Northern Central Railway

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The Stewartstown Railroad conducted freight and passenger excursion

operations over the New Freedom to Hyde portion of the former Northern

Central Railway beginning in 1985 after damage from Hurricane Agnes

was repaired by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

Ownership of the Northern Central was later transferred from the

Commonwealth to York County which proceeded with the construction

of a Rail-Trail adjacent to the tracks. Operations continued until 1992

when the Stewartstown Railroad terminated its lease of the property.

The first carload of freight to move over the restored Northern Central

Division of the Stewartstown Railroad was delivered to the Stewartstown -

Maryland & Pennsylvania Railroad interchange on January 14, 1985 by

MPA No. 85 along with Stewartstown 44-tonner No. 10 which had been

isolated from its home railroad by the damage to the Northern Central

from Hurricane Agnes.

No. 10, unfortunately, suffered from mechanical ailments that day and

MPA No. 85, an EMD NW-2, was quickly borrowed to deliver both the

44-tonner and its carload of freight to New Freedom.

George Hart's former Canadian Pacific Class D-10 4-6-0 No. 972 was

used on May 15th of that year to power an excursion for state and local

officials who had worked to restore the Northern Central line to service.

MPA EMD GP-7 No. 86 was used to pull the excursion train back to York.

(Photo by Herbert H. Harwood, Jr.)

GE 44-tonner No. 10 enroute to Hyde and the Maryland &

Pennsylvania interchange with a carload of lumber.

(

(Photo by Herbert H. Harwood, Jr.)

Leased MPA EMD SW-9 No. 84 spotting a boxcar at the Mann &

Parker Lumber Co. near New Freedom.

(Photo by Herbert H. Harwood, Jr.)

Leased MPA EMD NW-2 No. 81 at New Freedom with

Stewartstown Plymouth No. 9 in the background.

(Photo by Herbert H. Harwood, Jr.)

Former Pennsylvania Railroad K-4s No. 1361 operated excursions over

the line in August of 1988 in conjunction with York's annual Riverwalk

Weekend. Coaches from both the Stewartstown and Strasburg Railroads

along with Juniata Terminal NW-2 No. 9251 completed the consist.

(Photo by Herbert H. Harwood, Jr.)

Classic Railcars' former Norfolk Southern business car "Blue Ridge"

along with the "Pine State" operated on a special excursion over the line.

(Photo by Eric Bickleman)

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