YorksPast

Northern Central Railway operations are explored, from the mid-1800s to the present along North Street in York, Pennsylvania, in this first of a series of YorksPast posts. This article explores early passenger stations, plus freight depots to the present day.

Several years ago Bob Morris asked if I was able to identify all the buildings in the background of an 1857 illustration he discovered in a 1924 newspaper. I have to apologize for the late response, since that request was misplaced until recently found. The illustration was reportedly shared with the York Historical Society in 1922 after being discovered in an antique store in Boston, and was published in The Gazette and Daily on January 17, 1924, page 10.

The scene at the York railroad station is looking east along North Street on the arrival of President Buchanan on June 3, 1857. James Buchanan had been inaugurated March 4, 1857, and was returning to Washington, D.C. after a brief visit to Wheatland, his home in Lancaster. I was able to identify the Union Car Works, County Prison, and York Car Works in the distance beyond the Station House that is seen at the right side of the illustration. The Station House is located on the southeast corner of Duke and North Streets.

I used the York detail on Shearer’s 1860 Map of York County to make those identifications. In the following annotated map, the yellow arrow, at left side, indicates the point of view and light dashed line is the line of sight of the 1857 illustration. The Union Car Works, County Prison, York Car Works, and Station House shown in the illustration are at appropriate places on the 1860 Map with respect to the line of sight. The Union Car Works of Pfieger, Hess and Nevin began producing railroad cars in York during 1847. The York Car Works of Billmeyer and Small began producing railroad cars in York during 1852. The County Prison at the site along Chestnut Street was built in 1853. Note the main line of the Northern Central Railway through York runs down the middle of North Street; where they were located until 1890.

When the initial train of the Baltimore and Susquehanna Railroad arrived in York during 1838, North Street was known as Water Street Extended. It appears at least two hotels served as the early passenger depots. Both were located on the south side of Water Street Extended, just east of North George Street. Those hotels will be explored in another post.

After the Baltimore and Susquehanna Railroad went bankrupt, it emerged as the Northern Central Railway in 1855. The Pennsylvania Railroad acquired a controlling interest in the Northern Central during 1861, after which the Northern Central Railway operated as a subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Railroad. That is the reason some Northern Central structures are occasionally tagged as P.R.R., such as the photo at this link, which shows P.R.R. on the freight depot adjacent to the York Passenger Station in 1924.

The 1887 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map has a brick railroad passenger depot continuing to be located on the southeast corner of North and Duke Streets. This station house, appearing on the 1857 illustration and on maps through 1887, appears to be built in 1850 or 1851. A notice to builders was issued July 16, 1850, that plans and specifications will be ready to inspect from the 20th to the 25th, so that proposals can be made “for building a Station house, Engine house, Woodshed, &c., at York.”

The 1850 plans for the station house initially had it on the northeast corner of North and Duke Streets. However the public persuaded a change to the southeast site, because it was reasoned that most people utilizing rail service would be coming from south of Water Street Extended (North Street) and should not be subjected to crossing the tracks more than needed for safety reasons.

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps are used to show how the Northern Central Railway station operations are clustered around the intersection of North and Duke Streets during 1887. At southeast corner is the Passenger Depot. At southwest corner is the Baggage House. At northeast corner is the Freight Depot. And at northwest corner is the Engine House.

A large freight depot opened in 1878, on the northeast corner of North and Duke Streets. Prior to 1878, a smaller freight house was utilized on the southwest corner of North and Duke Streets; and that building became the Baggage House once the large freight depot opened.

Several railroad freight cars could be pushed inside the large freight depot at the east end. Their contents were unloaded and either moved to the north platform of the depot for pick-up by horse and wagons of York companies or residents. Or the contents were moved to an appropriate freight rail car sitting along the south side of the depot for further rail travel to other locations. Operators of the railroad quickly realized constantly moving freight cars inside the depot wasted much needed floor space. The 1878 freight depot was torn down after only 12-years of use. That occurred during the massive changes to the Northern Central Railway station operations in York during 1890.

The major change in 1890 was constructing a new larger Passenger Station in York on the northwest corner of North and Duke Streets. This is the bus / railroad station which still stands along North Street. During its construction the Northern Central Railway’s main line was moved off of North Street, and placed next to boarding area behind the Passenger Station. However a single set of tracks was left in North Street for use by the York Street Railway’s horse drawn streetcars that operated from 1886 to 1892; and later used by electric trolleys from 1892 to 1939.

As soon as the old Passenger Depot was torn down, a new Freight Depot was built on the southeast corner of North and Duke Streets. It was double the length of the 1878 freight depot, and extended from Duke to Queen Streets. That 1890 Freight Depot still stands on the south side of North Street. In 1896, a second long Freight Depot was constructed on the north side of North Street.

The following westward view is from Queen Street showing the 1890s Railroad Freight Depots flanking North Street, on which vehicular traffic was not allowed until 1954. The center set of rails is the location of the main line of the Northern Central Railway through York from 1838 until 1890; these were the rails upon which the Lincoln Funeral Train traveled on April 21, 1865, however none of the surrounding railroad infrastructure remains from 1865.

The following photo of the west end of the 1896 Railway Freight Depot on the north side of North Street appeared in The Gazette and Daily on July 7, 1950. Discussions were underway to tear down 150 feet from this end of the freight depot to provide additional parking at the bus / railroad station.

Four years later, another photo is a westward view from Queen Street, looking between the Railway Freight Depots flanking North Street. The crane swings a pile-driver hammer to break up outside platform walls in preparation of their complete removal, per article that appeared in The Gazette and Daily on July 13, 1954.

As work continues on opening a section of North Street to traffic, the following photo is another eastward view from Duke Street, looking between the Railway Freight Depots flanking North Street. The railroad tracks have been removed and a stone base is being put down in preparation for paving and opening North Street, per article that appeared in The Gazette and Daily on October 29, 1954.

The photo showing completion of the project is an eastward view from Duke Street, looking between the Railway Freight Depots flanking North Street. The north side freight depot, at left, had 150 feet removed to provide additional parking at the bus / railroad station. North Street is now paved between Duke and Queen Streets and was initially open to traffic on Friday November 19, per article that appeared in The Gazette and Daily of November 18, 1954.

The final photo is an eastward view of the former Railway Freight Depots flanking North Street. They now house Snapbox Self Storage at 135 East North Street. The depot at the far right, on south side of the street, was built in 1890. The shown depot on the north side of the street was built in 1896.

Click on this LINK for a yorkblog.com Full View of the photos and illustrations in this post.

Links to related posts:

The Earliest York County Railroads

Eight Railroad Stations along the 12-Miles of Track between Wrightsville and York

The Forgotten Railroad to Baltimore