A Journey in Time to the Ma & Pa Railroad
Heritage Village
Sunday July 17, 2005
by Bob Johannessen
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A hazy, hot and humid Sunday drive to reunite our antique cars and trucks with the antique trains of the Ma & Pa Railroad Museum and Heritage Village in Muddy Creek Forks, PA was the feature of the Club's 50th Anniversary Tour on July 17th ..
After getting our map and driving instructions, 26 cars and trucks, carrying 54 members and
guests, left the starting point at Hunt Valley Marketplace in Cockeysville. We drove in small groups over a leisurely 33 mile route on rural and country roads in Baltimore and Harford counties into Pennsylvania. The scenery was bucolic along these roads because of the large farms and country estates. What's the difference between rural and country roads? Country roads don't have lines, the same as many roads were like 50 years ago.
During lunch we were able to visit in small groups at the scattered picnic tables or seated on the large veranda of the museum. After lunch, many members got in line at the ticket window to get tickets for the first work train ride, while others began by either visiting the upstairs photo and artifact museum or taking a walking tour of Heritage Village across the road. This process was reversed for the second train. And, of course, there was plenty of opportunity to sit in the shade and talk.
Among the features in Heritage Village: the Grove General Store, roller mill, grain elevator, cannery, and several warehouse buildings, plus restored rail equipment, rail car projects, and lots of old rail equipment parts. Some of the buildings had docents to help explain village life in 1913.
For those too young to remember, the Ma & Pa railroad hauled freight and passengers on a 77 mile route between Baltimore and York, PA. Local goods shipped were furniture, slate, farm produce, and milk. Loss of the U.S. Mail contract and growth of suburban roadways closed Maryland rail service in 1958. In Pennsylvania, the Ma & Pa continued operating into the 1980s. The Ma & Pa was famous for its steam locomotives through the 1950s and the meandering rural right of way.
The Museum's authentic work train is an interesting piece of equipment. The front cab houses a Chevrolet V-8 engine as the primary motive power, but the rear car of the train has a secondary power source, a 1941 Willys four cylinder engine. The V-8 had starting and running problems during the hot day, and the rides were mostly powered by the little Willys, which the engineer claimed can move six boxcars.
A big THANK YOU to the Maryland & Pennsylvania Railroad Preservation Society for hosting our touring members, helping to arrange for the nice box lunches, and giving us the thrill of riding the work train on the four miles of open track along Muddy Creek.
Members and guests participating on this tour were: Mary & Ed Allen; Dave Benson, '57 Thunderbird; Sally & Ken Briers, '50 Ford pickup; Pat & Ed Butler; Virginia & Paul Habicht; Lynn & John Horn, '53 Hudson; Bob Johannessen, '63 Studebaker Avanti; Susan Joyner, '39 Plymouth pickup; Lois & John Krupinsky, '50 Ford; Mildred & Al Lawson, '63 Thunderbird; Boots & Art Petrucci, '64 Corvair; Gretta & Bob Quante, '33 Plymouth; Elsie & Norman Reese, '63 Chevrolet; Joan & Ron Resch; Mary Ellen & Bob Wolf + Jennie Porter & Gary Rosecrans, '65 Mustang; Johanna & Bill Schmuck; Ted Schneider; Rose & Paul Smith, '46 Chevrolet pickup; Florann & Joe Sordillo, '50 Ford; Ruth & Jim Synodinos + friends; May & Bernard Uhler, '69 Lincoln; Ruth & Ray Vanderlinde, '81 Chrysler; John Watkins, '65 Buick; Gretta Hittle, Agatha Bakalik, & Raymond White; Vicky, Andrew, Todd & Gary Wilmer, '68 Chevrolet; and Linda & Tom Young.
