Strasburg Rail Road Webcam – Watch Steam Trains Come and Go

The Strasburg Rail Road Webcam looks down on the boarding platform at East Strasburg station in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, the home station of America’s oldest shortline railroad. Virtual Railfan mounts the camera at the historic J Tower, and from there the view runs along the tracks past a line of red vintage passenger coaches, a brick platform with lantern-style lamp posts and the small yellow depot with its orange roof and East Strasburg nameboard. A red water tower stands further down the line, the Stars and Stripes flies over the platform, and open farmland runs out to a low ridge on the horizon. This is a pan, tilt and zoom camera, so the operator can swing it to follow a train and the picture may be framed differently when you tune in. On a running day the platform fills with passengers boarding the steam excursions, then empties as the train pulls out into the countryside.

About the Strasburg Rail Road

Chartered in 1832, the Strasburg Rail Road is the oldest continuously operating standard-gauge railroad in the Western Hemisphere and the oldest public utility in Pennsylvania. Its line runs 6.5 kilometers (4 miles) from East Strasburg to Leaman Place Junction near Paradise, where it meets Norfolk Southern on Amtrak’s Keystone Corridor. The excursion train makes the round trip in about 45 minutes through Lancaster County farmland, and the railroad carries around 300,000 visitors a year.

The camera’s own perch has a history. J Tower was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1885 at Lemoyne, Pennsylvania, to protect the at-grade crossing of the Cumberland Valley and Northern Central lines. Once it was no longer needed, volunteers from the Lancaster Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society took it apart, moved it to Strasburg and restored it. It is one of only two surviving early Pennsylvania Railroad wood-frame, two-story switch towers.

The steam roster that turns up below the camera is No. 475, a 4-8-0 built by Baldwin in 1906, No. 89, a 2-6-0 from the Canadian Locomotive Company in 1910, and No. 90, a 2-10-0 Baldwin of 1924, backed by two diesel switchers. The railroad also runs No. 93, the Lee E. Brenner, the only operating wooden dining car in the United States. Film crews have used the line for Hello, Dolly!, Thomas and the Magic Railroad and Wild Wild West, among others. Across the street from the camera stands the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, a separate institution with more than 100 historic locomotives and railcars.

Weather and Climate in Strasburg

The borough of Strasburg sits at 141 meters (463 feet) in the farm country southeast of Lancaster, and the area has four distinct seasons. Lancaster’s 1991 to 2020 normals put July highs at about 87 F (31 C), with nights near 65 F (18 C), so summer afternoons on the open platform are hot. Spring warms steadily, with April highs around 65 F (18 C) and lows near 41 F (5 C), and the trees along the parking lot on the left of the frame come into leaf.

October is mild, with highs near 66 F (19 C) and lows around 44 F (7 C), and the same row of trees can turn to autumn color. Winter is cold, with January highs of 40 F (4 C) and lows of 22 F (-5 C). Lancaster averages 54 centimeters (21.4 inches) of snow a year, so a white platform and steam hanging in the cold air are possible on winter running days. Total precipitation is about 1,121 millimeters (44 inches) a year.

Things to Do Near the Strasburg Rail Road

The first thing to do here is ride. The railroad sells Coach, Open Air, First Class and Dining seats on its daily excursion train, runs lunch and dinner trains and behind-the-scenes tours, and offers in-cab experiences on Nos. 89, 90 and 475. Day Out With Thomas events bring Thomas and Percy to the line, and Santa’s Paradise Express and the Night Before Christmas trains run around the holidays. The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania across the road rounds out a full railroad day.

Paradise Lane, close to the station, has more for train fans. The National Toy Train Museum, run by the Train Collectors Association since 1977, holds a large collection of toy and model trains, and the Red Caboose Motel just south of it puts guests in rooms built from old cabooses. The Choo Choo Barn in Strasburg is an operating model railroad of about 158 square meters (1,700 square feet), where almost everything on the layout moves. Sight and Sound Theatres stages live shows on the edge of town, and the city of Lancaster lies 13 kilometers (8 miles) to the northwest.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

More heritage railroads and Pennsylvania views from around the site:

• Conway Scenic Railroad Webcam
• Corfe Castle Station Webcam
• Philadelphia Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Strasburg Rail Road located?

The railroad’s East Strasburg station is at 301 Gap Road, on the eastern edge of Strasburg in Lancaster County, southeastern Pennsylvania. The borough lies 13 kilometers (8 miles) southeast of the city of Lancaster.

What can you see on the Strasburg Rail Road Webcam?

The default view looks along the tracks at East Strasburg, with parked passenger coaches on the left, the brick boarding platform and the yellow depot on the right, a red water tower down the line and farmland on the horizon. Because the camera can pan, tilt and zoom, the framing changes when the operator follows a train.

Where is the Strasburg train cam mounted?

Virtual Railfan places the camera at J Tower, an 1885 Pennsylvania Railroad switch tower that was moved from Lemoyne and restored at Strasburg. From there it overlooks the boarding platform. The camera is hosted by the Strasburg Rail Road Company.

What is the weather like in Strasburg, Pennsylvania?

Summers are hot, with July highs near 87 F (31 C), and winters are cold, with January highs of 40 F (4 C) and lows of 22 F (-5 C). About 54 centimeters (21.4 inches) of snow falls in an average year.

Is the Strasburg Rail Road the oldest railroad in America?

Chartered in 1832, it is the oldest continuously operating standard-gauge railroad in the Western Hemisphere, and Virtual Railfan calls it America’s oldest shortline railroad. It is also the oldest public utility in Pennsylvania.

Which steam locomotives run on the Strasburg Rail Road?

The current steam locomotives are No. 89, a 1910 Canadian Locomotive Company 2-6-0, No. 90, a 1924 Baldwin 2-10-0, and No. 475, a 1906 Baldwin 4-8-0.

How long is the Strasburg Rail Road train ride?

The excursion takes about 45 minutes as a round trip from East Strasburg to Leaman Place Junction and back, through Lancaster County farmland.

Is the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania near the Strasburg Rail Road Webcam?

Yes. The museum is across the street from the camera at East Strasburg, a separate institution with more than 100 historic locomotives and railcars.

Source: Virtual Railfan