For Passengers, Strasburg Rail Ride More Than Merely Trip to Paradise
by Sandi Lynn Brown
The Lebanon Daily News

Strasburg, PA - He is known for being a very useful engine. And on a warm, fall day recently in Lancaster County, Thomas the Tank Engine lived up to his reputation. Thomas rolled into the station pulling several passenger cars behind him. Adults and children, including my sister-in-law, her three children and me, boarded the train at the StrasburgRailRoad, located on Route 741 east of Strasburg.

Three times a year, the blue steam locomotive offers guests a 22-minute ride. He will return for a three-day stint beginning Dec. 3. While Thomas brings a certain ambiance to the ride, the railroad’s steam train offers 45-minute round trip rides to Leamon Place Junction in neighboring Paradise Township. Passengers can get off midway at Groff’s Grove to have a picnic or stop at the Cherry-Crest Farm to attempt the Amazing Maize Maze, a labyrinth of cornstalks in the heart of Amish country.

The whole journey gives the rider a glimpse of what rail travel was like in 1915, said Linn Moedinger, president and chief mechanical officer of the railroad. “We hope to be able to bring people right into the heart of what we feel is still some of the best part of Pennsylvania Dutch Country there is,” Moedinger said. “Strasburg itself still looks like it did 30 years ago.”

In 1832, a charter was made to build the railroad, he said. A train was running by at least 1851, and the railway served Strasburg until 1957. The railroad was then abandoned and would have been demolished if it weren’t for a small group. Twenty-four people including Moedinger’s parents bought the railroad in 1968. The consortium began operating freight trains on the tracks soon after and started a small business for passengers. “The passenger business essentially grew to what it is today from there,” Moedinger said. “It’s grown into a first-class operation anybody associated with the railroad can be very proud of.”

Today, the railroad owns seven steam locomotives including Thomas, 22 passenger cars and 12 pieces of freight equipment. Pieces have either been restored or are replicas of originals. Roughly 400,000 people visit the attractions annually, Moedinger said. About 55 percent of that is repeat business. The railroad employs 75 workers. “I’m honored to work here,” he said. “The people are the heart and soul of the railroad.”

Other activities on the site consist of the Cagney Train, a miniature steam train built in 1920 for an amusement park; the Pump Car, a railroad platform riders operate by pumping a lever; and the Noon Shop Tour, a behind-the-scenes tour of the railroad’s mechanical shop.

My nephew, Dylan Patrowicz, especially enjoyed the ride on the Lancaster Oxford & Southern Railcar, a car restored in 1915. Dylan; his sister, Ashley, 1; his mother, Christy, all from New Jersey; and I picked a prime seat right next to conductor Walt Keely, who has worked at Strasburg for 17 years. Dylan was clearly impressed with the various gadgets and with Keely, who patiently answered all of the 4-year-old’s questions.

“Everything in here is for you, Mr. Conductor,” Dylan said.