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KLOKE LOCOMOTIVE WORKS is assembling a colorful, working replica of Northern Central Railroad 4-4-0 No. 17 York at its shop in Elgin, Ill. (left). By late January the boiler had been lagged and mount- ed to the running gear, and the cab and tender were nearly complete. While the structures might postdate the Civil War, “downtown” Rail- road, Penn., (above) will provide a picturesque backdrop for the 4-4-0 as it barks upgrade on the return trip to New Freedom, located at the top of the grade. While a converted grain mill will serve as Steam Into History’s New Freedom depot, the original Hanover Junction depot, built in 1852 by the Hanover Branch Railroad, survives (right), along with a Civil War era hotel (now a residence) just out of view to the left. (In 2001 the station was restored to its 1863 appearance and sports a fresh coat of paint.) A remnant of the Hanover Branch curves west, end- ing at the parking lot where a turntable was once located, while the main line to York swings off to the right. Future plans include building runaround tracks and gallows turntables at each end of the run.
drink in New Freedom.
In addition, a replica of Lincoln’s four-truck private car is under construction at Kloke Loco- motive and should be finished in time for the 150th anniversary of Lincoln’s assassination in 2015. Lincoln never rode or even saw the origi- nal car, but it did carry his body from Washing- ton to Illinois for burial — via the Northern Central Railroad and Hanover Junction. The car is expected to visit Steam Into History.
Operations and Facilities
The railroad’s operating headquarters is locat- ed at 2 West Main Street in New Freedom, in a former feed store and grain mill a block south of the former NC station (now a restaurant). The structure will house a ticket office, gift shop, and a model railroad which will depict the NCRR during the 1861-1863 period. Due to the lack of turning facilities and runaround tracks, at first the train will oper- ate in “pull-pull” fashion with leased Stewart- stown Railroad GE 44-tonner No. 10 on the north end. York be on the other end to pull the train south, and passengers will be able to hear the 4-4-0 working hard on the grade. As an aside, No. 17 will face into the sun. Photog- raphers, rejoice!
The diesel/steam operation will continue un- til turntables and runaround tracks can be built at each end of the run. Gotwols says that Norfolk Southern offered the group a turntable free for the moving, but after crunching the numbers SIH decided that for the money it would cost to move the NS table, two new 56- foot timber gallows-style turntables could be
built to the Southern Pacific No. 3 plan. The NS table would have been too modern, much longer than needed, and would have required the excavation of a large pit. On the other hand, the SP design doesn’t need a very deep pit and is appropriate for the era. The tables will be “armstrong” powered. New Freedom Borough has promised to pro-
vide property for the turntable at the south end, and a farmer in Hanover Junction will al- low a table to be built there on land adjacent to the main line. A small turntable was once located adjacent to the station on the Hanover Branch side, which is now a parking lot.
The Neighbors
Since the train’s route shares a right of way with the York County Heritage Rail Trail, some of the neighbors are nervous about the prospect of a fire-belching steam locomotive intruding on their trail and peaceful rural lives. Some have their doubts about runners, walkers, cyclists, and horseback riders shar- ing the corridor with an active railroad. The more recently-arrived residents have no mem- ory of sharing the trail with an operating rail- road, since the dinner train last traversed the route more than ten years ago.
The folks of New Freedom like the fact that their small town is, well, small, and slow- paced, not having even a single traffic light. Some are unsettled by the prospect of tour bus- es and fleets of private autos descending on West Main Street three times a day. Gotwols acknowledges such concerns and is willing to hold public meetings to talk things over, allay
fears, and find solutions to problems. On the upside, visitors will discover New Freedom’s restaurants, the Whistle Stop bike shop next to the tracks, and, on North Second Street a block from the old NC station, Jeff Hostetter’s stringed instrument repair shop and the Wagon Shed, which hosts occasional folk music concerts. And just up the tracks in the village of Railroad are Capt. Bob’s Crab House and the Railroad General Store. Overall, public response to the project has been extremely positive. About 120 people at- tended a January 19 open house, where they enjoyed a presentation on the NC’s role in the Civil War by author Scott Mingus, who was followed by Bob Gotwols and others who talked about their areas of responsibility. Got- wols doesn’t know exactly how many volun- teers have officially signed up, but the group has amassed hundreds of Facebook “likes” and inquiries through
www.steamintohistory.com.
Marketing
Steam Into History is working with the Convention and Visitors Bureaus of York County, Lancaster, and Gettysburg, as well as with tour operators, while also developing a curriculum for school groups. The school mate- rials will include information on railroading, music, and other aspects of life in the Civil War era, as well as on Abraham Lincoln, sub- jects which would be covered in the classroom before visiting the railroad. Live videoconfer- encing from the train directly into classrooms is another possibility, which has been enabled by wireless technology.— WALT LANKENAU
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TWO PHOTOS: WALT LANKENAU
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