NEW!: Directions to the Northern Central Railway, and Liberty Limited. Dining aboard the Liberty Limited. Elegant multiple course meals served as you ride. Onboard entertainment. Intimate live theater in an improvisational style. Consist of the Liberty Limited. A look at some of the cars in our historic fleet. Quicktime Panorama images of the NCR. Equipment move (March 1, 1996).
Also on this site: The
Rail Store Calendar of Railroadiana Events; R. J. Hoffer's exhaustive monthly listing of Railroadiana shows and auctions in North America.
Links to other sites: The Walkersville Southern Railroad, of Walkersville, Md.--a nearby historic shortline. York County, PA information Attractions and Events in York County. |
Thank You, and Goodbye! Kenneth Bitten, President of Northern Central Railway, Inc. announced on August
13, 2001 that the company will be shutting down as of September 2nd. Northern Central
Railway has been operating a dinner train and railroad in Southern York County for
over five years. The company has had ongoing problems dealing with the Borough Council
in New Freedom, PA, which is its main terminal. More recently, the weak economy
has led to a drastic downturn in sales. While Bitten cited low sales and financial considerations as the primary reason
for the closing, he indicated that issues with the borough government were an important
factor. "The ongoing harassment has simply become exhausting. The borough
council started giving us problems even before we began running" said Bitten.
He cited as an example the fact that the borough has charged the railroad with violating
sewer codes even though the line had all of its liquid waste pumped out and hauled
away by a licensed waste hauler. "We even switched from preparing our own food
to using a licensed off-premises caterer so we could eliminate the issues associated
with food preparation, but the council still wasn't satisfied." The line hauled approximately 75,000 passengers during its five years of operation. Despite marketing efforts, only one carload of freight was ever moved. In recent years, the company had a joint program with the Southern Regional Recreation Board. Each Christmas season, they operated a family-oriented experience based on the famous children's book, the Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg. The railroad also hosted a dinner on Christmas Eve for residents of Southern York County in cooperation with Southern Community Services complete with Santa's Elves and gifts for the children. In addition to providing nostalgic and fun-filled rides for thousands of passengers, the Company provided employment for as many as 75 local residents at any one time and offered training programs and opportunities for dozens of volunteers to learn more about railroads and railroading. The Company won the American Short Line and Regional Rail Association's Gold Medal in 1998 for having more hours worked without injury than any other railroad of its size in the country. This was part of an injury-free period which lasted more than 1,000 days. The Company's assets will be auctioned off on Sept. 8. What happens after that is not clear. Public sentiment seems to favor having some sort of train ride on the line, and Bitten agrees. "I may not be involved in a new operation" he said "but I would like to help facilitate one." In the meantime, he encouraged people to make reservations for the last runs on Saturday, September 1st and Sunday, September 2nd. "We have plenty of space on both trains, and it may be your last chance to ride the line for a while."
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