We are pleased to announce that The Friends of the Stewartstown Railroad have received a very generous $10,000 grant from the Powder Mill Foundation of York County. These funds will be used to finish the external painting and complete the inside restoration of coach 1158. We sincerely thank the Powder Mill foundation for their generous gift to help push 1158’s restoration across the finish line. When complete, coach 1158 will be added as a second passenger coach, more than doubling the amount of passengers that can take a nostalgic train ride from the turn-of-the-century on the Stewartstown Railroad.

Happy Memorial Day

From all of us at the Friends of the Stewartstown Railroad, Inc., we would like to wish all of our loyal members, supporters, and donors, a safe and Happy Memorial Day.

Seeking Candidates for FSR Board Member Positions

With our annual meeting and upcoming election cycle, we are now seeking candidates for several positions. These include President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, and 5 director-at-large positions. We have been without a secretary for several months. Our current treasurer, to whom we owe a great deal of gracious gratitude to, has informed us of their intention to retire at the end of her term. She stepped in to help keep our finances afloat after Ray became very ill and unfortunately passed away. If you or someone you know may be interested in helping us fill these two critically important roles, please let us know. To run for a board position, you only need be a member in good standing. Membership applications are available on our website.

Spring 2023 Newsletter to Hit the Mail Soon

Joe, our newsletter editor has been hard at work putting the spring 2023 newsletter together. Keep a watch on your mailbox for the latest edition of 7.4.

Help Needed for Coach Restorations

We are off to a good start for the Summer 2023 equipment restoration season. Currently, two coaches are undergoing restoration work simultaneously, increasing the need for more helpers. Coach 1341 is receiving a roof-edge restoration, which includes volunteers removing rivet heads so a contract welder can weld in new patches. Coach 1158 is currently having the rest of the floor subfloor welded in.  We are in need of painters, woodworkers, welding and sheet metal work workers. If you are interested in coming to our workdays, please give us a shout. We’d love to add you to our mailing list and see you come on out to help. No previous experience is necessary – we will train. The next Coach Workday is Sunday, June 4 at 9AM in the Stewartstown yard.

Please considering volunteering your time on Saturday, Aug 6 to assist with on-going restoration work to coach 1341. We will be working on new wiring installation, bathroom upgrades, and painting. These improvements will help increase the overall comfort of our passengers. No special skills are necessary, only a willingness to help. We look forward to seeing you there!

We are pleased to announce that we have received a $1,000 grant from the Kathleen E. Thornton Educational Trust in memory of the late Raymond E. Reter. The FSR Board voted unanimously to combine this generous grant with other memorial donations received in memory of Mr. Reter to continue restoration work on the Friends’ former Reading Company coach #1158 in his honor. We sincerely thank the Kathleen E. Thornton Educational Trust for their generous grant and memorial donors in memory of Mr. Reter. We encourage anyone with an interest in passenger coach preservation and restoration to join in on this project.  Stay tuned for updates as we continue to restore coach 1158 into her former Reading Railroad glory.