Strasburg and Lancaster:
Retrospective
Published 11-21-21
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Hello readers. This is Ryan Casey, and welcome to Strasburg and Lancaster: Retrospective. In several of my previous reports about my trips to Pennsylvania, I mentioned Steamtown National Historic Site, and Norfolk and Western 4-8-4 #611 running on the Strasburg Railroad. Elaborating on Steamtown in Scranton, Pennsylvania, I went in depth and discussed my adventures there over the years. But I only partially mentioned the Strasburg Railroad in my first trip to Pennsylvania in September 1998. From 1999-2003, I went on family vacations out to Lancaster, PA every year to visit the Strasburg Railroad, stay at the Red Caboose Motel, and then go to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. This place was like the shrine of my youth, as these stories will tell.
First trip to PA 1998
As part of my first trip to Pennsylvania in September of 1998, my family and I began our trip in Scranton to visit Steamtown National Historic Site. We then visited the Claws and Paws Animal Park, the Crayola Factory, and then arrived in Lancaster County to stay at the Red Caboose Motel. Over a period of three days, we visited almost every attraction in the area. On the afternoon of September 24th, we arrived in Strasburg to stay at the Red Caboose Motel. We stayed in the Illinois Central Gulf caboose, which we affectionately called the “Orange Caboose”. Later that day, we visited the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, our first time there after seeing engines there on a few Trains Unlimited episodes. Back in the late 1990s, this museum had only recently completed expanding their indoor space, but still had the plain entrance way. The PRR 2-8-0 Consolidation #2846’s cab was still accessible, the PRR GG1 #4935 was parked at the end of the building, and equipment was lined up differently. There was no cab simulator at the time, as the concept was yet to be discovered. Walking through the museum, the first thing we saw was the train of authentic wooden passenger coaches, with PRR 4-4-0 #1223 coupled on the point. Some of the coaches behind it were built in the 1870s or 1880s, and are among the oldest surviving passenger cars in the United States.
Continuing on, we then encountered engine PRR K4 4-6-2 #3750, parked across from the PRR E7A locomotive #5901. At the time, the #3750 was still painted black. The green “John Bull” replica steam engine, was parked in front of the #2846 and it’s freight train. We went inside #2846’s cab, and it was here where I was inspired to someday become a locomotive engineer. Then we stepped off and explored more of the freight train and the rest of the collection. Including a Shay, Heisler, and Climax all in one place. These pieces were placed here in 1995 and have not been moved since. Continuing, we walked outside to see more of the old trains. There was a blue and yellow RSD-5, a rare ALCO C415 center cab, and a former Lehigh Valley Budd RDC car. In addition, several more steam locomotives were outside, as well as E44 #4466, which had only recently been repainted at the time, and GP30 #2233 before it was painted into Conrail colors. Soon it was time to ride on the Strasburg Railroad. Chartered in 1832, the Strasburg Railroad is the oldest continuously operating railroad company in the United States.
Our engine for the trip was former Norfolk and Western 4-8-0 Twelve Wheeler #475, the only operating example of a twelve wheeler in existence. Built in 1906 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, #475 is also the oldest operating steam locomotive in Strasburg. In the 1990s, this engine still had its red number board, and smokebox mounted headlight. Strasburg also runs former Great Western Railway 2-10-0 Decapod #90, former Canadian National 2-6-0 Mogul #89, and former Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal 0-6-0T #15, which was heavily modified in the 1990s to resemble Thomas the Tank Engine. Our train departed, and rolled through the Pennsylvania Dutch Countryside, stopped at Cherry Hill to allow another train to pass, and then arrived at Paradise, Pennsylvania. As the longtime interchange and connection to the rest of the North American railroad system, Paradise provides a neat place to see Amtrak trains pass by the old fashioned steam trains.
Next day, September 25th, it was overcast, and we spent much of the day meeting my Grandparents, and my sister’s godmother, visiting the Choo Choo Barn, the National Toy Train Museum, and then more of Strasburg to actually see Thomas (BEDT 0-6-0 #15)! The engine was not running under its own power, and was pushed by Strasburg GE 44 Tonner #33. I used to spend so much time watching Thomas tapes, and the whole experience of seeing and believing Thomas up close was amazing! I sat on both sides of the pilot beam, and thought the yellow coach coupled behind him was Annie or Clarabel. But they were just Strasburg coaches painted in different colors. The train was parked on a siding track next to the engine house, and Thomas’ Trackside Store. We rode Thomas, and then visited the RRMPA again. On September 26th, we encountered the Strasburg Railroad one more time. A petting zoo, and lots of other activities were going on. But the highlight of the entire experience was the railroad action happening. The oldest recorded video footage in my collection features the train action just outside of East Strasburg depot. Especially rare, was the operation of former Lancaster, Oxfordshire, and Southern gas powered car #10. The two coaches on the rear of the train #475 pulled were painted yellow. They are now painted red, and have been running for many more years.
To top things off, my father and I rode Amtrak for the first time. My mom dropped us off at the Lancaster, Pennsylvania Amtrak Station, and we waited to board an Amtrak Keystone train to Philadelphia. While waiting, we encountered the Three Rivers, bound for Chicago, arriving in Lancaster to make its station stop. The train was pulled by two Phase III painted P42DCs, and was made up mostly of mail and express freight cars, still thriving at the time. A short time later, our Amtrak train, powered by a Phase IV painted P42DC, arrived to take us to Philadelphia. From there, our train switched engines for the trip back to Metropark, New Jersey. AEM-7 #915 was in charge of the train. At this point in time, Amtrak was beginning to run the then-new Genesis P42DC locomotives, replacing the F40PHs. I never rode behind an F40PH like many kids did in a time before mine. Looking back nearly twenty three years, I will have many tales to tell about the Genesis units when they are all gone. The next generation of Amtrak travelers after me will be riding behind ALC-42s in the not so distant future.
August 1999
Our next trip out to Pennsylvania brought us to Strasburg, as well as two new places. Dutch Wonderland, and the Reading Railroad Museum. On this trip, we stayed at the old Ramada Inn on Route 30, across from Dutch Wonderland. But first we visited Strasburg to once again ride the train and see the RRMPA. This time, we rode behind #90, and also went into the railroad’s business car, parked on the same track as Thomas was the previous year. Next day, my father and I drove over to the Reading Railroad Museum, up in Hamburg, Pennsylvania, operated by the Reading Railroad Technical and Historical Society. The whole museum is housed next to a former Reading Railroad car shop, and still exists today. Notable units spotted here were GP30 #5513, ALCO C630 #5308, and EMD FP7A #900. Additionally, some former septa equipment of Reading Railroad heritage was on the property. I haven’t been here since. In 2019, this museum acquired former CSX GP39-2 #4317, which was formerly Reading Railroad #3412. We also went to Dutch Wonderland a couple of times on this trip. The best part about it was the little train-bike ride. There was also a monorail and an overhead cable car line.
August 2000, 2001, and 2002
For the next couple of years, we did the same thing over and over, and again. In 2000, we once again stayed at the Red Caboose Motel, this time staying in the Union Pacific Caboose. That year, the movie Thomas and the Magic Railroad came out, and was filmed on the Strasburg Railroad the year before. A couple of coaches were still lettered for the “Indian Valley Railroad”, the main railroad in the imaginary world of Shining Time Station and Muffle Mountain. More importantly, N&W #475 was featured in the movie, and became famous. Unfortunately, it wasn’t running that time, #90 was. Another notable event happening that year was the recent restoration of Reading FP7s #902 and #903. They were running, and I went inside the engine room and into its cab. It was so loud in there! But I was amazed at the same time! I went into one cab, where the horn was turned off, and then the other, where the horn was turned on, and actually worked! That was loud, too! I enjoyed it so much, that the day after, I wanted to see them again. But not go to Hersheypark. The units were silent this time, but I’ll never forget that moment.
In August 2001, we once again ventured out to Strasburg, and it was the same old business. But no matter how many times I was in those engine cabs, or able to see the trains running, it never got old. My father and I went to Altoona as part of this trip. To fully experience that aspect of our vacation, please go to “Pittsburgh Line Adventures 2001-2015”. We also paid another visit to Dutch Wonderland and rode the cable car above the park grounds. In early September 2002, we stayed at the Willow Valley Inn, but it rained, prompting us to go home early. When you’re a kid, you’re always looking forward to these kind of trips, and get sad when it’s all over. These kinds of feelings only happen once in our lifetimes, for a relatively short time. Because growing up, we face challenges, stressors and responsibilities for most of our lives, and lose this magical point of view. Life isn’t fair, is it? With all that in mind, we often forget how important it is to cherish these fond memories of our childhoods. But the dismal fact of the matter is, these childhood memories can never be relived, only remembered.
Post-Tradition Years 2004-2011
As I grew older, we broke the tradition of going on summer family vacations to Strasburg every year. But I still visited there for a couple more years. In October of 2004, me, my sister, and my father took a one day trip to Strasburg, we were old enough to be able to do this by then. On this visit, we encountered #89 running for the first time. This was originally owned by F. Nelson Blount, and ran on the Green Mountain Railroad. The locomotive was then sold to Strasburg in 1972, and after a brief stint running with PRR #1223, it was rebuilt from the ground up, emerging in November 1988. Initially, the #89 was equipped with a round red number board on its smokebox, and lettered “Strasburg”, just like the other engines. Unlike the #90 and #475, the #89 is less known, and is operated when passenger traffic is light. We rode behind this engine, as well as visit the RRMPA again. A new Cab Simulator, using a GP38 cab repainted and donated by Norfolk Southern, was opened and installed that year to keep interest fresh. When the simulator was operational, the controls functioned well, and the cab was clean. Additionally, this cab simulator had a six minute cab ride video of a trip from Lancaster to Harrisburg. Knowing that this cab simulator was more thrilling that Microsoft Train Simulator, and my only way to experience driving a train as a kid, my father and I went out there again in June 2005. But that time only visiting the museum, because I was outgrowing Thomas by then.
Afterward, it would be four more years before I returned to Strasburg. From 2009 to 2011, I went out there a few more times. On August 8th 2009, my late grandmother’s birthday, we took our last “traditional” summer trip out to Strasburg. We once again stayed at the Red Caboose Motel. The museum had a facelift, as the entrance door was closer to the street, and a new gift shop was built. The two diesel engine cabs were open, as well as the E44’s cab. That’s right, PRR E44 #4465 was open that day! That’s very rare. The Reading FP7As #902 and #903, which I last remembered seeing nine years earlier, were once again being stored and on display in Strasburg. By this time, they stopped running them, and they were later transported to Steamtown up in Scranton, where they reside today. But the most interesting thing that happened was the opportunity to film the steam engines running, and make a video about it for YouTube. From the last few years, #475 and #90 were restored to their original appearances as part of a new policy on historical authenticity. The #475 appears first, and then #90, which at the end of the video, passes by the Red Caboose Motel. The last clip in the 2009 video was used to make an intro video, back in the days when RCdash9 was still making videos.
In August 2010, when I was volunteering at the Pine Creek Railroad, an old friend of mine, who was also volunteering with me, invited me on a trip to Strasburg. This was my first trip out there where my family didn’t come with me. On this day, I saw #89 running for the first time in six years. So I got out my camera, and once again filmed the movement. At this point in time, all of Strasburg’s coaches were painted dark red. The video of #89, was originally part of a four part series called “Summer Fun”, and was the first installment. To completely close out my trips to Strasburg before I became an adult, me, my parents, and the same old friend made a one day trip out there. This happened in July 2011. Lancaster, Oxfordshire and Southern car #10 was on the team track as #475 pulled into the station at East Strasburg. We then boarded the train and took a ride like in years past, meeting #90 that day. Afterward, we went into the RRMPA, as I remembered from my childhood, for the last time. All the cabs were open, but the cab simulator was broken beyond repair, and wasn’t worth maintaining anymore. Gone from the RRMPA today, is former Nickel Plate Road Berkshire 2-8-4 #757. Little did I know that this would be the last time I ever saw this locomotive in Pennsylvania. For six or seven years later, it was being prepared to be moved to the Mad River and Nickel Plate Railroad Museum in Bellevue, Ohio, where it resides today.
Reflection Trip 2017
It would be nearly six and a half years since my high school graduation, and college graduation, before returning to Strasburg again. On April 30th, 2017, several months into my then-new job, I had three days in a row off. So my father and I decided to take a trip out to Strasburg. For old time’s sake, we stayed at the Red Caboose Motel, once again staying in the Union Pacific caboose. It was overcast that day, but we always ride or go near railroad tracks no matter what the weather. We rode the train first, pulled by #90, with its ever so distinct Reading Six Chime whistle. An extension to Strasburg’s shops was being built at the time, and made for some interesting scenes. Times were changing for sure! We also saw a high speed Amtrak Keystone train, pulled by an ACS-64 upon arrival at Paradise this time. Then we returned to Strasburg to once again visit the RRMPA. Over the years, the RRMPA underwent some more work inside the building. Including a new HVAC system with cooling fans.
New equipment included an original Trailer Train flat car, and Amtrak AEM-7DC #915, which were both donated to the museum back in 2015. The E60 and several other pieces were moved around, but were still sitting out there, rusting from the elements. Unfortunately, the 2846’s cab controls were blocked off to visitors by a plexiglass barrier. A hands on exhibit, which was a central part of my inspirational childhood days, was now altered forever. The GP30 and GP9 cabs were still open in these pre-COVID times. This was my last time ever going inside them, and the last remaining aspect of my childhood was still alive here. The cab simulator was never fixed, which was also a huge disappointment. That night, we drove into town to see the movie Get Out, which in 2017 was a box office hit, in the town of Strasburg, and in an old movie theater. Two years later, in 2019, fences went up in front of all the locomotive couplings for safety reasons. This move ruined the appearance of the exhibited locomotives, which had unobstructed photo opportunities like in years before.
N&W 611 comes to Strasburg 2019
Although I already wrote about this event in “N&W 611 visits Strasburg 2019”, I don’t mind mentioning it again. Anything to do with steam never fades. On September 28th, 2019, we did a one day trip out to Strasburg to see 611. This event is worth noting, because not only was this the last steam excursion trip we took before COVID happened, but this was also my first ever encounter with N&W 611, a steam legend. When 611 first came to visit Strasburg in 2019, crowds of rail buffs come out in droves to see the spectacle of the engine, and N&W steam engine reunion. Despite the unusual parking set up, everything ran very smoothly. Running preserved steam locomotives who share the same fallen flag road name is a British tradition. A similar event happened ten months prior, on the Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway in Scotland. In November 2018, two Caledonian Railway steam engines, 0-6-0 #828 and 0-4-4T #409, were reunited, and ran together for the first time in preservation. This practice is relatively new in the United States. Hopefully, other steam railroads will follow Strasburg in the future. N&W 611 was supposed to come to Strasburg again in 2020, did not run, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. In 2021, however, it was brought back to Pennsylvania by Norfolk Southern from North Carolina, and ran for another whole summer. Unlike 2019, 611 ran as part of the traditional Strasburg operating plan, and ran in conjunction with #90. Although special experiences were still being held in between runs. As of October 2021, 611 is now being stored in Strasburg until further notice. Hopefully this engine will run here for a long time to come. With this, it’s time to say goodbye to this place, and move on to future adventures.
Thanks for reading!
Coming soon: August 2010 Road Trip. After this, any new stories that appear here will take place in the present year, or at will.
To catch up on my previous post, click here: https://empireofrails.com/index.php/2021/10/25/road-trips-pittsburgh-line-adventures-2001-2015-travel-stories/
Visit these Lancaster attractions and tell ’em you saw my post on Empire of Rails!
Choo Choo Barn: https://www.choochoobarn.com/
Dutch Wonderland: https://www.dutchwonderland.com/
National Toy Train Museum: https://www.tcatrains.org/museum/
Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania: https://rrmuseumpa.org/
Reading Railroad Heritage Museum: http://www.readingrailroad.org/
Red Caboose Motel: https://redcaboosemotel.com/
Strasburg Railroad: https://www.strasburgrailroad.com/
One more thing...
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Rails in the Catskills Road Trip - August 2010 - Empire Of Rails · April 20, 2022 at 3:59 pm
[…] To catch up on my previous post, click here:https://empireofrails.com/index.php/2021/11/21/strasburg-and-lancaster-retrospective/ […]
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