PA Enola Low Grade Rail Trail and the Rail Trail Phenomenon

The new view from the high Safe Harbor Trestle Bridge over the Conestoga River!

After a decade of major highway building transformed the way America moved freight and people around the country, railroading began a steep decline. Large scale trucking became a more economical way to move goods and materials. More people owned cars and chose to drive instead of taking the train. Railroads were closing unprofitable routes at an alarming pace. I grew up in the 1960s and 70s and remember well last run of the Maryland and Pennsylvania RR, a line that people -especially farmers- had come to depend upon to move their products into Baltimore City. From our little hollow on the Mason Dixon Line, we witnessed the closing of several important local lines. This time marked a bittersweet end to an era but for us kids, it opened a new way to explore our home landscape.

Rail Trail and limited excursion line in New Freedom, PA

People began to use the old railbeds as trails of convenience and for recreation. We certainly did.  There were lots of overgrown miles to ride a bike, a pony, or ramble on foot.  After Congress passed the Staggers Rail Act in 1980 that allowed the abandonment of thousands of miles of railroad to ease some of the suffering of the nation's railroad industry, it also passed an amendment to the National Trails Systems Act in 1983 to "railbank" almost 9,000 miles of disused rail corridors, placing them into preservation-maintenance programs as pedestrian/bike trails. If rail corridors are ever needed again, they can be returned to railroad use. The New Freedom line in York County is a great example of a multi-purpose rail trail and revived (and popular!) limited excursion line. 

Laura and I walking the ELGRT in 2020 

We've been exploring the Enola Low Grade Rail Trail for many years and since it's only a few miles from home we walk or bike it frequently. It's been fun to watch all the progress along this famously engineered line that runs from Turkey Hill along the Susquehanna to Quarryville in Lancaster county for thirty miles. There are plans to run it from Quarryville all the way to Atglen and Christiana, PA. 

We recently celebrated - along with thousands of our near and distant rail trail friends - the completion of the Safe Harbor Trestle Bridge that provides a much anticipated connection of the Turkey Hill section to the Shenk's Ferry/Coleman Church section and makes possible an almost solid run to Quarryville with one short road section. This fall (2022)  the Martic Forge Trestle Bridge will be completed - again - it was complete until arsonists destroyed it a few years ago, and then the trail will run entirely off road without obstructions or closures.  The Enola Low Grade Rail Trail adds over thirty existing miles to the more to the 25,000 miles of rail trails currently open for public use across the country. 

Opening of the restored Safe Harbor Trestle Bridge 

I arrived on the day after the official dedication and there may have been a tear shed. It was beautiful! The final cost of  $9,000,000 was worth every penny in my humble opinion. I returned on Saturday morning with a small biking group and we ventured down from Colemanville almost three and a half miles to be among the first to cross as the sun rose behind the cliffs. We rode all the way to the Turkey Hill terminus for a seventeen mile round trip. By the time we came back from Turkey Hill, the bridge was super crowded. It really felt like a celebration. So many people, some pushing strollers, one riding a unicycle, some drone pilots, birdwatchers, e-bikers and trikes, gravel bikes, touring bikes, recumbent bikes,  many Amish families, a parade of Scout groups, dog walkers, dogs in bike trailers, dogs riding in handlebar baskets,  all out to enjoy the walk or ride across the new bridge.

Manor Township raised and managed the funding to restore the trestle bridge.

The money needed for the trestle bridge project was raised by the local township using a combination of funding sources. There are many partners for projects like this and a lot of moving parts that include stakeholders who represent federal, state, and local governments.  Funding is secured by stakeholders, including the local townships, through various grant programs and direct giving campaigns. Since old rail corridors and their infrastructure all come under federal railroad regulatory jurisdiction and connects to the federal Recreational Trails Program, most of the funding is sourced at the federal level. Local sponsors and funding partners are critical, however, and the Safe Harbor Trestle Bridge has dozens of placards and sponsorship recognitions along the wooden rails and on kiosks to thank local individuals, organizations, and businesses for helping to match federal funds. 

Pennsylvania Railroad active tracks below

One difficulty of this particular project, mentioned by a riding partner who knows a thing or two about railways, is the active Norfolk and Southern line that parallels the ELGRT downslope along the river's edge. As with many rail trails, active railways still use corridors near recreational trails. These can include passenger services like Amtrack or Metro lines or freight lines like this one. While some negotiations with active rail corridors require special legal and right-of-way expertise, my riding partner explained that the difficulty of such transactions and negotiations is outweighed by the potential economic benefit that alternative transportation projects bring to local communities. In some cases, the benefit can be transformative. He mentioned the fabulous success just upstream along the beautiful Northwest Lancaster Rail Trail that shares some of its corridor with the same active line. Local businesses thrive with traffic generated by walkers and bike riders while the railroad continues to transport heavy freight right alongside with safe access, right-of-way, and careful planning in place for the coexistence of both pedestrians and diesel trains. 

Oak Bottom Road overpass and underpass (further ahead)

Other negotiated spaces include overpass and underpass infrastructure for crossing above or below active vehicle roads. Industrial heartland lines through Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore include hundreds of such crossings where federal funds help design and engineer safe use. The industrial era of the active Enola Low Grade Line is long over and as a rail trail it flies over just a few busy and not-so-busy roads on wooden deck railed bridges. Sometimes I am the only person riding the stretch from Red Hill to Quarryville. I've hiked the rough gravel bed to Atglen and paid for it with sore hips, knees, and painful feet for days afterward. I'll be glad when the crush and run is finally laid there!

Brad & Pam at the new Game Commission peregrine nesting sign with a fantastic river view

For now we celebrate the opening of the Safe Harbor Trestle Bridge, then and now a real engineering feat. Manor Township and other ELGRT communities expect to see upwards of 125,000 visitors a year. The new bridge is considered a new national rail trail treasure and the township, partners, and donors have every reason to be right proud of that. 

Safe Harbor Dam view from the new bridge deck

I guess when we were roaming the abandoned rail beds of the Enola Low Grade, Ma & Pa, and North Central railbeds when we were kids, we were part of the beginning of rails-to-trails phenomenon. I'd like to think we - and a few thousands other kids roaming up and down old weedy grades - helped set in motion a national movement. 

Notes:

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy funding resources https://www.railstotrails.org/build-trails/trail-building-toolbox/funding/acquisition-funding/

Opening announcement for the Safe Harbor Trestle Bridge (!!) Safe Harbor Trestle Dedication and Opening June 2022

Uncharted Lancaster history of the Enola Low Grade An Ambitious and Costly History

The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy https://www.railstotrails.org/