Gettysburg and Northern Railroad summary
The Gettysburg and Northern Railroad (GET) is a short line railroad that operates in Pennsylvania. It’s owned by the Patriot Rail Company, a transportation holding firm managing multiple short line and regional railroads across the United States. Nicknamed “the Getty” by locals, the railroad operates 27 miles of standard-gauge track from Gettysburg north to Mount Holly Springs. It traverses the hallowed ground between Seminary Ridge and the McLean Farm, where the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg commenced during the American Civil War.
History
The infamous battle served as a catalyst to the Gettysburg and Northern Railroad’s genesis with construction of the Gettysburg and Harrisburg Railroad in 1884. The line had a substantial role in carrying passengers to and from the battlefield in a time before automobiles. The railroad had undergone numerous ownership and name changes since completion in the late 1880s. The most notable being as the Blairsville & Indiana Railroad, when in 1995, a catastrophic boiler explosion during a steam excursion on the line critically injured the engineer/owner of the railroad and two firemen. Since September 2022, the Gettysburg and Northern has been owned by Patriot Rail, who acquired the Denver-based Pioneer Lines from BRX Transportation Holdings.
Operations
The main commodities on the Gettysburg and Harrisburg Railroad are chemicals, pulpboard, minerals, and soda ash. International Paper in Biglerville is the railroad’s largest customer, followed by the Dr Pepper/Snapple apple processing company in Aspers and a local farmer’s supply business and transload area in Gardners. A small yard near Hunters Run is used for railcar storage.
Three EMD GP10 diesel locomotives serve as the main motive power for the GET. Two of the three units provide the freight haulage while the other remains on standby if needed. The railroad also stores two F7A units out of service in Gettysburg. Additional locomotives have been brought in to eventually replace the GP10s.
The Gettysburg and Northern has the luxury of interchanging with two Class I railroads at each end of the line. Connections are made with CSX Transportation in Gettysburg, and Norfolk Southern in Mount Holly Springs.
Read more about the Gettysburg and Northern Railroad in Trains’ January 2022 issue.
