Strasburg

Company History: The SRC is the oldest surviving railroad still operating under its original charter in America. The company was founded in 1832 and by 1837 built a four and a half mile line from the town of Strasburg, Pennsylvania to connections in Leaman Place. Trains were horse-drawn until 1851 when they bought their first locomotive, a used 4-2-0 which is thought to be one of the first 50 locomotives built in the United States. In 1957 Hurricane Hazel destroyed much of the railroad. The owners applied for abandonment but a group of local railfans bought the company and set about repairing the line. Freight service to their only remaining customer resumed in 1958 and the following year they introduced tourist trains. Today, the operating Strasburg steam fleet includes an 0-6-0T dressed as Thomas The Tank Engine, a former Canadian National 0-6-0, a former Canadian National 2-6-0, a former Great Western 2-10-0 and a former Norfolk & Western 4-8-0. They also operate an SW8, a 10-ton Plymouth, a 20-ton Plymouth, and a Lancaster Oxford & Southern gas motor car. There are additional locomotives undergoing restoration. The tourist business remains strong and freight service has picked up considerably in recent years and is pulled by steam, diesel or both.

Brief History: The U.S. is a country of 50 states covering a vast swath of North America, with Alaska in the northwest and Hawaii extending the nation’s presence into the Pacific Ocean. Major Atlantic Coast cities are New York, a global finance and culture center, and capital Washington, DC. Midwestern metropolis Chicago is known for influential architecture and on the west coast, Los Angeles' Hollywood is famed for filmmaking.