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History |
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The Red Lion Area Historical Society is a charitable organization that hosts meetings of a historical nature open to the public free of charge on the 4th Thursday of the month during the school year at St. John's UCC on North Main Street at 7:30 PM. They also maintain the Square Museum. Their current community project is restoring the Ma and Pa Train Station on North Main Street. To schedule a group tour of either the Square Museum or the Train Station, please call Shirley Keeports at 244-2122.
The Historical Society is always looking for new members who share an interest in local history and a desire to preserve our heritage for our children and grandchildren. Call 244-7717 or 244-2122 for more information. Click here for more information on upcoming meetings!
Ebert Furniture Co. A lot of people are looking for information about a former Red Lion company called Ebert Furniture Co. For anyone looking for information about Ebert Furniture Co., you may either call the Historical Society at 717-244-2122 or send an e-mail to Donald Conrad. He lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, and his great-great-grandfather founded the factory in Philadelphia in 1854. He is willing to help anyone who is looking for information. Mr. Conrad has contacted our office and told us about his Ebert Furniture Website, which contains a lot of information about Ebert Furniture. Mr. Conrad has posted a lot of photographs of the beautiful Ebert Furniture. Please check it out!!
Meetings are open to the public free of charge. Meetings
of the Red Lion Area Historical Society are canceled if Red Lion
Schools are cancelled or if they excuse early on the day of our
meeting.
For additional information, contact Peggie Free, President, at 717-244-2122 or 717-244-1912.
The Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad’s
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| The York Southern Railroad began as the Peach Bottom Railway, a narrow gauge railroad (3’ between rails), chartered in PA in 1868, and connected York to Delta and Peach Bottom by 1876. The railroad was converted to standard gauge (4’-8 ½” between rails) in 1895. | |
| The Baltimore and Lehigh Railway began as the Baltimore and Susquehanna Company, a planned narrow gauge railroad chartered in MD in1836 to connect Baltimore to Peach Bottom that was never built. It’s later successor, the Maryland Central Railroad, chartered in 1867, connected Baltimore to Delta by 1884, and was converted to standard gauge in 1900. |
The Ma & Pa RR’s circuitous and picturesque main line connecting Baltimore and York, through Delta, was 77.2 miles long, although these cities were only 47 miles apart. There were 12 summits, 476 curves (almost one half of the total mileage), 111 trestles and bridges, and 27 stations, and 31 flag stops in the early 1950’s. It required over four hours to complete the York to Baltimore run at an average speed of 18-½ mph. Today, that trip by automobile on Interstate 83 takes about 50 minutes. A round-trip passenger ticket cost $1.50 in the 1930’s & 40’s.
At its peak in the early 1900’s, the Ma & Pa RR owned 16 steam locomotives, 160 railcars, and had 573 employees, most in Baltimore, and 100 of which were for track maintenance alone. At that time, more than half the company’s revenue came from passenger, mail, and express freight services, followed by milk, coal, and slate.
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Other Important Dates |
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| 1927 and 1928 | The first motor cars (gas-electric cars) were purchased |
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1946 |
The first 3 of 4 original diesel-electric locomotives were purchased, the last of the original diesels purchased in 1951. |
| May, 1954 |
York-Baltimore through freight trains discontinued |
| August 31, 1954 |
The mail contract was lost to trucking, and passenger service was discontinued |
| November 29, 1956 | The last steam engine operation |
| June 11, 1958 |
The MD line between Baltimore and Cardiff was abandoned |
| August 5, 1958 | The last through train from Baltimore to York, and MD track removal began |
| June 14, 1978 |
The PA division south of Red Lion was abandoned |
| November 1, 1980 |
The Red Lion Agency (station) was closed |
| September 22, 1986 |
The PA division rails and ties are sold for scrap and removal began (except for 2 ½ miles in York, and 8 miles in the Muddy Creek Forks area which was purchased by the Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad Preservation Society). |
| December 1, 1999 |
Maryland & Pennsylvania Railroad ends as an entity. |