Wooden Baggage Express No. 6
Why it's listed
Built in 1882 at the Pennsylvania Railroad's Juniata Shops, this wooden-framed baggage express car is 46 feet 6 inches long. It is classed as a Class BA baggage express car and belongs to the railroad's wooden rolling stock of the early 1880s. The car is listed as part of a multiple-property group of Pennsylvania Railroad rolling stock in Lancaster County. Its importance rests on rarity: the group contains a variety of examples of historically significant equipment, many of which are the only surviving specimens of their types. The car is a genuine original, not a replica, which the nomination treats as a key reason for its inclusion. Railroad baggage cars of this kind carried luggage, express freight and mail alongside passenger service, so surviving examples document how the railroad moved goods as well as people in the late nineteenth century.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the car as one of a variety of historically significant rolling stock examples, many of which are the only surviving specimens of their types. It notes that the car is genuine rather than a replica. The document identifies it as a survivor from the Pennsylvania Railroad's wooden equipment of the 1880s.
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 79002282, 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 | 79002282 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1882 |
| 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 79002282.
- 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.