The Howard Tunnel is located near

Seven Valleys, Pennsylvania Seven Valleys is a borough in York County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 480 at the 2020 census. History The Seven Valleys basin was settled by forty families of the German Lutheran and Reformed faiths. They originated in the H ...

. In operation since 1838, it is the second oldest active rail

tunnel A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...

in the U.S. Originally constructed by the York and Maryland Line Rail Road, it formed a critical link in the north-south line assembled by the

Northern Central Railway The Northern Central Railway (NCRY) was a Class I Railroad connecting Baltimore, Maryland with Sunbury, Pennsylvania, along the Susquehanna River. Completed in 1858, the line came under the control of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) in 1861, wh ...

. ''Note:'' This includes It is a long, brick-lined tunnel built between 1836 and 1837 and opened for traffic in 1838. During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, the tunnel, then part of the

system, was a target of

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

troops, but was protected by elements of the 20th Pennsylvania state

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

. However, nearby railroad bridges on the NCR down to Hanover Junction were destroyed by Confederate forces. After the war, the tunnel was rebuilt to accommodate two tracks in 1868. The line was again damaged during

Hurricane Agnes Hurricane Agnes in 1972 was the costliest hurricane to hit the United States at the time, causing an estimated $2.1 billion in damage. The hurricane's death toll was 128. The effects of Agnes were widespread, from the Caribbean to Canada, ...

in 1972 and rebuilt by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1985. Freight traffic failed to materialize and the line again fell dormant by 1996. The Northern Central Railway (no relation to the original owner) leased the line in 1996 and operated the Liberty Limited dinner train from New Freedom through the tunnel to

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

until September 2, 2001.

York County, Pennsylvania York County ( Pennsylvania Dutch: Yarrick Kaundi) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 456,438. Its county seat is York. The county was created on August 19, 1749, from part of Lancaster ...

purchased the tunnel along with its rail corridor in 1990 and has maintained it as part of a historic railroad, thereby preserving its status as an "active" tunnel. The tunnel was listed in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1995.U.S. National Park Servic
''National Register Information System (NRIS): Howard Tunnel, Northern Central Railway.''
NRIS Item No. 95000541. Listed 1995-05-19. In August 1999 the county government completed a track-side trail, the Heritage Rail Trail which led to the tunnel being refurbished in 1999 and again in 2003. According to information posted in the front window of Steam Into History Inc. (501c) There is currently a fund raising effort to restore passenger train service through the Howard Tunnel by Steam Into History's Excursion trains. As of 7/9/2016 they have received 1/2 the funds necessary to repair the tracks from Hanover Junction Pa to York Pa. - See also Steam Into History

References

External links

Howard Tunnel
- Waymarking.com

- York County Parks * Steam Into History {{National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Railway buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Tunnels completed in 1838 Transportation buildings and structures in York County, Pennsylvania Railway tunnels on the National Register of Historic Places Railroad tunnels in Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in York County, Pennsylvania