York Pennsylania and surrounding areas- April , 2001

Downtown York

York, PA, for all its industrial might (York International, Harley Davidson,...) is not on the mainline of a major railroad (Northern Central was an early attempt at a Susquehanna Valley railroad that went through York in a north/south line) . Rather than being disadvantaged, York benefitted as a spiderweb of branches from the PRR, Ma & Pa and WM as well of the Northern Central all converged in York. Indeed, some York area industries had the luxury of two competing rail connections. Here in downtown, York Rail, operators of Ma & Pa and the former WM's downtown facilities, has the decency to keep the Western Maryland name alive.



The freight depot is in fairly good shape.


These covered hoppers were being unloaded in the silos on this warm April day.


The WM crossed Codorus Creek on a somewhat lightweight looking through-truss bridge. All downtown York operations are handled by Ma & Pa, including some street running track that connects this area with a line heading south (Northern Central). The line south also hosts a bicycle trail towards Glen Rock. WM-CSX sold the York Subdivision in 1989.

The York branch was built in 1892 as the Eastern Extention of the Baltimore & Harrisburg, a WM sub. All told, Western Maryland constructed a line that closely approximated a route proposed by the early industrialist Thaddeus Stevens called the Gettysburg Extention. This proposed rail line predated the PRR and was an attempt to connect Philadelphia with the Midwest by linking the existing railroad near Columbia with the B&O at Cherry Run. Of course, the proponents of the canal scheme State Works were opposed and called Stevens' railline the Tape Worm because of its twists and turns climbing South Mountain. We know that the State Works people won and built their folly all the way to Pittsburgh. Stevens was accused of supporting the Gettysburg extention to benefit his New Caledonia ironworks, although the route does not look all that close to his furnace. Later when WM's Hood built the WM from Williamsport to Cherry Run, his surveyors tried to find the survey markers placed by the Steven's survey. Stevens is best known as a firebrand abolitionist who was in Lincoln's cabinet. Really unpopular with the Confederates, they went out of their way to demolish Stevens' ironworks during the Gettysburg campaign.


Viaduct near Fairfield PA on Steven's Gettysburg Extention.


Northern Central.


Some other downtown York attractions.

Maryland & Pennsylvania Railroad

The Maryland & Pennsylvania has old roots that actually included plans to tap the coal fields in the Broad Top Mountain region. The idea was chartered as the Peach Bottom Railway in 1868, a narrow guage line from the coal fields to Philadelphia, with the Susquehanna crossed at Peach Bottom, just north of the Mason-Dixon line southeast of York. Construction was to occur in three divisions. The division from York to Peach Bottom was the only one built. The idea of a Southern Pennsylvania route from west to tidewater was certainly attractive as at least three railroads contemplated it, but none completed the route. The most notable attempt was the Vanderbilt's South Penn. This route eventually was the basis for the PA Turnpike. Charles Roberts dismisses this route, noting that helper districts would exist while the Potomac and Juniata routes were water level. I would agree with Robert on Vanderbilt's trunk line if its only advantage was a shorter route, the concept of equated distances states that is better to go longer for a lower grade. If however the routes were developed to pick up traffic that other lines ignored or overcharged, then mountainous routes can be profitable. Western Maryland Railway proved this year after year.

Ma & Pa eventually operated 81 miles of line from Baltimore (the Maryland portion using another early MD railroute) to York. Things looked bleak for the road in the early sixties. Here my source, a 1962 history by Roger Saylor, ends, however from observation it looks like the Ma & Pa is doing a respectable job in their old age with the obituary somewhat premature. The Emons Transportation website states that Maryland and Pennyslvania Railroad and Yorkrail have recently merged to form York Railway Company, so Ma & Pa might soon be gone.

Postscript
I bought an excellent book by George Hilton on the M & PA. Here's some additional facts. 1) Another part of of the Peach Bottom Railway was built, from Peach Bottom, Lancaster Co. to Oxford. This 20 mile narrow guage ran a Mt. Savage locomotive bought secondhand from the West Virginia & Pittsburgh (apparently not H.G. Davis' WVC &P). This railroad also operated a small steam ferry across to Peach Bottom, York County. The history of this road was written by Benjamin F.G. Kline. 2)The York County Peach Bottom Railway's main promoter was a schoolteacher born in Peach Bottom. Stephen G. Boyd entered politics after the Civil War and wrote and obtained the charter for the Peach Bottom System. Hilton notes that although the stated reason for the Peach Bottom was to tap the Broad Top coal region, none of the original founding directors were from the west. Perhaps the Broad Top goal was a skillful way of getting funding for the line to Boyd's hometown. With great irony, Boyd was successful in getting the Middle Division built from York to Delta, but when the question of a branch to Peach Bottom came up, Boyd had to relucantly admit that it did not make sense (the dream of crossing the Susquehanna had long since vanished). Boyd was dismissed as President of the railroad and a director from Peach Bottom took over. Boyd again changed careers and became the publisher of a York newspaper. He reentered railroading however to promote the Maryland Central, which became a predecessor of the southern half of the Ma & Pa. Boyd was therefore instrumental in creating both halves of the Ma & Pa, living to see the lines connected and sucessfully operating. Boyd once again changed careers in his 60's becoming a successful attorney. 3)The first engineer who surveyed the Muddy Creek route was none other than John Mifflin Hood, who according to Hilton pursuaded the founders to adopt a narrow guage because of the twists and turns of the creek. Narrow guages turned out to be an expensive-to-fix fad that could have killed the Ma & Pa. Indeed the entire railroad seemed to succeed mainly because of the determination and dedication of its management. 4) Before dismissing the western division of the Peach Bottom as a complete fiction, it should be noted that Hood was sent west to survey a route twice. The first time he reported that it was not feasible even to cross South Mountain. He was sent out to look again. The second time he found a route that went through East Berlin, Biglersville and Arendtsville, and crossed the mountain to Chambersburg. But at Chambersburg, even higher ridges blocked the way to Broad Top. Hilton, like Charles Roberts, questions the ability of any railroad to cross the Tuscaroras by a Southern Pennsylvania route.




At the Glatfelter papermill in Spring Grove. Diesel unit on the left is YORKRAIL 1802, on right is M & P 1504

Steve Johnson's Glatfelter Mill Layout

York to Hanover

Back on the old WM York branch, this is the crossing at Thomasville. Late 1800 WM maps show a proposed route from Thomasville to Bowmansdale on the H&P that was never built .


No doubt that this is Nashville, the WM is crossing the street here on a diagonal.


This is Menges Mills and is perhaps not the WM but the PRR (now operated as Ma & Pa/York Railway. As usual, I was navigating by dead reckoning, not consulting a map and not real sure where I was. Anyhow, I liked this scene. The Ma & Pa, operating under Emons, kept the name and some equipment, but operated very little of the original Ma & Pa tracks. Instead Ma & Pa followed the ex PRR into Maryland (eventually falling back to Hanover) and switched several lines in York. Emons also operates the former York sub of the Western Maryland Railway as Yorkrail.

York to Gettysburg- The Dutch Line

Bittinger, PA- a few miles north of Hanover. WM hauled solid limestone trains to Sparrows Point daily from the quarries here.


Late Friday evening shot of the New Oxford station.


It would be nice to see =WM= represented here. A reader of this page from York responded "I hate to point somthing out to you, you say you wish the caboose at New Oxford was lettered WM, more of people are mad that it is not lettered correctly, it is an old Ma and Pa caboose." Randy Miller points out however that MPA bought the caboose from the Pennsy, so it is lettered correctly!


Late Friday evening switching at the AgCom facility east of Gettysburg. The train was split at this crossing.


Speedlettered bridge in Gettysburg.

Other York County Pages

York 2003	Ma & Pa York	Hanover	Porters
Spring Grove	Lincoln Yard	Muddy Creek	Bachman Valley

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More Photos of the WM Dutch Line- Use "Back" to Return Here

D796 (MON-FRI)
HANOVER PA ---- 0930
YORK ROAD PA 0940 0950
PORTERS PA 1005 1020
LINEBORO MD 1050 1100
HAMPSTEAD MD 1120 1130
WOODENSBURG MD ---- 1145
EMORY GROVE MD 1155 1205
OWINGS MILLS MD 1240 1340
LEHIGH YD MD ---- 1410
ARLINGTON MD 1430 1450
WALBRIDGE MD 1500 1510
CURTIS BAY MD 1530 1645
WALBRIDGE MD 1730 1745
ARLINGTON MD ---- 1755
LEHIGH YD MD 1800 1815
OWINGS MILLS MD 1850 1900
EMORY GROVE MD 1915 1925
PORTERS PA ---- 2030
BITTINGER PA ---- 2050
BERLIN JCT PA ---- 2120
NEW OXFORD PA 2135 2150
GULDENS PA ---- 2210
GETTYSBURG PA ---- 2230
ORRTANNA PA ---- 2250
HANOVER PA 2359 ----
Hanover Local.

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