Memories of an unsuccessful trip to Strasburg (NNG)

In a thread below we're having fun talking about things a "long time ago". I have a long time ago memory about Strasburg. Strasburg has been around for awhile. I grew up and went to school on the Left Coast, and on my very first trip to the East Coast in 1962 Strasburg was one of the railfan places I wanted to visit. This was pre internet so my knowledge of Strasburg was very limited, but somehow I figured out is was close to Lancaster. So I got on a PRR train in Philadelphia (neat heavyweight combination parlor diner) and rode to Lancaster behind a GG1. It was February, the middle of winter. I got off at Lancaster and somehow found out a) Strasburg was not within walking distance, and b) they were closed. So I hung around the highlevel platforms waiting for a train back to Philly. After awhile two GG1's pulled to a stop right in front of me with a long freight train. I must have had a camera hung around my neck, obviously a foamer, and the engineer asked me what I was up to. I told him I was waiting to head back to Philly. He said his train was headed to Camden and asked if I wanted to come along. So I ended up riding the cab of a GG1 along the PRR four track (the original "Mainline") and across the bridge to Camden. The crew deposited me at the railroad YMCA, and I got a cab back to my hotel. I finally got to Strasburg about six years later, and it was and still is a great place. But that unsuccessful trip in 1962 was pretty special.


JBW



Edited 6 time(s). Last edit at 07/31/2007 02:48PM by John West.