Bound for rainy Baltimore. A Northern Central Railway crew brave heavy rain showers as they bring their passenger train south toward New Freedom, Pennsylvania, and eventually, Baltimore, MD, circa 1865.
The new Northern Central Railway, which operates between New Freedom, PA, and Hanover Junction, PA, is a pretty unique operation. Before it opened in 2013, no other tourist line made a serious attempt to re-create a Civil War era train, with arched-roof, wooden coaches, and a wood-burning, 4-4-0 American Standard steam locomotive. Unlike other lines, which used mostly 20th century passenger equipment and retired freight locomotives, the folks who developed this line actually financed the construction of completely new equipment, including the #17 "York" seen here. Built by the Kloke Locomotive Works in Illinois, using plans and patterns created for the Golden Spike NHP replicas, this engine is a pretty decent replica of a locomotive class that basically built the United States of America. Yes, a few compromises had to be made in order to end up with a durable, FRA-compliant, working locomotive (vs. a demonstration show piece). These compromises included modern, knuckle-type couplers, air brakes, an electric headlamp and oil-firing. The passenger cars, while of the basic style used back in the 1860s, are built on flat car frames with freight trucks, so they're not truly authentic. Still from the perspective of the average Joe, this train has a look and feel that does not exist on any other public railroad. It provides a perfect stage for the Civil War-themed excursions that the line runs, which often feature re-enactors, playing the part of key figures of that time, such as Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant and Abraham Lincoln. This particular photo was made during a 2018 Carl Franz photo charter and the train is making a run-by near the north end of the New Freedom Yard.
