Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad
Logo
System map
The original Ma and Pa, with the former PRR's York–Hanover, Pennsylvania branch highlighted
Reporting marks MPA
Locale York County, Pennsylvania and Maryland
Dates of operation 1901–present
Track gauge 4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge)
Length Baltimore–York line:
77.2 miles (124.2 km)
York–Hanover line:
19 miles (31 km)[1]
Headquarters York, Pennsylvania
formerly Baltimore, Maryland
"Ma and Pa" final passenger timetable, 1954
"Ma and Pa" final passenger timetable, 1954
Baldwin 0-6-0 locomotive #30, built in 1913 and owned by the Ma & Pa until 1956, was typical of the line's aged equipment.
Baldwin 0-6-0 locomotive #30, built in 1913 and owned by the Ma & Pa until 1956, was typical of the line's aged equipment.

The Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad (AAR reporting marks MPA), familiarly known as the "Ma and Pa", was an American short-line railroad between York and Hanover, Pennsylvania, formerly operating passenger and freight trains on its original line between York and Baltimore, Maryland, from 1901 until the 1950s. The Ma and Pa was popular with railfans in the 1930s and 1940s for its antique equipment and curving, picturesque right-of-way through the hills of rural Maryland and Pennsylvania. Reflecting its origin as the unintended product of the merger of two 19th-century narrow gauge railways, the meandering Ma and Pa line took 77.2 miles (124 km) to connect Baltimore and York, although the two cities are only 45 miles (72 km) apart in a straight line.[2]

Passenger service was discontinued on August 31, 1954, and the section from Baltimore to Whiteford, Maryland (just south of the Mason-Dixon line demarcating the Pennsylvania-Maryland border) was abandoned in June 1958. Most of the remaining original railroad line was abandoned by 1984. The Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad acquired a former 19-mile (31 km) Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) branch line between York and Hanover in the 1980s, now operated by a successor corporation, York Railway.[3]

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] 19th-century predecessors

The Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad was formed from two earlier 19th-century 3-foot (914 mm) narrow gauge railways: the Baltimore & Delta Railway, later the Baltimore & Lehigh Railway, and the narrow-gauge York & Peach Bottom Railway, later the York Southern Railroad.[4] Construction of the Baltimore & Delta Railway started in 1881, and passenger trains between Baltimore and Towson, Maryland began on April 17, 1882, extended to Bel Air, Maryland on June 21, 1883.[4] The following January, the line was completed to Delta, Pennsylvania.

In Pennsylvania, the York & Peach Bottom Railway was incorporated in 1871, laying 3 ft. gauge track between York and Red Lion by August 1874 and completing its line to Delta in 1876.[4] Both railroads struggled with light freight traffic and financial difficulties in the 1890s. Because of their narrow gauge construction, the Baltimore & Lehigh Railway and York Southern Railroad could not interchange freight cars with other lines.[2] Finally, the Baltimore & Lehigh Railway and York Southern Railroad converted to standard gauge between 1898–1900 and subsequently merged to form the Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad on February 12, 1901.[4] The result was the circuitous, 77-mile "Ma and Pa" route between Baltimore and York, compared to the competing Pennsylvania Railroad's more direct 56-mile distance between the two cities on its Northern Central Railway division.[2] The completed line had grades up to 2.3 percent and 55 sharp curves of 16–20 degrees (most mainline railroads seldom exceed six percent, and even the former Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad's mainline through the Rocky Mountains does not exceed 12 degrees).[2]

[edit] 20th century

Following the merger, the Ma and Pa operated through passenger and freight trains between York and Baltimore, as well as local trains at each end of the line, hauling mail and express, slate, marble, coal, lumber, and agricultural products to market.[2] In the early years, the line was profitable and traffic volume was such that additional locomotives were necessary. The Ma and Pa acquired two 0-6-0 Baldwin switchers in 1913, #29 and #30 (pictured), called "jewels of engines, in some respects the most attractive the road had", by writer George Hilton in The Ma & Pa – A History of the Maryland & Pennsylvania Railroad.[4] The next year, three 2-8-0 "Consolidations" by Baldwin were added to the roster, providing more powerful locomotives for the Baltimore–York through freights.[4]

With increasing competition from trucks and automobiles in the 1920s, passenger volume began to decline along with less-than-carload freight, such as milk from the many dairy farms along the Ma and Pa's pastoral route. The Ma and Pa substituted more economical, self-propelled gas-electric passenger cars for steam-powered passenger trains in 1927–1928. Carload freight increased in the 1920s, however, as more industries located online, and earnings were strong enough for the company to declare dividends in 1930–1931.[4] The railroad's relative prosperity ended with the economic downturn during the Great Depression, which cut the railroad's gross revenues by half between 1932–1935.[4]

In the mid-1930s, the Ma and Pa became an early favorite of railfans, attracted by its hilly, curving line through rural Maryland and Pennsylvania. The railroad offered several popular fan excursions pulled by its elderly steam locomotives.

Following the end of World War II, the Ma and Pa acquired four diesel locomotives for more economical operations, but traffic declined significantly. When the Ma and Pa's mail contract was cancelled by the postal service, the railroad discontinued all passenger service on August 31, 1954.[4] One person on the last passenger train recalled that many riders came from as far away as Boston, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C. to partipate in the historic event, along with members of the National Railway Historical Society.[5]

The lack of traffic on the railroad's 44-mile Baltimore–Whiteford section in the 1950s was particularly acute. On of the last major shipments to occur was Indiana limestone for the construction of Baltimore's Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in 1956.[4] The Baltimore–Whiteford segment in Maryland was finally abandoned altogether on June 11, 1958, leaving only the stone abutments where the tracks crossed York Road in Towson on a steel girder bridge. A local group of history buffs placed a bronze plaque on the west abutment in 1999, commemorating the departed railroad's place in Towson history.[6]

In 1971, the Ma and Pa's remaining 34.8-mile (56.0 km) York–Whiteford segment, almost entirely in Pennsylvania, was acquired by Emons Industries.[7] Primarily hauling slate from a quarry at Delta, Pennsylvania, and furniture from a factory in Red Lion, Pennsylvania, it continued in operation until 1978 when the line was further reduced to the 9-mile (14 km) York–Red Lion section. With the furniture manufacturer's closure in 1984, the Red Lion section was also abandoned.[3]

[edit] Currently

The last "Ma and Pa" train departs Towson, Maryland, on June 11, 1958.
The last "Ma and Pa" train departs Towson, Maryland, on June 11, 1958.

The Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad acquired 19 miles (31 km) of a former Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) branch line between York and Hanover, Pennsylvania in the 1980s, which it continues to operate.[3] In 2000, Emons merged its Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad subsidiary with another area short-line, Yorkrail, forming the York Railway.[8] In 2002, Genesee and Wyoming gained control of the 42-mile (68 km) York Railway, including the former Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad trackage between York–Hanover.[7] It currently serves 40 online rail customers and connects with the Norfolk Southern and CSX railroads.[9] A small, 3-mile (5 km) fragment of the original railroad line still exists between Laurel and Muddy Creek Forks in York County, Pennsylvania, maintained by the Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad Preservation Society.[3] Another section of the Ma and Pa's old right-of-way was converted in 1998 to a rail trail in Harford County, Maryland. Now 6 miles (10 km) long, the MA & PA Heritage Trail through Bel Air is used for hiking and biking.[10]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Official Guide of the Railways. New York: National Railway Publication Co., February 1956.
  2. ^ a b c d e Frank P. Donovan, editor (1949). "The Ma & Pa by William Moedinger Jr.", Railroads of America. Milwaukee, WI: Kalmbach Publishing. LCCN 49-048570. 
  3. ^ a b c d Craig Sansonetti (1997-06-05). A History of the Maryland & Pennsylvania Railroad. Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad Preservation Society. Retrieved on 2008-05-25.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j George W. Hilton (1963). The Ma & Pa — A History of the Maryland & Pennsylvania Railroad. Berkeley, CA: Howell-North Books. LCCN 63-017444. 
  5. ^ John R. Eicker. "The Ma and Pa's Last Run from Baltimore to York", The Baltimore Sun, August 30, 1964. 
  6. ^ Loni Ingraham. "'Ma and Pa' railroad abutments get HTI plaque", The Towson Times, May 26, 1999. 
  7. ^ a b About the Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad. The Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad Historical Society. Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
  8. ^ Emons Transportation kicks off new growth plan. Railway Age (2000-01-01). Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
  9. ^ York Railway Company. Genesee and Wyoming Inc. Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
  10. ^ "Bel Air trail chugs along", The Baltimore Sun, 2008-06-02, p. 2B. 

[edit] External links