Delta Trestle Bridge, Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad
Why it's listed
Built around 1875 for the Peach Bottom Railway, a wood trestle bridge spanning about 131 yards carries the line over a ravine north of Delta Borough in York County, Pennsylvania. Its vertical posts, angled supports and diagonal bracing rise to about thirty feet at the center, and the railroad ties rest on steel I-beams held by lengthwise wood beams. The Peach Bottom Railway was formed in 1868 as a middle division line and merged in February 1901 with the Maryland Central Railway to become the Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad, which gave farmers and merchants of southern York County a route to Baltimore. Engineer S.M. Manifold designed the line's bridges, and contractors John A. Barnett and William Ramsay built them. The bridge is regarded as the only surviving original structure on the line and the only trestle in the Pennsylvania portion. Freight traffic declined after World War II, and the track was abandoned in the 1970s. Some members have decayed or been removed, and the structure needs major repair.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the bridge is the only remaining original structure of the railroad and the only existing trestle bridge in the Pennsylvania portion of the line, representing the trestle design once common on the route. It is also described as the longest bridge of any type on the line and as an example of the bridge designs used on the original Peach Bottom Railway, tied to the railroad's role in linking southern York County merchants and farmers to the Baltimore market.
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 95000550, listed May 4, 1995. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Maryland and Pennsylvania RR tracks over unnamed stream, E of Bunker Hill Rd., Peach Bottom Township, Delta |
|---|---|
| County | York County |
| Listed | May 4, 1995 |
| Reference number | 95000550 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | C. 1875 - 1942 |
| Architect / builder | S.M. Manifold (engineer); John A. Barnett and William Ramsay (contractors) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Transportation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Tracks removed and sold for scrap; trestle remains standing but is in need of extensive repair, with some ties and beams missing; no longer in use. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 39.72896, -76.32990 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 95000550.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5254770
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.