passenger serviced ceased.  Today, it houses exhibits that are about the town of Mechanicsburg itself.  The exhibits do change over time.

All three structures were to be demolished, but the Mechanicsburg Museum Association rescued the buildings, and they remain under their ownership today.

The Mechanicsburg Museum is located at 2 W. Strawberry Alley in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania just one block north of the intersection of Pennsylvania Routes 114 and 641.  It is open Wednesday to Saturday from 12:00pm to 3:00pm.  The complex has the three structures.  Admission is free, but they gladly accept donations.  The structures are wheelchair accessible.  You can read more into the Mechanicsburg Museum Association and read more about the museum at http://www.mechanicsburgmuseum.org/index.html.

The town of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania has automobile mechanics today.  It also has the Mechanicsburg Museum.  It is a great place to see the history of the town.

The Wayne Thomas Gilchrist Trail, Chestertown, Maryland

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

What is the Wayne Thomas Gilchrist Trail?  Commonly called the Wayne T. Gilchrist Trail that was named after a local politician that served in the U.S. state of Maryland and in Washington, the trail is on an old rail line that winds its way through the town of Chestertown located on the Chester River on the Eastern Shore Region of the U.S. state of Maryland.  It is also known as the Chestertown Rail Trail.

The history of the railroad in the town of Chestertown, Maryland is unknown as the town was much more of a port town on the Chester River than a railroad town.  It is known the railroad line was once a spur line that connected to a main railroad line in Delaware that ran south from Wilmington, Delaware down the center of the Delmarva Peninsula to the town of Pocomoke City, Maryland and then to the town of Cape Charles in the U.S. state of Virginia at the southern end of the peninsula where the Chesapeake Bay enters into the Atlantic Ocean.  A railroad ferry transported the train across the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay to Norfolk.  (Much of the track in Virginia is no longer active while the active section in Maryland and Delaware is owned by the Norfolk Southern Railway.)  Although the Pennsylvania Railroad originally built the line.  Smaller short line railroads owned the different spur routes.

Back in the glory days of railroading when the railroads ran both passenger and freight services, the passenger trains served small towns on spur lines like Chestertown.  When Amtrak service began, passenger service to small towns on spur lines ceased, and passenger service ceased on the main railroad line on the Delmarva Peninsula, and the opening of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge connecting the east and west coasts of the Chesapeake Bay aided the decline. 

What is known about the railroad line?  At the southern end of the rail trail is an old passenger train station and an old freight house where two old passenger cars and a red caboose are on display.  Between the passenger and freight stations appear to be an area that appears to be the site of an old railroad yard.  The trail runs north from here and ends on the north side of the town. 

Today, the Wayne T. Gilchrist Trail is the only reminder of Chestertown being a railroad town.  It is a reminder of how the railroad was a big part of small town America.