Projects and Workdays

Coach 1158 Restoration

With the success of the open-air excursion car behind us, the Friends purchased former Reading Company commuter car #1158 for restoration in January 2018. Coach 1158 was built in January 1925 by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Company and was used in daily commuter passenger service until July 1965. George Hart’s Rail Tours, Inc. was the next owner of the car and used it for tourist excursion service before selling it to the Stewartstown Railroad in the late 2000’s.

The restoration was made possible by a generous $10,000 grant from the John H. Emery Rail Heritage Trust in April 2018, followed by grants from the Kathleen E. Thornton Educational Trust, the NRHS Railway Heritage Grant program and the Powder Mill Foundation of York County, along with donations from many members and supporters. We sincerely thank everyone who contributed funds, materials and volunteer hours.

The restoration of Coach 1158 is complete. In Spring 2025 it ran on the rear of the first official two-coach train on the Stewartstown Railroad since 2004, and it is now in service as the railroad’s second passenger coach.

Open-Air Excursion Car

Before Coach 1158, the Friends’ first major equipment project was building an open-air excursion car for the Stewartstown Railroad from the ground up. The flatcar itself, a 1934 Pennsylvania Railroad F30A, was donated to the Friends by Norfolk Southern Corporation in 2017. Volunteers stripped and repainted its frame, then built a new wooden deck, railings and roof on top of it, finishing the car in 2018.

The work was paid for entirely by donations, and the car is still carrying passengers today, giving riders a breezy, open-air way to see the line. We sincerely thank Norfolk Southern Corporation, and every donor and volunteer who made it possible.

Stewartstown Station Roof

For years, the slate roof on the historic Stewartstown Station had been leaking, and Friends volunteers had been patching and replacing sections of it since 2008. Replacing slate with new slate was too costly, so the decision was made to install a durable metal roof instead.

In June 2018, the Friends raised more than $7,500 from donors and supporters to hire a contractor for the job. Thanks to their generosity, the station was finally saved and is now watertight.