Strasburg Rail Road - The Early Tourist Era

The Strasburg Rail Road is the oldest continuously operating shortline railroad in North America. Chartered in 1832, the purpose of railroad was to connect the community of Strasburg with the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad at Leamen Place Junction. Operations between Strasburg and Leamen Place started in 1852, and the railroad was quick to get rid of steam with the purchase of Plymouth 1 in 1926. Freight operations became more and more sporadic until the railroad petition for abandonment in the late 1950s.

A group of railfans formed to save the railroad through the trading of shares, and were able to purchase the like on November 1, 1958. Very quickly things were organized for passenger tourist operations and the first trains of the reorganized railroad started running in 1959.


Featuring Plymouth 1 operating in 1960, along with the 31 operating in 1961, followed Pennsylvania Railroad 4-4-0 1223, and Great Western 2-10-0 90 running in 1971.

These 8mm and Super 8mm films were shot by Don Kehl and John Filson, owned by the Western Railway Museum, and provided by Hunter Lohse. Additional historic photos provided from Baltimore Chapter NRHS archives.