I am on the trail and Mt Gretna a lot. Other than the poster on the trail, I have never been able to see anything else (pictures or other drawings) on that station. Great job, thanks.
Thanks so much for this video; that is fascinating stuff. I love history, and seeing at least something left of a bygone era is very interesting to me. I've ridden the Rail Trail there a number of times, and this video reminds me I ought to get up there and explore the ruins in winter yet, when it's easier to see (and no ticks!) Also, an interesting period view of the fountain as a postcard image can be seen in a search for "Mt. Gretna fountain." It shows the steps Jeff pointed out on the information sign, as well as a number of people gathered around during the heyday of it all.
The rail trail follows the standard gauge Cornwall & Lebanon railroad which went from Lebanon to Conowago junction. The Mount Gretna narrow gauge railroad looped around Mount Gretna and had a stop at Governor Dick.
Great video WW! My Grandparents were married in 1914 and married 72 years. They were major history researchers and when I was growing up, we took many trips to cemeteries and ruins and buildings that still existed. My Grandmother talked about how they would take the trolley and train to spend the day at Mt. Gretna. They live in southern Lanc. Co. And the trolley and train system at that time could take you about anywhere you wanted to go. My Grandfather talked about his first ride in a automobile. It was the first person in the southern end to buy an auto. My Grandfather, when he was a kid, was walking into Quarryville. He knew the man with the new car who offered him a ride to town. He said he felt like a million dollars riding into town and his friends seeing him get out of the new automobile. He passed in 1989 and born in 1892. To think of the huge changes they saw in nearly 100 years is amazing. From horse and carriage to the 69 moon landing, the space shuttle and computers. I remember he used to bring his tv to our house when ours was being repaired. They both had college degrees and met at E-town college. I mentioned before that I have my Grandmothers pressed wild flowers, about 80-90 examples from her 1912 botany class. I Loved talking with them and listening to all their stories and remembered them too. I could go on but we all have things to go on to. Thanks Kindly WW! DaveyJO
the curve rock base near the water tower was a turn table at one point to turn the locomotive around so it can head the other way. for example if it pull in to get water on a deadend sper. the turn table can do what us railroaders call "spin the power" so now the tender where the coal is will be under the water pipe instead of the front end being their when it first pulled in for a refill.
The Mount Gretna Narrow Gauge Railway was a 2 ft (610 mm) gauge narrow gauge heritage railroad in the state of Pennsylvania that operated between 1889 and 1916. It was built by the Cornwall and Lebanon Railroad, who earlier had established a station and picnic ground at Mount Gretna, Pennsylvania. The Gilded Age iron industrialist and railroad president Robert Habersham Coleman decided that a narrow gauge railroad to the top of nearby Governor Dick Mountain would provide an additional tourist draw, and in addition could service the Pennsylvania National Guard rifle ranges nearby. The line was built to the rare (in North America) and very narrow gauge of 24 inches. Locomotives, apart from an early and unsuccessful H. K. Porter, Inc 0-4-4 Forney locomotive, were three 4-4-0 "American" types (#11, #12 and #15) built by Baldwin Locomotive Works. Locomotive #12 was ordered on 22 June 1889 and built in only 8 days to be ready for anticipated Independence Day crowds after the Porter Forney wheelbase proved too rigid for reliable service on small-radius curves. The Baldwin locomotives featured lagged smokeboxes and were the only 24-inch gauge 4-4-0s ever operated in North America; although Baldwin built a 600-centimeter gauge 4-4-0 for the Ferrocarril de Tacubaya of Mexico City in 1897. A turntable, engine-house, water tank, runaround track, and storage tracks were near the junction with the Cornwall & Lebanon at Mount Gretna. Return loops were built near the rifle range and around Governor Dick peak. At first the railroad was popular, but the tourist trade declined after the novelty had died down. The loop around Governor Dick was dismantled after the summer of 1896, but the railroad continued operation for the National Guard rifle range. A serious accident in 1915 killed off that traffic. The line's passenger cars were open-sided observation cars boarded from long footboards running along the length of either side of the cars. One of the cars overturned on a sharp curve when a large number of guardsmen attempted to board simultaneously from one side of the car. There were some serious injuries, and the tiny railroad ceased operation in the summer of 1916, shortly after its parent company's purchase by the Pennsylvania Railroad.
Nice to see that water tank still there. It would be nice if those ruins could be cleaned up and brush removed so people can check the place out without having to bushwhack!
Hey there...I grew up in Gretna mid 1960's thru 70's....there was an old amusement type park past the fountain; also a small brick quarry up past and beyond the water tank somewhere. My brothers and I used a hand pump car left on the narrow gauge tracks !!! Thanks for the fine memories!!
Love the history and old ruins and especially the water tank and rooms you walked into!!!! We rode the railtrail here acouple times last summer. Still some old trainbridges where we rode!
There are quite a few relics of the Mount Gretna Narrow Gauge still extant in Mount Gretna, if you know where to look. The foundation of the enginehouse, the center pivot of the turntable and the water column are all still in situ. Almost all the right of way still exists; in fact, the grade up to top of Governor Dick is a road now. A number of the cottages have front porch benches removed from the open-sided excursion cars when the line folded, and several of the floats in the lake are anchored to the bottom by wheels from the open cars. In addition, a very well-off resident of Mount Gretna had half-inch scale models of two of the 4-4-0's built as operating live steamers built by a British live steam builder about 20 years ago. They are beautiful models, as accurately reproducing the originals as possible. After his untimely death, one was donated to the county historical society, while the second is still owned by his family
I always feel strange when it's warm during the winter. That water tower is cool looking! Love ruins! They kind of look like the ones near Jim Thorpe. Nice explore! Thumbs up!
It was interesting that the water tank appeared to have welded seems. I don't think that there was much arc welding until the the mid 1940s). Before that most all metal construction was 'hot rivets". I could be wrong.
Very nice explore Cliff . We have very little snow here in southern Ontario Canada as well . I am not complaining . The great White North has been mostly green this Winter . I like it when you put the camera on the tripod , gives your viewers a much better perspective of the size of things . Keep up your great work . John
Very cool railroad history. Seems to be alot of building for a train station! It must have been a busy place back in it's day. By the way, great to hear you're getting a bike. I'll be watching for you on the trail! Good luck.
Imagine the 4 tracks that went in front of the station. I rode this rail trail after viewing old photos of the area. I just couldn't believe it. Those tracks and the station with a covered platform area too.
"The village of Mt. Gretna was created in 1889 as a summer colony by Robert Habersham Coleman, an iron processing and railroad industrialist whose Cornwall Iron Furnace still stands nearby and is open to the public. The community was a pleasure stop on Coleman's Cornwall and Lebanon Railroad. Between 1889 and 1916, when it was shut down, Mount Gretna was also the terminus of the C&L RR subsidiary line known as the Mount Gretna Narrow Gauge Railway, a tourist railway that ran to the top of Governor Dick Mountain nearby."
I'm from SW Pa, but I lived in outskirts of Lebanon in 1994, 95 & 96. A stone's throw from The Fenwick, a popular dining & drinking place I understand no longer exists. In that time, I had the opportunity to explore the local area and enjoyed it. The ice cream parlor in Mt Gretna still brings many memories. I enjoyed the time I spent in the Lebanon area and the people I met while there. A few years ago, I detoured off the highway to enjoy dinner once again at the Cat's Meow in Manheim. I hope to return to Mt Gretna and the Lebanon area to enjoy some of the many places I enjoyed in the mid 1990's. If my name rings a bell, send me a message. I would enjoy seeing & talking to anyone who's shared any of the fun times I had back then. Thank you for posting this video. Brings back a few memories.
all the old water tanks for the railroad near here are gone glad to see one still left don't know what happen to the one near my house csx remove 2 in thurmond
Great video. The iron water tank was probably a replacement for an old wooden one. The iron one sits on only part of two of the concrete stands. The original wooden one was probably bigger and sat one all three of the stands.
I've been around quite a few water tanks/towers and my bet would be on that the original water tank was wooden and it covered all three piers that the metal tank is currently resting on. That metal tank was most likely put in to supply water for some other purpose, maybe even for the standard gauge railroad, for water for modern diesel locomotives (they use water to cool the engines just like trucks do).
Nice video, I had thought too, that there was a turn table and the ruins would have been the engine house, but the water tank seemed a little small. Good thing you found the information board to prove it. It might prove interesting to know the purpose of the steps and what they might have lead too..
The Mount Gretna Railroad was very unusual because it was a 2' gauge railroad that ran in a loop around Mt. Gretna. it was owned by the standard gauge Cornwall & Lebanon R.R. which was started by Robert Coleman.
I spent alot of my teen years in this area. I knew the owners of the roller rink at the time. There used to be an abandoned and decaying building off to the (wanna say south?) In the woods. I was told that was at one time an arcade. I was also asked to help empty the basement of the roller rink out, and there were all sorts of old arcade games in there. They were in such bad shape that they couldn't be salvaged. It was more like a crawlspace then a basement, so the arcade couldn't be under there. Looking back, I wish I would've asked more questions, lol
Darlene Good Still on sometimes on Decades. Fun fact: that loco was refurbished about 10 years ago and still runs at a CA state park. Clint Eastwood helped raise funds because he had used it in his movies 🎥
An excellent book on the history of Mt Gretna is Jack Bitner's Mt. Gretna A Coleman Lagacy. He also has DVD'S available about the town and the Narrow Gauge Railroad that ran through the area.
Does anyone know how the water tanks for the Railroad, like the one shown here were filled with water or where the water came from? There are lots of photos and articles about this train and train station online. The railroad station was quite a large and attractive building which seems a bit strange considering that the foundation here doesn't appear nearly that large. Lots of articles and photos about the history of Mt. Gretna as well.
The water tanks in those remote areas were usually filled via a pump, most likely steam driven powered by coal. Others were gravity feed, or filled by natural springs.
I miss beautiful Pennsylvania. I had to relocate from Hamburg to Texas about 7 years ago. These videos make me so nostalgic. Love urban exploration, especially trains🚂
Very cool to see the water tank still there. Enjoyed going down into all those little rooms. Loved the remains of the fountain. Would be nice to have as plant garden or small fish pond. Family poker night how fun. Does you good to sleep in sometimes. :)
2 foot wide tracks, I never heard of track gauge that narrow, I know the typical 4 feet 8 1/2 inch and narrow gauge is 3 or 3 1/2 feet can't remember off hand but I never heard of 2 feet that is really strange.
It is very unusual and was mostly used on some small railroads in Maine, so that two foot gauge railroads are often referred to as Maine two footers.This is a unique gauge and rare in Pa.Robert Coleman had some locomotives built by Baldwin in Philly for this railroad.Most narrow gauge railroads in Pa and elsewhere are three foot gauge.
Off that spur, if you'd have turned right on the rail trail there are more railroad building ruins. There is a siding grade and foundations from buildings. I ride rail trails all over. So much history to see. 30 to 50+ miles in a day are not uncommon. Canal locks are a favorite for me.
J.R., have you ridden the trails in Swatara State Park? There are some canal locks there worth seeing. Also, have you seen Union Canal Tunnel Park in Lebanon? The tunnel made through the hill there was one of the great engineering feats of the age back then.
