The Stewartstown Railroad, 21 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Stewartstown, will run a New Freedom Special, a train ride from Stewartstown to New Freedom and back, on Saturday, Aug. 24. The ride will begin at the Stewartstown Station at 10 a.m. The train will stop briefly at the railroad's Hungerford Station, located on South Main Street in Shrewsbury, before proceeding the rest of the 7.4 miles to New Freedom.
The ride will take approximately an hour. Once in New Freedom, passengers will have an opportunity to walk around, sightsee, or grab a snack as the train waits for approximately an hour before returning to Stewartstown, where it will arrive at approximately 1 p.m. The New Freedom Special is timed so attendees may see Steam Into History's steam locomotive depart.
The New Freedom Special consists of small trains called motorcars, or speeders. These are small motorized vehicles, designed to carry two to eight track workers and their tools out on the tracks to make repairs and inspect the line. The Stewartstown Railroad has a collection of these motorcars, and they are coupled together and used for the rides.
Motorcars were built by a number of manufacturers for a period of approximately 100 years, between the 1890s and the 1990s. Prior to this period, track workers had to use handcars, pumping the handles up and down until they got to their destination. By the time they arrived, the workers were often worn out. Motorized cars helped to alleviate this problem. In the late 1980s, railroads began adding hi-rail gear to pickup trucks. The hi-rail equipment was a set of railroad wheels that could be lowered onto the rails so a pickup could be driven down the line. Motorcars are still used by some railroads, such as the Stewartstown Railroad, for both work crews and passenger excursions.
The Stewartstown Railroad is celebrating its 135th birthday, having been chartered in 1884. The line was started by a number of local merchants who wanted to get their wares to customers in Harrisburg and Baltimore in a time before there were interstate highways or even paved local roads. The line used to have six scheduled passenger trains daily, and it carried freight multiple times per week. Nowadays, the railroad operates as a tourist line, offering scheduled trains during the year, as well as special trains for Easter, Halloween, and Christmas.
Tickets for the New Freedom Special may be purchased in the station on the day of the ride with cash only or in advance at http://www.stewartstownrailroadco.com. Seating is limited to approximately 20 passengers, and the railroad recommends that passengers be at least 7 years old. For more information, readers may visit the aforementioned website, search for "Stewartstown Railroad Company" on Facebook, or call 717-746-8123.
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