Tag: Pennsylvania

Choo Choo Barn – Traintown, U.S.A., Strasburg, Pennsylvania

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The railroad did not begin in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, but the state has many great railroad sites.  The state is also famous for its railroad towns.  One of these towns is Strasburg, a suburb of Lancaster.  The Strasburg Railroad is the oldest continuously operating standard gauge railroad in the western hemisphere, and this railroad has been giving railroad excursions through the Amish countryside for many years, and it is one of the most popular train rides in the entire world.  As many enjoy the Strasburg Railroad, it overshadows another great attraction that is just one thousand feet away.

Welcome to the Choo Choo Barn.  What is the Choo Choo Barn?

Some of you are saying, “Well, duh!  It is a barn, but instead of housing farm animals, it houses choo choo’s.”

Well, you are partially right.  It does not house full sized choo choo’s like the ones you see at the nearby Strasburg Railroad and Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, but it is the home of a model train display.

Some of you are saying, “Yeah!  I know.  It is one of those model train displays where a model train goes around and around and around a small circle.  It is just another boring model train display.”

If you enjoy boring model train displays, then you will be very disappointed when you visit the Choo Choo Barn.  How great is the Choo Choo Barn?

You may have heard of Northlandz in the town of Flemington in the U.S. state of New Jersey, home of the largest model train display in the world, and you can still visit Northlandz today.  Then you have places like Roadside America in Shartlesville, Pennsylvania and EnterTrainment Junction in the West Chester Township, a suburb of Cincinnati in the U.S. state of Ohio, two other large model train displays that are sadly defunct.  All three of these train displays was the dream of one man.

How does the Choo Choo Barn compare?  It began as a dad giving a gift to his son.  It began in a basement of a house.  Like many great train displays, it outgrew the basement.  It was then relocated to an old maintenance barn, and the Choo Choo Barn came to be as it was opened to the public for millions to enjoy, and it remained under family ownership until 2023 by a man named Gary Russell.

As you enter the room, you see the 1,700 square foot model train display before you.  You see a big village with handmade structures.  No kits were used in this display.  You are mesmerized by the many trains as they go around and around and around.  You see a construction crew doing road construction.  You can take a peek at the zoo.  You can go to the circus  You can gaze at the waterfalls.  Yes, it is real water going over the falls.  As you tour the display, you might want to take in a baseball game.

Through the years, the Choo Choo Barn grew from being a model train display to a gift shop to a small shopping center with model train stores.  It went from being the Choo Choo Barn to Choo Choo Barn: Traintown, U.S.A.  They also have the Choo Choo Barn Foundation which is a non-profit foundation which acquired the Rocky Springs Carousel.  They do have future plans of moving to a new location in the Strasburg area and expanding their attraction while trying to attract younger people to the joys of model railroading.

The Choo Choo Barn: Traintown, U.S.A. is located at 226 Gap Road (Pennsylvania Route 741) in Strasburg, Pennsylvania just a short distance from the Strasburg Railroad and the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.  It is open every day (closed on certain holidays) from 10:00am to 5:00pm.  It is suggested that you give yourself an hour to visit the model train display.  It is all on one level making it easy for those in wheelchairs.  Parking is on site.  You can get information on admission and read more into the history of Choo Choo Barn at https://choochoobarn.com/.

The next time you are in Strasburg, Pennsylvania, ride the Strasburg Railroad.  Tour the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.  See the great model train display at the Choo Choo Barn.  Oh, they do have animals.  You will see the animals along with the many model trains.

The Reading Railroad Heritage Museum, Hamburg, Pennsylvania

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

What was the Reading Railroad?

Some of you are saying, “Well, duh!  It was a railroad where people read books while riding the railroad.”

Ladies and gentlemen, that is not the correct answer.

Some of you are saying, “Oh!  I see. It was a railroad that had the ability to read so they called it the Reading Railroad.”

Ladies and gentlemen, that is not the correct answer either.

What was the Reading Railroad?  (In case you are wondering, it is pronounced red-ing as in the color red as opposed to reading as in reading a book.)  It was originally called the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Road running mainly along the Schuylkill River between the city of Philadelphia and the city of Reading in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, and it was one of the earliest in the United States of America.  It was later renamed the Reading Company but was commonly known as the Reading Railroad or the Reading Lines even though the headquarters remained in Philadelphia.  The Reading Company served the eastern region of Pennsylvania connecting the coal mines to the ports in Philadelphia until they were overtaken by Conrail in 1976.  Many of the surviving railroad lines are now owned by the Norfolk Southern Railway.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Reading Railroad Heritage Museum.  The museum is completely dedicated to the Reading Company.

The journey begins at the entrance.  The museum occupies a structure originally owned by the Pennsylvania Electric Steel Casting Company.  You enter the gift shop and then the museum.  You see models of trains.  You see model train displays.  You see a replica of a station master’s office.  You see tools and artifacts used by the Reading Company.

Some of you are saying, “That is nice that they built a museum that remembers the Reading Railroad, but it would be nice to see some real trains.”

That is where we come to the best part of the museum.  What is the best part?

Welcome to the yard.  This is a railroad yard made up mostly of railroad cars used on the Reading Railroad with a few exceptions.  You have boxcars, passenger cars, locomotives, cabooses, and so much more.  There is also a replica railroad tower.

The Reading Railroad Heritage Museum is located at 500 S. Third Street in Hamburg, Pennsylvania.  It is a short drive from Interstate 78, U.S. Route 22, and Pennsylvania Route 61.  The museum is only open from March to December on Saturdays from 10:00am to 4:00pm and Sundays from 12:00pm to 4:00pm.  Admission required to enter the museum.  Parking is street parking.  The museum is self-guided, but only guided tours for the yard.  The museum is wheelchair accessible, but the yard tour requires walking on terrain that is not paved and may be difficult for wheelchairs.  You can get more information at https://www.readingrailroad.org/.

Come to the Reading Railroad Heritage Museum in Hamburg, Pennsylvania.  Learn more about the Reading Railroad, a railroad worth reading about.

Mister Rogers Neighborhood

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

“It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood, a beautiful day for a neighbor, would you be mine?  Could you be mine?  It’s a neighborly day in this beautywood, a neighborly day for a beauty.  Would you be mine?  Could you be mine?  I have always wanted to have a neighbor just like you.  I’ve always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you.  So let’s make the most of this beautiful day, since we’re together, we might as well say, would you be mine?  Could you be mine?  Won’t you be my neighbor?  Won’t you please, won’t you please, please won’t you be my neighbor?”

For the last three decades of the twentieth century, many people young, and old, turned on their television and heard a man commonly called Mister Rogers who was a star of a television program called Mister Rogers Neighborhood.  The show began with a view of the neighborhood Mister Rogers lived in.  In the next scene, Mister Rogers enters his home and sang the song.  Although the show was targeted to young children, many adults became a fan of the show.  Although the show aired its last episode in 2001 and he passed away in 2003, the legacy of Mister Rogers and Mister Rogers Neighborhood continues on to this day.  In 2018, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood aired in theaters telling the story of the television series with Tom Hanks playing the role of Mister Rogers whose real name was Fred Rogers.  Fred Rogers may be gone, but his legacy lives on.

Some of you are saying, “Wow!  Mister Rogers must have been a great man to have been loved by so many.  There is one problem.  The show was about Mister Rogers and was a show for children.  It was not a railroad show for railroad lovers.  Therefore, I have no desire to be his neighbor.”

So, you do not want to be a neighbor of Mister Fred Rogers.  Why?  The reason is because you had never seen the Mister Rogers Neighborhood television show.

As mentioned, the show began with a view of the neighborhood.  This neighborhood was designed after his hometown of Latrobe in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh.  What is special about Latrobe, Pennsylvania?  It was a town designed by a civil engineer of the Pennsylvania Railroad who named the town after a college classmate, Benjamin Henry Latrobe II who was an engineer for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and the son of the man who happened to be the architect responsible for rebuilding the United States Capitol in Washington D.C. after it was burned down during the War of 1812.  Latrobe was also the western terminus of the Ligonier Valley Railroad, a narrow gauge railroad that ran east of Latrobe to the town of Ligonier.  There were also two trolley lines that operated in the town.

Some of you are saying, “It is nice that he came from a railroad town, but what does this have to do with the television show?”

As mentioned, again, the show began with a view of the neighborhood.  One of the things that you saw was a trolley.  Mister Rogers entered the house and sang the famous song.  Along with Mister Rogers, the show had other characters.  Part of the show took place in ‘The Neighborhood of Make-Believe’.  How did he get to the Neighborhood of Make-Believe?  One of the characters of the show was called ‘Trolley’.

Some of you are saying, “That is a strange name.  Who in the world is ‘Trolley’?”

Oh!  ‘Trolley’ was an actual trolley.  Well, it was a model trolley that departed from Mister Rogers’ living room to the Neighborhood of Make-Believe.  ‘Trolley’ was followed as it left Mister Rogers and along its route until it arrived in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, a neighborhood that featured puppets.

Some of you are saying, “Wow!  That is interesting.  I bet he enjoyed riding around in his expensive cars and never rode a train.”

Well, you are wrong again.  While he was living in New York City, New York during the filming of the television show, Fred Rogers rode around New York City on the subway.  No.  He did not have his own private subway car.  Fred Rogers enjoyed being around people, and a ride on the subway allowed his to mingle with the regular common people.  He was also a big fan of trolleys.  A famous photo of Fred Rogers is a photo of him sitting on the steps of a trolley.

Some of you are saying, “That is very nice.  Too bad that the trolley is now scrapped.”

Sadly, you are wrong again.  The trolley, Trolley Number 3756, can be seen at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum in Washington, Pennsylvania, like Latrobe, a suburb of Pittsburgh.

Some of you are saying, “Whew!  It got spared.  I am glad that they saved it.  Why the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum?”

Why the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum?  In honor of Fred Rogers, whose home is in the Pittsburgh Metropolis, the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum, also in the Pittsburgh Metropolis, was the perfect home for the trolley, but there is more to the story.  The photo of Fred Rogers sitting on the trolley steps holding a replica of ‘Trolley’ was taken on October 3, 1983, at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum by a museum volunteer.  Fred Rogers was visiting the museum to film an episode of the television show.  While he was visiting, Fred Rogers operated at trolley with help from a volunteer.  Today, you can visit Trolley 3756, and you can replicate the photo of yourself.  The replica trolley used in the photo can be seen inside a glass encasement inside the Visitor Center.

Now that you know that Fred Rogers is a trolley fan, you might want to move to his neighborhood.  You will probably enjoy being his neighbor.

The Cumberland Valley Rail Trail, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The town of Chambersburg in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania was a town that was established and named after Benjamin Chambers.  The town has man historic sites and has a history that is older than the United States of America.  Even though a railroad line passes through the town today and there were railroad structures in the town, the town has no real history with the railroad and was never a railroad town.  As you walk through the downtown area, the one thing you will see is the Cumberland Valley Rail Trail.

What is the Cumberland Valley Rail Trail?  It is a trail under two miles that runs through the heart of the town of Chambersburg.  It was built on the railroad bed of the Cumberland Valley Railroad which ran through much of the south central part of Pennsylvania and into the U.S. state of Maryland connecting Chambersburg with the rest of the nation.  The main line, owned by the Norfolk Southern Railway today, continues to serve the town.  The rail trail parallels the Conococheague Creek and is next to the Fort Chambers Park.

The Cumberland Valley Rail Trail in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania is located on the west side of downtown and U.S. Route 11 crossing U.S. Route 30.  It is completely paved making it easy for those in wheelchairs.  Only street parking is available.  It is mainly flat, and it is accessible from sunrise to sunset.

Chambersburg, Pennsylvania may not be a famous railroad town, but it does preserve a piece of railroad history for hikers, bikers, walkers, and many people for many years to come.

The Cumberland Valley Rail Trail, Shippensburg, Pennsylvania

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

In the heyday of the railroad, there were railroad lines all over the United States of America.  As the railroad declined, less used railroad lines were abandoned.  Although many of these railroad lines are lost forever to time, many were preserved as rail trails.  Among these rail trails is the Cumberland Valley Rail Trail that runs between the towns of Newville to Shippensburg in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, the U.S. state that produced the Penn Central Transportation Company (simply known as the Penn Central) and the world famous Pennsylvania Railroad of which, sadly, neither of them exist today.

Why is it called the Cumberland Valley Rail Trail?  Although Conrail was the last owner of the railroad line who took over the line from the Penn Central Transportation Company, the railroad line was originally owned by the Cumberland Valley Railroad that ran railroad service throughout what is called the Cumberland Valley with railroad line through much of the south central region of Pennsylvania and in the northern parts of the U.S. state of Maryland.  Very little of the railroad lines of the Cumberland Valley Railroad were preserved.

This brings us to the Cumberland Valley Rail Trail.  As mentioned, it begins in the town of Newville and it ends in Shippensburg.  What it special about Shippensburg?  Well, although it is not a famous railroad town, the Norfolk Southern Railway does continue to pass through the town, but it was also served by the Cumberland Valley Railroad that was taken over by the Penn Central Transportation Company and, the railroad line’s last owner, Conrail, who donated the railroad line to be converted into the railroad trail.

What is special about Shippensburg?  The town’s claim to fame is that it is the home of Shippensburg University.  The west end of the Cumberland Valley Rail Trail begins at the south side of Shippensburg University.  What is special about the rail trail beginning at Shippensburg University?  It is here where the Cumberland Valley Railroad Museum is located.

Why here at Shippensburg University?  Shippensburg University was a benefactor of the Cumberland Valley Railroad.  Here, you will find the Shippensburg Station, a replica train station that serves as a restroom stop for those utilizing the rail trail and is located where a passenger stop for the university was located.

Then you have a boxcar from the Penn Central Transportation Company.  What is special about this boxcar?  Well, it was not originally owned by the Penn Central Transportation Company but the New York Central System, a railroad company that was taken over by the Penn Central Transportation Company.  The boxcar was abandoned at a warehouse in town and was spared from being scrap metal and restored to house artifacts of the Cumberland Valley Railroad and its history and impact on the region.

Then you have another boxcar.  This one is from Conrail.  Inside, you will see artifacts and the history of Conrail and its people.

You take a short walk down the trail and you see a coal car From the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.  Why is it here if the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad never came to Shippensburg?  The coal car came from a train wreck, and it was brought here as coal was shipped to Shippensburg University, and it is a reminder of how coal impacted the region.

So, if you need a reason to visit Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, you now have one.  The rail trail is easy for wheelchairs and so are the boxcars which are open from sunrise to sunset.  Most important, the rail trail and the boxcars are free to visit.

Caledonia State Park, Fayetteville, Pennsylvania

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

U.S. Route 30, a route that has been nicknamed the ‘Lincoln Highway’ named after Abraham Lincoln, former President of the United States of America, begins in the town of Astoria in the U.S. state of Oregon and winds its way east through many U.S. states ending in Atlantic City in the U.S. state of New Jersey.  One of those states is Pennsylvania.  As it passes through Pennsylvania, it passes through the major cities of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, and it passes through the town of Gettysburg, the town famous for a great battle of the American Civil War known as the Battle of Gettysburg.  Halfway between Gettysburg and Chambersburg new the town of Fayetteville is Caledonia State Park.  Caledonia State Park is a park that has hiking trails, fishing, and hunting, and it has a waterfall.  Yes, many parks has this, but it also has the Totem Pole Playhouse, a theater that has produced actors like John Ritter from the old television series ‘Three’s Company’, the centerpiece of the park is the Caledonia Iron Furnace.

The Caledonia Iron Furnace was built in 1837, and it was owned by Thaddeus Stevens.  The name of the furnace comes from the name of the county in Vermont where Thaddeus Stevens was born. It was destroyed by Confederate General Jubal Early and his men in 1863.  The furnace was rebuilt, and it continued to produce iron until it was closed in 1902, and it was then turned into a state park.  When you visit Caledonia State Park, you can see the furnace, and you can see the blacksmith shop where demonstrations take place.  In Caledonia State Park, every step you take in the park is a place where history took place.

Some of you are saying, “Wow.  I love state parks.  I love being around the trees and the streams and the waterfalls.  As for the old furnace, it is nice that it is preserved although it would be great to see it working.  There is one problem.  What is the problem?  There is no railroad here.  Therefore, you will not see my company here.”

Well, as you walk around Caledonia State Park, you will not see a railroad nor do you see any sign of a railroad being here.  If there is no railroad at the park, why visit?

As you visit Caledonia State Park, you will notice a few structures within the park itself.  Of course, you have the restrooms, and, of course, you have the old furnace.  Then you have the blacksmith shop.  Yes, a blacksmith does mend and heat metals here, but it was not always a blacksmith shop.  If it was not always a blacksmith shop, what else could it have been.  The blacksmith shop was once a trolley station.  A trolley station?  Yes, it was a trolley station.  The Chambersburg and Gettysburg Electric Railway.  Trolley service began in 1905.  The Chambersburg and Gettysburg Electric Railway made a stop at Caledonia State Park, and they built a small amusement park there.  The railway got its name from the fact that its purpose was to take passengers from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania to visit the Gettysburg Battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.  The trolley line was built east from Chambersburg, and it took passengers as far as… Caledonia State Park.  Due to lack of funds and steep grades between Caledonia State Park, the section to Gettysburg was never built.  Service ended in 1926, and the amusement rides were dismantled.  Today, only the blacksmith shop and the Trolley Trail going west from the blacksmith shop are the only reminders of the trolley.

As mentioned, every step you take at Caledonia State Park in Fayetteville, Pennsylvania is a step where history happened.  That includes those on the Appalachian Trail which passes through the park.  If you walk along the Trolley Trail, every step you take will be a step where railroad history took place.

Caledonia State Park is located near the town of Fayetteville, Pennsylvania at the intersection of U.S. Route 30 and Pennsylvania Route 233.  The park is free to visit, and it is open from sunrise to sunset.  The iron furnace and the Caledonia Waterfall can be seen from the road.  Although the trolley trail is flat, it is not paved making it difficult for wheelchairs.  You can get more information at https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/StateParks/FindAPark/CaledoniaStatePark/Pages/default.aspx.

U.S. Route 30 has many great sites along the road.  Caledonia State Park is one of them.  It may be famous for the furnace, but it was also a place where a trolley line came to an end.

The Red Lion Mile, Red Lion, Pennsylvania

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

What is the Red Lion Mile?

Some of you are saying, “I know.  It is a lion that is red and is a mile long.”

Well, that is not the correct answer.  What is the Red Lion Mile?  It is a rail trail in the town of Red Lion in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.

Some of you are saying, “Wow.  I did not know that.  I bet the town got the name because a red lion was once here.”

Even though the ‘red lion’ is the symbol of the town, it is not named after an actual lion.  It is named after a pub when it was settled in 1852 called the Red Lion Tavern, and that tavern is still in business today.

Today, the town of Red Lion, Pennsylvania is not served by the railroad, but it was once a major railroad town on the York and Peach Bottom Railroad and later the Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad.  (It was commonly referred to as the ‘Ma and Pa Railroad’.”)  The town was a place of industry to include furniture and cigars.  As you walk along the rail trail, you will see some of the old factory structures.  The remaining structures have been converted into housing or businesses.  The old train station also remains, and it is the home of the Red Lion Historical Society.

The Red Lion Mile mainly runs west from the old train station located on Pennsylvania Route 24, and it is mostly paved.  Parking is available along the trail.  You can learn more about the town at https://redlionareahistoricalsociety.org/area-history/red-lion/red-lion-history/.

The Red Lion Mile: you may not see any red lions, but you will see the places that was once seen by those who once ran the trains through the town.

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.

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.

City Island Railroad, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

Harrisburg, the capital city of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, is not known a city that is on many lists of cities to visit, but it should be.  One of the city’s famous suburbs is Hershey which is known as the Chocolate Capital of the World and is where the Hershey Chocolate Company was founded by Milton Hershey, and the company is still headquartered there today.  What about the city itself?  Of course, the State Capitol is here, but it also has great museums like the National Civil War Museum and the Pennsylvania Fire Museum.  The downtown area rests along the Susquehanna River, the longest unnavigable river in the United States of America with its beginnings in the U.S. state of New York passing through the east central region of Pennsylvania past Harrisburg before it continues into the U.S. state of Maryland and into the Chesapeake Bay.  South of the city, there are four dams which forms the scenery around Harrisburg today.  One of the things formed by the four dams is City Island located in the middle of the river.  What is special about City Island?  Well, it is a playground for the city, and the Harrisburg Senators, a professional minor league baseball team affiliated with the Washington Nationals, have their stadium here.  If you visit Harrisburg, you will be totally amazed  with a visit to City Island.

Some of you are saying, “This is wonderful.  I love chocolate.  The city of Harrisburg is probably a great city.  As for City Island, it is just an island in the river that is just another tourist destination.  Therefore, I will not bother visiting this island.”

What is special about City Island in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania?

When you arrive in the city of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, particularly if you arrived crossing the Susquehanna River, the very first thing you will notice is that many railroads pass through here.  The electrified section of Amtrak has a terminus here.  There are many railroad arch bridges across the river, and the famous Rockville Bridge, located in the suburb of Rockville, is just north of the downtown area.

This brings us to City Island.  What is special about City Island?  As mentioned, the baseball stadium home of the Harrisburg Senators is on the island.  The Walnut Street Bridge, an old steel truss street bridge that is now a pedestrian bridge, connects people with downtown and the western suburbs.  It is the home of the ‘Pride of the Susquehanna’, a riverboat that is a pleasure to ride as you get great views of the river as well as the downtown region.  It has a miniature golf course, a carousel, and it is the home of the Harrisburg Beach Club.  As you enter City Island, there is an important crossing you must make.  What is that crossing?  The first thing you will see is the City Island Railroad.

City Island is walkable for most people and is mostly wheelchair accessible, but the City Island Railroad is a great way to see the island.  It is a miniature train pulled by a replica of an American Civil War era steam locomotive.  A ride on the train takes you around the stadium.  It takes you past the miniature golf course and beach club.  You pass by the dock of the Pride of Susquehanna.  Most important, you get great views of the river during your entire ride.

The City Island Railroad begins at the Walnut Street Station which is a short walk from the parking lot and Walnut Street Bridge.  If you visit City Island, it will be a great compliment to your visit.

The City Island Railroad runs mainly in the summer months.  It is located on City Island which is accessible from the Market Street Bridge which crosses the river between downtown and the western side of the river.  Admission is required to ride the train.  There is parking available.  It is mainly free, but you may pay for parking during stadium events.

The city of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania has many great places to see.  The City Island Railroad is worth your visit.  You will be glad you did.