New Hope & Ivyland 40 Steam Train: A Bucks County Christmas Finale

On Saturday, December 27th, 2025, I made my second visit to the New Hope Railroad in New Hope, PA, to see their 2-8-0 steam locomotive #40 operate on some of its last trains before its 1472-day inspection.

Having visited the railroad for the first time in 2023, it was nice to revisit 40 once again two years later. While the weather the night before was not ideal, leaving a sheet of ice on almost all ground surfaces, it was an excellent day out in Bucks County, and I had a pretty successful chase overall.

Built in December of 1925, it was fitting that 40's last trips this year would be on its 100th birthday, hauling the last of the railroad's Santa Steam Train Excursions. Travelling between New Hope and Lahaska, we catch 40 at numerous locations along the line, many of which are new locations to me compared to my previous visit.

As many rail enthusiasts are aware, the 1472-day inspection is a comprehensive undertaking. While it has not been publicly stated how long it will take the railroad to complete this inspection, it has been seen that work has already begun, and in due time, 40 will once again return to storm the rails!

Now, without further ado, please enjoy these final trips with New Hope 40 on an icy, wintry day!

0:00 Intro
0:25 Morning prep before departure
4:40 Departure from New Hope
7:22 W Mechanic St
8:21 Aquetong
9:51 Lower Mt. Rd
11:08 Lahaska
12:25 40 completes the runaround
14:14 Lahaska departure
15:28 Lower Mt. Rd
16:18 Reeder Rd.
17:42 New Hope
19:12 Outro

Music in this video:
Song: Tropic Fuse
Artist: French Fuse
Licensed to YouTube by: YouTube Audio Library