Crossing the Pumpkinville Pike. Here's a mid-morning view of Norfolk & Western J-Class Northern #611 as she hauls a matched string of wooden coaches over the famous bridge spanning the "Pumpkinville Turnpike", on Pennsylvania's Strasburg Rail Road. This image was captured during a November, 2022 photo shoot organized by the Strasburg Rail Road and 611's owner, the Virginia Museum of Transportation.
Featured here is the relatively new concrete bridge spanning that famous dirt farm road, about a quarter mile east of Carpenter's Crossing. Until about 10 years ago, this little bridge, the only one on the line, was a simple wooden trestle that was decades old. With the railroad rapidly expanding its freight business to include heavier and heavier loads, it was decided that a more robust structure was necessary. The railroad applied for and was approved for a Federal Grant to pay for the structure you see now, which was built in the 2011 time frame.
