Results tagged “Northern Central Railway” from York Town Square

The Stewartstown Railroad, operational in 1885, helped businesses in villages along its path get their products to market in the way that an interstate helps grow businesses around its interchanges. Hungerford, south of Shrewsbury, was one such town. The railroad, operating as an excursion line, closed in 2004.Background posts: Often forgotten: Achievements of people named on building facades and Amanda Berry Smith: 'God's image carved in ebony'.

The southern York County borough of Shrewsbury long ago adopted the town of Railroad as its train station.

But it could have enjoyed a connection with the Northern Central Railway in its downtown... .

A typical Seven Valleys-area ice cream plant, complete with factory store.

Every time I read Armand Glatfelter's history of Seven Valleys, I peruse the section covering the burgeoning ice cream industry in that area in the 1800s.

Why Seven Valleys?

That area had dairy cattle.

It had streams that could be dammed to harvest ice in the winter for making ice cream the next summer.

And it had the Northern Central Railroad (See the Great Watermelon Train Wreck). The Northern Central Railroad that ran to an eagerly awaiting market in Baltimore.

And it had enough people to rake leaves.

Large amounts of leaves and sawdust were needed to insulate the ice taken from the frozen waterways against the summer heat. So, laborers took the woods in the fall to rake piles and piles of leaves.