Scenic trainsYork, Gettysburg and Carlisle

Northern Central Railway of York

New Freedom, PA · 1 hour 39 minutes from Reading

northerncentralrailway.com|Day trips from Berks County

Plan the day

Drive1 hour 39 minutes from Reading, 72 miles2 hours 9 minutes from Boyertown · 1 hour 59 minutes from Hamburg · 1 hour 39 minutes from Morgantown

Where117 N. Front Street, New Freedom, PAOpen in maps →

OpenSelect dates through the year: the steam engine usually debuts Memorial Day weekend, Bike Aboard runs May to October, and fall and holiday trains follow.The station and gift shop open 1 hour before departure.

Plan on1 hour round trip to Glen Rock, 2.5 hours to Hanover Junction or Seven Valleys, 3.5 hours to the Howard Tunnel.

Good forlittle kids, big kids, teens, adults, couples, a group of friends, older adults

Northern Central Railway of York is an excursion railroad in New Freedom, PA. Trains leave the historic station for Glen Rock, Hanover Junction, Seven Valleys and the Howard Tunnel behind steam or diesel locomotives.

Rides range from a one-hour, 10-mile round trip to Glen Rock to a 3.5-hour, 28-mile run through the Howard Tunnel, and the steam locomotive William H. Simpson No. 17 pulls select dates from Memorial Day weekend. Themed runs fill the calendar: fall foliage, a Halloween Express, pumpkin patch rides, hot cocoa and donuts, dinner specials and holiday trains, plus Bike Aboard and rail bikes from May through October.

Before you go

Buy tickets online and pick up boarding passes at the station on the day; all sales are final but dates can be rebooked. Park in the small lots by the station or on Front Avenue and North Front Street. Snacks are fine, drinks need lids, no outside alcohol. Trains run rain or shine.

Official site →Tickets →

Checked October 8, 2026 on the official site. Hours, prices and seasons change, so confirm there before a long drive.

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