Children and adults can take a break from shopping at Rockvale Outlets this season to enjoy a cup of coffee or hot chocolate and watch toy trains run through a forest of decorated Christmas trees. Susan Moedinger, who has two to train-related shops, recently opened up a temporary holiday sto......

Good news for Lampeter-Strasburg area children: Santa Claus reported that boys and girls here made the "nice" list. Santa visited kids riding Santa's Paradise Express Train at the Strasburg Rail Road Saturday. He took photos with each child and handed out rainbow Slinkys and train-shaped pen......

Glorious Gardens ... opens Thursday It's Christmas time. We expect twinkling lights, red bows and glimmering trees. But what a treat it is to indulge in the sweet fragrance of beautiful blooming blossoms even as Old Man Winter tightens his grip. That's the luxury afforded visitors to Long......

Lancaster County kids were first in line when it came to services from The Second Mile. Thousands of local children and teens participated in the State College-based charity's programs, including camp trips, visits to local attractions, educational videos, leadership seminars, mentoring b......

The Strasburg Rail Road launched a project down the tracks in 2006 that now draws people from all over. The Wine and Cheese Train offers seating in a luxury car with a variety of cheeses and wines patrons can drink out of their own "Strasburg Rail Road" etched glasses. Employees offer ......

Vintage motorcycles will meet old-time trains this Friday at the Strasburg Rail Road. The International Rally of the Vincent Motorcycle Owners Club takes place every four years and will be making a pit-stop in Strasburg on the third leg of a 15-day excursion through Ne......

Thomas the Tank Engine arrived at the Strasburg Rail Road Saturday morning to greet his fans. The "very useful engine" will be in Strasburg through Sept. 25. Five-year-old Sam Campos, showing his temporary tattoos, excitedly relayed one of his favorite Thomas stories, in which the not-s......

The Strasburg Rail Road locomotive rumbles into the yard an hour after sunrise. Its silhouette is black as coal. Its headlight gleams like the morning star. But it belches no steam, tows none of the shortline's famous russet-hued passenger coaches. This is a freight train, folks....

Cyril Neville ... Sunday He's Cyril, the youngest of the Neville Brothers, the self-proclaimed New Orleans' First Family of Funk. And he's bringing the funky sounds of his band, Tribe 13, to Lancaster this weekend for Marion Court Room's New Orleans Summer Music Series happening Sunday fr......

Thomas returns ... Begins Saturday Listen! Do you hear it? Chugga chugga chugga. Wooo woooo! It sounds like a train. But it's not just any train. It sounds like a train coming all the way from the Island of Sodor. Thomas the Tank Engine is chugging down the track to the Strasburg Rail Roa......

Keep an eye out on MTV Tuesday for three glimpses of local attractions. MTV filmed "10 On Top" host Lenay Dunn visiting Verdant View Farms, The Strasburg Rail Road and the Amish Village on May 23 for a series of short features of Dunn's summer activities. Ginny Ranck, who owns the......

Hop Aboard ... starts Friday Easter means different things to different people. Many attend church services Easter morning. For some folks, painting eggs is a tradition. Lots of families gather for egg hunts and ham dinners. Many exchange baskets filled with chocolatey goodness. But for s......

"Here comes Peter Cottontail ...
Hoppin' down the bunny trail ...
Hippity, hoppity, Easter's on its way." Some folks know the lyrics to that Gene Autry classic better than others. They are those intrepid souls who don ears, whiskers and cotton tail ......

"It's losing speed here," Craig Coble says, gesturing at the rail as an Amtrak train whizzes by. Coble leans in and crimps the joints between a few segments of track. The next time the train passes, he notes approvingly, there is no hesitation over the bumps. Keeping the trains ru......

Santa's on Board ... starts Friday Children aboard the Strasburg Rail Road this weekend really will be taking "the road to Paradise," since Santa Claus will be riding the train beginning tomorrow. The holidays officially begin at Strasburg on Black Friday, as Santa's Paradise Express pull......

Tourists enjoying the historical side of Strasburg Rail Road might not realize that, behind the scenes, the popular attraction is a working freight yard. But Harrisburg knows all about it. On Wednesday, Gov. Ed Rendell announced a $1 million grant to help rehabilitate and expand the opera......

If the story of a high school soccer player who sings tenor in the chorus sounds a bit like the hit TV series "Glee," it comes as no surprise to Benjamin Barnhart. The 18-year-old Lampeter-Strasburg High School senior has been playing soccer since he was in kindergarten. As an ath......

Are there ghosts at the Strasburg Rail Road? Does the steam from the engine mingle with spirits? Are there still voices from lives lost long ago in the station? Are the train cars filled with wandering, restless wraiths? Well, Friday and Saturday that will be the case when......

On Oct. 29 and 30th, right on the cusp of the spookiest night of the year, Strasburg Rail Road will host some eerie entertainment of its own. Walking Ghost Tours are one-hour guided tours of East Strasburg Station filled with ghost stories and actual history (which can be stranger than fi......

The Strasburg Rail Road has asked the Strasburg Township supervisors to sponsor their application of a "growing greener" grant from the state. The request, made to the supervisors on Sept. 8, would allow the railroad to recycle and reuse stormwater that runs off its property. "We ......

Fire caused $50,000 in damage to a cattle barn in Strasburg Township on Tuesday morning.No people or animals were injured in the 3 a.m. fire at Darrel and Linda Ranck's 249 Gap Road farm, Strasburg Fire Company Fire Chief Rick Wentz said. The farm is next to the Strasburg Rail Road.......

An old man was taking a walk with his son when they came across a gentleman sitting in a parked 1937 Plymouth.The car was a little crusty looking, certainly not pristine, but the old man was drawn to it anyway.When they approached, the old man began to touch the car. His son scolded......

It's an antique car show for people who don't like antique car shows. "Typically an antique car show is just a bunch of old cars with the hood up, with their owners sitting behind the car in lawn chairs," said Ric Gochenauer, a supervisor at Strasburg Rail Road promoting the upcoming Rolling Au......

Duo's Farewell ... ThursdayBrooks & Dunn are done? Say it ain't so. The most successful country music duo in history is riding its Last Rodeo Tour into the Giant Center Thursday at 7:30 p.m. After 20 years producing chart-topping songs like "Boot Scootin' Boogie,"......

Travel experts expect 100 million Chinese tourists to be traveling abroad each year by 2020.And local tourism representatives want some of those tourists — about double the current number coming out of China — to include Lancaster County in their travel plans."We......

Springtime in the Park.......Friday-SundayYou don't have to wait for summer to have some summertime fun. This weekend and next Hersheypark opens its gates for "Springtime in the Park," a little teaser for what's to come. Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sund......

Correction March 24, 2010 — Mary Louise Boomsma quoted the wholesale price of her book, "Andy's Peach Bottom Railroad Adventures," in the article below. Retailers set their own prices.•&b......

Dennis and Gary Schlossman grew up playing with model railroads. But as each brother moved out, got married and started a family, the toy trains went into boxes. And stayed there. Once their children were grown, the Schlossmans returned to their long-ago hobby — in a big way.......

Another 77 acres of farmland will be preserved thanks to a $25,000 gift from Strasburg Rail Road to Lancaster Farmland Trust. The Amish dairy farm in Paradise Township is the second farm the railroad has helped preserve according to Karen Martynick, Farmland Trust executive director. The fir......

One week, folks. If you had any hopes of slowing down and really enjoying this holiday season, time is running out. But don't panic. Plan. Whether you have a family with young kids or teens, are empty-nesters, just-starting-outers or anything else on the social spectrum, Lancaster......

Trains, trees
Strasburg Rail Road has teamed up with the Whitaker Center in Harrisburg to present its annual Holiday Trains & Trees display in the Gloria M. Olewine Gallery of Harsco Science Center. Hands-on train activities are available for young children and the......

It's nice to know that America isn't the only country where clueless politicians come up with screwball ideas.Don't get me wrong, our government leaders have goofball ideas aplenty. How else can you explain trade legislation that allows U.S. industries to ship jobs overseas so ......

In a 1927 ceremony in Washington, D.C., President Calvin Coolidge honored Charles Lindbergh for flying The Spirit of St. Louis from Long Island, N.Y., to Paris, the first nonstop flight across the Atlantic. Newsreel makers filmed the presidential ceremony to be shown in New York theaters. On......

Locomotives thunder past English boxwoods and a Japanese red maple in the Manheim Township backyard of Mark and Mary Beth Oles. The trains whistle and smoke as they haul passenger and freight cars around a towering oak. And the couple doesn't mind. In fact they — and lots o......

It sounded like such a good idea at the time. Linn Moedinger, president and chief mechanical officer of the Strasburg Rail Road, wanted all the supervisors on staff to come up with an idea for a special event the railroad could host this season. Being a diverse staff, of course, everyon......

The Strasburg Rail Road is going green and expanding its freight operation at the same time. No, the tourist line won't be burning soybean-based biofuel in its coal-fired steam locomotives. But it's expecting to handle a tank car of the stuff sometime this week. The Norfolk So......

Kristi Largoza had planned to go into farming. These days, though, besides fields of corn, she oversees forests and fountains. Rivers. Highways. Baseball parks and suburbs, indeed, an entire snow-frosted mountain range. It's all inside Strasburg's Choo Choo Barn, the mo......

Spring has sprung! Trite, perhaps, but true nonetheless. Trees are budding, posies are popping and the Easter Bunny is busy going about his seasonal duties. To help him out, dozens of organizations and churches are hosting Easter Egg hunts this weekend and next. And the bunny himself (o......

Before the introduction of municipal water systems, water towers supplied the water pressure needed to operate household plumbing and fire suppression systems.The Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries ushered in the evolving art and science of "water columns," whic......

Illinois is known as the "Land of Lincoln." Lancaster is becoming a body double. At least when it comes to filming documentaries about the country's 16th president. Scenes shot here by separate film crews will appear in two upcoming shows, "The Assassination of A......

As the "Great Western 90" steam engine pulled its nine coach cars full of smiling children past Nativity scenes set up in the cornfields of Paradise Township on Sunday, one special guest remained hidden in the express baggage car.For 50 years, jolly old St. Nicholas has been......

When Santa Claus first started riding the rails at Strasburg Rail Road a half century ago, Strasburg's station was hardly bigger than a phone booth and the engine pulling the passenger cars was powered by diesel, not the trademark steam the railroad is known for today. Back in those earl......

Thanksgiving is a few days away, but the bountiful year-round harvest of Lancaster and York counties is being promoted and celebrated in a new guide.Lancaster-York Heritage Region, a nonprofit organization that raises awareness of the cultural and economic character of the two counties sep......

One day in 1942, Rio Grande Southern locomotive No. 20 careened off the tracks in a mountain pass and pinched its boiler against a rock. Now, 66 years later, the Strasburg Rail Road mechanical shop is bolting and hammering the little coal burner back together again. In about three years, i......

Abraham Lincoln's ghost is said to haunt the White House, his home in Springfield, Ill., Ford's Theater and other places far away from Lancaster.But that didn't deter a film crew from conjuring Lincoln in Woodward Hill Cemetery on Thursday.The crew, from New York City-ba......

You've heard Sen. Barack Obama. You've heard Sen. John McCain. Now hear President Theodore Roosevelt.In this time of political speeches, the 26th president of the United States will make a stop this weekend at the Strasburg Rail Road, riding the rails with voters and giving whistle......

The Strasburg Rail Road is a fun, relaxing way to enjoy the beauty of Lancaster County's Amish country, while learning a great deal about the county's history. Founded in 1832, the Strasburg Rail Road is America's oldest short-line railroad. In 1958, it became an established to......

She was born to run at 80 mph. Not that she still wanted to. Reading Car 10 had been resting on her laurels for decades. Then last year, the Strasburg Rail Road decided to make a special project of her. The motivation ......

The tension could be felt as Keith Galbraith studied his situation at the Lancaster Host on Friday afternoon. If he could get the right combination, Galbraith could eliminate one of his top rivals in a matter of seconds.With last year's champion, Gary Schaefers, having been eliminated ......

Linn Moedinger started out cleaning the toilets and diesel parts for Strasburg Rail Road.That was 40 years ago this month.A "railroad brat" — his parents were among the founders of the attraction — and someone who has performed most of its jobs during its histo......

It's a section of Route 30 that's seen as a "gateway" to Lancaster County: an area stretching from the East Towne Mall to Route 896 near Rockvale Outlets, a place that, at one time, was celebrated for its rolling hills, Amish farmsteads and idyllic streams but is now better know......

Park City Center will soon be home to the Los Angeles-based retailer Forever 21 Inc., a popular teen shopping destination. The company will open its Forever XXI store sometime in August with a 10,000-square-foot space in the Bon Ton wing at Park City.With 39 stores nationwide, The Forever ......

Two Lancaster County historic railroad sites will be featured on national television Monday.The Strasburg Rail Road will be highlighted on History's "Modern Marvels" at 8 p.m., followed at 9 p.m. by The Learning Channel's "Jon and Kate + 8," in which the stars v......

The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg has twins: two 58-year-old Diesel locomotives weighing in at 255,000 pounds each.The new arrivals were brought to the museum Wednesday via the main line at Paradise and the tracks of the Strasburg Rail Road.Dubbed the 902 and the 903,......

"When I was a kid on Christmas morning, I'd see the depressing assortment of gifts the adults got — shirts, socks, ties," said Strasburg Rail Road President Linn Moedinger. "And I'd think, if that's what it's like to grow up, I don't want to." ......

"When I was a kid on Christmas morning, I'd see the depressing assortment of gifts the adults got — shirts, socks, ties," said Strasburg Rail Road President Linn Moedinger. "And I'd think, if that's what it's like to grow up, I don't want to." ......

Christmas and model trains go together like mistletoe and smooches. This year, the Whitaker Center in Harrisburg is kissing up to yuletide train enthusiasts big-time, showing "The Polar Express" at its IMAX theater and offering a collection of eight new model-train gardens in its Hars......

Santa's Paradise Express is about to pull out of the station.The popular holiday train ride features Christmas carolers, brass horns and a personal visit with Santa during its 45-minute journey through the Amish countryside.Festivities will begin as soon as the visitor reaches t......

When Caroline Novak started consulting for the Lancaster Farmland Trust in 2004, she made some bold statements. The nonprofit farmland preservation group and the county's Agricultural Preserve Board could double the number of acres they save from development each year, she predicted. M......

Here's a scoop: Ice cream is helping to save a 63-acre Amish farm in Fulton Township. Turkey Hill Dairy in 2005 began giving a portion of the proceeds from sales of its All Natural Recipe ice cream to the nonprofit farmland preserver, Lancaster Farmland Trust. Through the end of 2006, that......

There's a locomotive tearing through Ken Murry's well-tended garden. And there's a passenger train barreling through Mel Pankuch's pristine backyard. That's just fine with both men. Murry, 69, of Mountville, and Pankuch, 67, of New Holland, are garden-railway enthu......

Strasburg Township supervisors Monday approved an ordinance that states fewer tracts of land can be subdivided off farms.Under the new agricultural zone ordinance, farm owners who have 50 to 99 acres could subdivide one parcel from the parent tract.The previous ordinance allowed a s......

Strasburg Township supervisors Sept. 4 approved a conditional use for the subdivision of three lots off a 96.9-acre farm.In the process of settling an estate, the John Fisher family requested the conditional use for three 2-acre lots on which to build homes. The parent tract has an address......

Because of requirements relating to the Americans with Disabilities Act, the cost of an Amtrak station proposed for Paradise Township has soared to $10 million."We here in Paradise have no problems with the spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act," supervisor Dennis Groff said. " &he......

Getting lost in a cornfield is always a possibility in Lancaster County. But is it something people do deliberately?Each year anywhere from 60,000 to 80,000 people do just that at Cherry-Crest Farm's "Amazing Maize Maze," according to Cathy Kornfield (no joke!), the farm'......

Strasburg Rail Road Shops announced Wednesday it has sold products involved in the June 13 recall of 1.5 million Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway sets made by RCS Corp.The shop last week believed its merchandise was not affected by the recall of the Chinese-made toys, which have surface......

Strasburg Rail Road president Linn Moedinger told a crowd of about 200 people on Wednesday that the railroad, "never did anything in a normal fashion." In a re-creation of a whistle stop tour of political campaigns gone by, Moedinger spoke from the back of an observation car after it ......

Bill Grager has been working as a conductor on the Strasburg Rail Road for a third of a century. Grager, now an assistant principal of Lampeter-Strasburg High School, also served as music conductor at the district's Martin Meylin Middle School for more than 20 years. In 1986, his du......

The Strasburg Rail Road will go back in time to celebrate its 175th birthday on June 6, and Gov. Ed Rendell is scheduled to play a role in the celebration. Rail Road President and Chief Mechanical Officer Linn Moedinger said the event will include a re-creation of a whistle stop campaign of byg......

The second edition of a book about a local narrow-gauge rail line, out of print for more than two decades, has been published by the Friends of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania at Strasburg. "Little, Old & Slow: The Life and Trials of the Peach Bottom and Lancaster, Oxford & Southern......

To the farmers of southern Lancaster County who depended on it, the Peach Bottom and Lancaster, Oxford and Southern Railroad was lovingly dubbed the "Little, Old and Slow."But during the 50-plus years it chugged between Peach Bottom, Quarryville and Oxford in Chester County, it w......

Laurie Mackison has done almost every job imaginable at the Strasburg Rail Road except engineer or conductor.But it's her early spring assignment that gives the greatest satisfaction — dressing up as the Easter Bunny.Dozens of people braved unusually chilly spring temperat......

A railroad experience aimed at adults will head down the Strasburg Rail Road tracks at full speed beginning April 7. The wine and cheese train is returning, after a successful experiment last summer. People purchased tickets for last year's train faster than anticipated, recalled manag......

A federal agency has rejected a $2.4 million Amtrak railroad station proposed for Paradise Township because of concerns the site would limit access for people with disabilities.Officials have hired an engineering firm to consider alternative sites in the township for the long-awaited stati......