New coaches arrive in New Freedom. Steam Into History's 2 PM excursion train makes the southbound run through the tiny borough of Railroad, PA, sporting some new passenger equipment that is lettered for the historic Northern Central Railway. Since the new tourist line first opened in June of 2013, they had been operating with a pair of replica coaches borrowed from the Reader Railroad's "Orange Blossom Cannonball" operation in Tavares, Florida. Those coaches had clerestory roofs and were of a design that was representative of perhaps the late 1890s, or about 30 years newer than the rolling stock that would have been found behind a Civil War-era 4-4-0. In October of 2013, two brand new replica cars, designed to be more period-correct for the "York" Locomotive and built especially for SIH were delivered by the Reader to New Freedom, and the borrowed coaches were sent back to Florida. The open "cattle car" which you see on the back of the train has also been returned to the Reader Railroad. The new cars not only provide a more appropriate-looking train, but the combine that you see right behind the locomotive will also provide patrons with an on-board restroom as well as baggage space for bicycles and other things....like Christmas Trees that they might bring back on some of the upcoming holiday trains. The line has plans to add additional rolling stock in the future, as their recent testing has shown their locomotive to be capable of handling a four-car train pretty easily.
