A Ticket To Ride And Save Farms
By Ryan Robinson
Lancaster New Era

LANCASTER COUNTY, PA - Wide-eyed, their hair blowing in the wind, four children excitedly turn wheels to propel their individual trains around a track. Just beyond them, steam hisses from the No. 475 locomotive. A loud whistle pierces the afternoon humidity. Passengers are boarding. A man shovels coal nine feet high atop a railcar.

Beyond the train, green and gold fields of corn, alfalfa hay and soybeans spiral to the horizon, interrupted only by farmhouses, barns and silos. The farmsteads are as important to Strasburg Rail Road as its historic trains, according to president Linn Moedinger. “Without the farmland, we’re out of business,” he said. “Who wants to ride through suburbia and Wal-Mart parking lots?”
In a move believed to be the first of its kind in Pennsylvania — and perhaps the nation — Strasburg Rail Road will use a portion of its ticket proceeds to prevent new houses or businesses from marring its idyllic farm landscape.

Farm preservationists hope other Lancaster County businesses will follow the railroad’s example and pump more dollars into saving local farms. For every ticket it sells in 2005, excluding special Thomas the Tank Engine events, the popular tourist destination will give 5 cents to the Lancaster Farmland Trust.

The non-profit farmland preservation organization will leverage the money with other funding to preserve as many of the 20 farms, totaling about 1,100 acres, in the railroad line’s corridor as quickly as it can. Once the farms are preserved, the trust wants to target more farms within sight of the railroad. “We have not seen or heard of any kind of similar project in the country,” said the trust’s executive director, Karen Martynick.

Businesses have long supported the trust with funds and sponsorships of events like “Pedal to Preserve” and the trust’s annual dinner. But this is the first time a private business has agreed to donate a portion of each ticket it sells to the trust. Martynick said talks are already underway with other businesses, and she hopes they will follow the railroad’s example.

Moedinger said Strasburg Rail Road sells 300,000 regular tickets a year, so the trust can expect about $15,000 annually. The trust spends an average of about $500 for the permanent development rights of each acre that it preserves. But Martynick said that doesn’t mean just 30 acres a year will be preserved as a result of the initiative. Thanks to a challenge grant from the county, the trust will match the railroad’s annual donation dollar for dollar, she said. Other funding also can be combined with the new source to preserve farms faster.

Also, the trust is hoping the railroad’s marketing of the trust’s mission to protect farmland from development will lead to even more funding for the area. “We should be able to act immediately when one of these farms wants to be preserved,” Martynick said. She added, however, that no time frame exists for preservation of the corridor.

Moedinger said he talked with some of the railroad’s farming neighbors, and they showed some interest in preserving their farms. Strasburg Rail Road set its funding level by what it could afford, not by any preservation goals, Moedinger said. It has committed to three years of funding, he said. The total given per ticket will be reevaluated every year. Martynick said the Strasburg Rail Road initiative will not derail the trust’s efforts to preserve farms elsewhere in the county. It could prompt businesses who would like to see certain farms in their area to be preserved to pursue talks with the trust about helping to fund such efforts, she said.

Strasburg Rail Road patrons take a 45-minute train ride through the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country in Paradise and Strasburg townships. Moedinger said the farm scenery along the 7-mile round trip provides at least half of the riders’ enjoyment. “It’s the only thing that separates us from the rest of the world and makes us unique,” he said. “We don’t have mountains or beaches. You can go anywhere to see trains or an amusement park. Our unique landscape is one of the most beautiful in the country.”

Moedinger stressed that the loss of farmland could one day seriously hurt the entire county’s economy and way of life. “If Lancaster County doesn’t have farmland, it doesn’t have tourism,” he said bluntly.

In talks with companies, the trust is presenting the case that supporting the preservation of farmland is not just an act of generosity, but also is beneficial to the businesses’ long-term plans. Since 1988, the trust has preserved 207 farms totaling 12,904 acres of farmland.

The Strasburg Rail Road was chartered in 1832 as a line to haul freight and passengers from Strasburg to the main line. America’s oldest short-line railroad, it is home to museum-quality, working, turn-of-the century steam locomotives, freight cars, dining cars, private cars and one of the largest fleets of historic wooden passenger cars in the world.

Strasburg Rail Road Unveils a First For PA Land Preservation
Strasburg Rail Road
Media Release

Strasburg, PA (June 30, 2005) - In what is being hailed as a groundbreaking initiative, the Strasburg Rail Road, one of Pennsylvania’s top tourist destinations, announced a plan to preserve one of Lancaster County’s most precious and recognized treasures.

In partnership with the Lancaster Farmland Trust, a local, non-profit farmland preservation organization, the Strasburg Rail Road has committed to taking a lead role in helping to raise funds to enable Lancaster County to maintain its crucial farming community and its revered farmland surrounding the Strasburg Rail Road.

In this effort, the Strasburg Rail Road has committed 5 cents from every ticket (excluding Thomas™ events) sold during 2005 to the Lancaster Farmland Trust. The funds are designated specifically to support the Farmland Trust in its effort to protect the rich and productive farmland in the Strasburg Rail Road corridor.

Located in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country, the Strasburg Rail Road is one of the region’s most successful tourist destinations with more than 300,000 visitors each year. Traveling past 20 working farms and more then one thousand acres, the Strasburg Rail Road offers one of the best ways to view Lancaster County’s breathtaking countryside.

Strasburg Rail Road President, Linn Moedinger, says his decision to support the preservation efforts not only impacts Lancaster County’s economy, but the County’s way of life. “As Lancaster County grows, we must take steps to protect our signature farmland or we will lose it,” says Moedinger. “This partnership will benefit our county, the Strasburg Rail Road and the millions of visitors who travel to our area each year.”

Lancaster Farmland Trust calls Strasburg Rail Road’s commitment a model for other business leaders in Pennsylvania. “This partnership demonstrates how important Lancaster County’s beautiful farmland is to the tourist industry,” says Karen Martynick, Executive Director of Lancaster Farmland Trust. “We’ve always believed that visitors come specifically to see our scenic farmland in Lancaster County and as a result, generate billions of dollars for our local economy.” “We applaud the Strasburg Rail Road for acknowledging the importance of this link and creating this precedent setting program to save our rich and productive farmland.”

Lancaster Farmland Trust is a private, non-profit organization working to preserve the rich and productive farmland of Lancaster County by purchasing the development rights from Lancaster’s farm families. By participating in the program, farm families own, operate and pass down the property to future generations with the assurance that no one will develop it for commercial or residential development. Since 1988, the Trust has preserved almost 13,000 acres of productive farmland for future generations. Preserving farmland means saving the freshest, local food, retaining our clean air and water, and safeguarding a cultural heritage in Pennsylvania.

“The Trust is thrilled to be a part of this joint effort to save what we cherish here in Lancaster: the beautiful landscape, farming as a livelihood, and a quiet way of life,” Martynick added. “These special characteristics enrich our own lives as well as the lives of people who visit our county.”

The Strasburg Rail Road was chartered in 1832 as a line to haul freight and passengers from Strasburg to the main line. Known as America’s oldest short-line railroad, Strasburg is a real working railroad. The Rail Road is home to museum quality, working, turn-of-the century steam locomotives, freight cars, dining cars, private cars and one of the largest fleets of historic wooden passenger cars in the world.

To learn more about the Strasburg Rail Road, visit www.Strasburgrailroad.com. To support the Lancaster Farmland Trust visit www.savelancasterfarms.org.