The Ma & Pa Railroad (www.maandparailroad.com) located at 1258 Muddy Creek Forks Rd, Airville, PA 17302 actually stands for the Maryland & Pennsylvania Railroad. It is an authentic circa 1900’s railroad that originally connected York and Baltimore. Today, only 8 miles of the narrow gauge track remains.
The Village of Muddy Creek Forks began as early as the 1750’s with a mill. By 1789, it was 1 of only 3 polling places in York County. With the arrival of the railroad, this once agricultural area was converted into a bustling village.
After WWI, with the improvements of roads and increased vehicle traffic, the train traffic declined. In 1978, the Ma & Pa Railroad ended its service. Rather than scrap the rails, trains and equipment, it was purchased by the Maryland & Pennsylvania Railroad Preservation Society.
Today you can tour the Village at Muddy Creeks Forks and take a five-mile train ride through the Muddy Creek Valley!
The Village appears to have changed little since the turn of the 20th century, with the A. M. Grove Store sitting beside beautiful Muddy Creek. The mill, grain elevator, and fertilizer warehouse still stand next to the mainline of the Maryland & Pennsylvania Railroad. Even the historic two-hole outhouse remains behind the store.
But best of all are the costumed docents who are knowledgeable about various aspects of the railroad and village. They will lead you in an exploration of the buildings, take you back in time to the period circa 1915, challenge you to think about how life was different from today, and help you experience the joy of riding our motorcar trains.
In the General Store you will see the Muddy Creek Forks Post Office, the Ma & Pa Railroad Station with a ticket window and telegraph key, a telephone room with an exchange switchboard, a rope-driven elevator and more.
In the Mill, you will see mill stones (think about one of them hanging around your neck!), a bucket elevator, a flour bagger and a roller mill.
There are other buildings on the property, which can be viewed from the outside: the milk collection building, the fertilizer warehouse, the tobacco barn, the two hole outhouse, the railroad tool house and a few family homes.
The train ride through the valley is very scenic and gives passengers a feel for the slower pace of travel from an earlier time and a chance to enjoy the wind and wooded hillsides. Their motorcar train consists of a group of work cars of the kind formerly used by railroads for their track gangs. Some cars are enclosed, but most are open to the air.
A brief presentation on the railroad, its history, and its crucial role in the economic development and community life of the towns it served is given by one of the train crew.
The normal operating season is June – September and the train runs on Sundays. They also offer a special Christmas City Express ride during the month of December. See their website for exact dates and times.
May you enjoy this hidden gem as much as our homeschool group did.
A homeschool veteran of 23 years, Beth Mellott began organizing field trips almost from the beginning. She is now the President and Field Trip Coordinator for the Harrisburg Area Homeschoolers Association (aka HAHA). Her company, HomeschooLegacy.com, sells her e-book: The Ultimate South Central PA Field Trip Guide, which explores over 170 field trip ideas in South Central PA alone, as well as many unit studies she has created over the years – including her Forensics Unit Study. Besides field trips, Beth enjoys reading, writing, cooking, and encouraging others in this wonderful, wacky, and rewarding journey we call homeschooling.
