Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad Historical Society

About Us

The Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad Historical Society consists of members from all over the world who have discovered the charm of "The Famous Ma & Pa."

You might enjoy the many friendships that you will cultivate with other members of the Society. Whether you are interested in modeling the Ma & Pa or studying the history of this famous short-line, you will meet others with similar interests who are willing to share their knowledge and ideas. Keep your ears open to hear about some of our members who spend some special days traveling along the route of the Ma & Pa and witnessing its legacy first hand.

Our Annual Meeting

Annual meetingThe Society holds an annual meeting each June for its membership. Past meetings have been held at the Baltimore Streetcar Museum, the Agricultural and Industrial Museum of York County, the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, the Highland Presbyterian Church in Street, Maryland, and the Miniature Railroad Club of York. Members have toured the Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad enginehouse, the former Red Lion station, and ridden on special excursions at the Strasburg Railroad!

The annual meeting is now held each year in June in the auditorium of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg, Pennsylvania. The doors open at 9:00 a.m., and members need only to show their Society membership card to gain admittance to the meeting. Members are encouraged to bring their Ma & Pa related memorabilia, models, photographs, etc. for display in the auditorium. The business meeting begins at 10:00 a.m., and some form of educational entertainment is presented after lunch.

The Society also holds a "Fall Get-Together," an unofficial gathering of the members and others interested in the railroad to share their knowledge. The date and location varies on availability of a location to hold it.

Merchandise

Our Society has various items available for sale. This merchandise includes patches, calendars, scale decals for modelers, locomotive specifications, boxcar drawings, and craftsman kits of boxcars, hoppers, and flat cars used by the Ma & Pa. Back issues of the Timetable are also available.

You can order merchandise right here on our web site, by visiting our company store page. Just complete an order form, and mail it in with your check or money order. You can also purchase items from our company store at our annual meeting and other Society events.

Merchandise may also be purchased from the Society at The Great Scale Model Train Show, usually held four times a year at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium. Look for the black and yellow Ma & Pa banner!

Past Projects

Engine No. 81The Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad ordered two NW2 diesel locomotives in 1946, numbering them 80 and 81. Locomotive 81 pulled both passenger and freight trains through 1954. Number 81 was sold to the P.H. Glatfelter Paper Company in the 1980's, where it was used at their Spring Grove, Pennsylvania plant.

In 1997, Glatfelter donated the locomotive to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. Once the engine was delivered to the Museum by Conrail and the Strasburg Railroad, our Society members prepared the locomotive for painting and the Society then donated funds to purchase the paint. The Railroad itself provided for the lettering of the locomotive in the original scheme. The Museum held a Dedication Ceremony on Saturday, June 27, 1998 in the Museum Yard.

Some years earlier, members of our Society helped the railroad re-paint Locomotive SW9 Number 82 into its original colors. Complete with old style classification lights and a cow-catcher pilot, Number 82 continued to serve the railroad until retired in May of 2002. It now resides in Muddy Creek Forks, Pennsylvania at the Maryland & Pennsylvania Railroad Preservation Society's historic village, a home suitable for the historic engine - one of the last surviving diesels purchased new by the Ma & Pa.

Planning a vacation or just a day off?

Consider including one of the following places in your plans. You'll find Ma and Pa equipment here:

 

Back to Top