Sharing Stories of The Octoraro Branch Railroad

Last Saturday about 20 people came to the Rising Sun Library to participate in a discussion about the Pennsylvania Railroad’s Octoraro Branch. Old photographs, timetables, maps and newspaper clippings were used to initiate a discussion of the line through Rising Sun, Liberty Grove, and Rowlandsville. Several audience members shared their knowledge, some of them drawing on the things they had heard from earlier generations of residents, stories of using the train for trips to the city or for moving into the area. Others enthusiastically shared their enjoyment in strolling through this particularly scenic part of Cecil County and discussed the possibility of a rails-to-trails route. Jack Hill, a biologist and railroad enthusiast, came down from Pennsylvania to share some of his knowledge. Jack has been investigating the history of the line for a few years and he is presently writing a book on the old Philadelphia and Baltimore Central Railroad with the tentative title of Out of the Ashes – the Octoraro Branch. We’ll look forward to hosting a book signing for this valuable title and hearing Jack’s talk on his research when it rolls of the press. We’ll blog on this a little more on this later.