Strasburg Rail Road 475 & 89: The Lancastrian Christmas Express | Santa Excursions 2024 (4K)

Maintaining the seasonal tradition in 2024, the Strasburg Rail Road operates frequent Christmas-themed steam excursions, dubbed "Santa's Paradise Express", throughout the holiday season. Fired up to haul these festive trains are Strasburg Rail Road 4-8-0 "M" Class, #475, and 2-6-0 Mogul, #89. With departures occurring nearly every half-hour from morning to the evening, both locomotives would put on a tremendous display of steam, speed and sound in order to keep the time table on schedule. Roaring through the wintry rolling hills and vast fields of Lancaster County, we follow these excursions throughout the day and into the breathtakingly colorful evening skies featuring the melodies of a Southern Pacific 6 chime on 475 and a Baltimore & Ohio 3 chime on 89. Please sit back and enjoy as we follow these holiday excursions in "The Lancastrian Christmas Express" by Keystone Rail Productions!

History of N&W 475:
Norfolk & Western 475 is a 4-8-0 "M" class locomotive built in 1906 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia, PA. She would be delegated to haul heavy freight and coal trains. Later in her career, she would be replaced by larger locomotives and work on various branches along the N&W's trackage. After completing a faithful 50 years of service, she was retired in 1956. After being saved from the scrappers torch in 1980, the locomotive exchanged hands with many owners, and was finally purchased by the Strasburg Rail Road Company in 1991 and was restored to operating service in 1993. In 2018, she was set to undergo a mandatory 1,472 day inspection, and was returned to service in late 2019 with a centered headlight. She continues to serve the Strasburg Rail Road in reliable service today.

History of Strasburg Rail Road 89:
Strasburg Rail Road 89 is a 2-6-0 mogul that was built in 1910 by the Canadian Locomotive Company for the Grand Truck Railway as No. 1009, and was designated as a E-10-a. In 1919 she was then renumbered to 911. In 1951, after the Grand Trunk Railway merged into the Canadian National Railway, the locomotive was once again renumbered to become Canadian National 89. She was one of the many steam workhorses that could be found operating for the CN in service. In 1965, she was sold to the Green Mountain Railroad. Then in 1972, 89 was sold to the Strasburg Rail Road, where she resides today in her Canadian inspired appearance pulling passenger and freight services reliably.

Locations:
0:00 Carpenter's - 89
1:25 Carpenter's Graveyard - 89
2:34 Carpenter's Crossing - 89
3:38 Cherry Hill - 89 Meets 475
5:34 Groundhog Cut - 89 From a Distance
6:56 Esbenshade - 89
8:33 Esbenshade - 89 Peaks the Grade
9:36 Fairview - 89
10:11 Carpenter's - 475
11:25 Carpenter's Graveyard - 475
12:59 Carpenter's Crossing - 475
14:05 Cherry Hill - 475 Meets 89
17:52 Groundhog Cut - 475 From a Distance
19:41 Esbenshade - 475
20:43 Esbenshade - 475 Peaks the Grade
21:41 Fairview - 475
22:22 Cherry Hill - Sunset Meet
24:57 Cherry Hill - Blue Hour Meet
27:43 J Tower - 475 at Blue Hour
28:45 Carpenter's Crossing - 89 at Dusk
29:38 Fairview - 89 at Dusk

To learn more and support the Strasburg Rail Road's operations, please visit:
https://www.strasburgrailroad.com

Special Thanks To:
The Strasburg Rail Road Company
The Crews of 475 & 89
The KRP Family

Filmed on:
Saturday, December 7, 2024
Saturday, December 14, 2024

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