Passenger and Baggage Car No. 4639
Why it's listed
Built at the Juniata Shops in March 1895, Passenger and Baggage Car No. 4639 is a combination car of the Pennsylvania Railroad, Class OG. It measures about 60 feet 14 inches in outside length and 9 feet 10 inches in width, rides on six cast iron wheels, and weighs 71,200 pounds. Its interior accommodated 50 people, and the car was designed for express passenger service. Heating was provided by a coal stove, with oil and candle lighting. The car belongs to a group of Pennsylvania Railroad rolling stock examples that represent types from the late nineteenth century. Several of these cars are among the few surviving specimens of their types, and the group is valued for documenting how the railroad's equipment was built and used during that period.
Significance in brief: The car was built for express passenger service and has a capacity of 50 people. The nomination treats it as one of a variety of historically significant rolling stock examples, many of which are the only surviving specimens of their types. The document states that all cars in the group are genuine rather than replicas.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 79002276, listed December 17, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | E of Strasburg, Strasburg |
|---|---|
| County | Lancaster County |
| Listed | December 17, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79002276 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1895 |
| Architect / builder | Pennsylvania Railroad, Juniata Shops |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Transportation, Invention |
| Level of significance | National |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 39.98242, -76.16077 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 79002276.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.