The abandoned Taylor Trestle is a 130-year-old piece of railroad history in an old industrial section of Red Lion PA that is now converted into a park.
The Taylor Trestle is a piece of railroad history in the old industrial section of the historic town of Red Lion in York County, PA. In this adventure we parked at Red Lion’s Fairmount Park at 39.897658, -76.606582 and biked through town. However, for a more direct route, you can park at the trailhead lot adjacent to St. Paul’s Church of Red Lion at 39.901194, -76.609111.
The rail trail passes the old furniture factory that has been repurposed to apartments, restaurants, and shops. We descended the paved “Red Lion Mile” trail to a low point along Mill Creek via some interesting curvy switchbacks. The Taylor Trestle is in the gap between the hills just beyond.
The Taylor Trestle was built circa 1895 as part of the Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad, affectionately referred to as the “Ma and Pa”. The Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad was an important artery connecting York and Baltimore.
The trestle is 261 feet long and 28 feet high at its tallest point. It carried passenger traffic on the Ma and Pa until 1954. It continued to transport freight until it was decommissioned in the 1980s.
Despite past efforts to revive the Taylor Trestle, today it is overgrown and in shambles. Some intrepid adventurers many be wondering “How do I get on top?”. Unfortunately, you can’t, either safely or legally. The south end is fenced off with “No Trespassing” signs. We climbed the embankment to the north, but that end of the trestle is collapsed, leaving a large gap. Even a cursory inspection of the timbers reveals that attempting to climb the trestle is not a good idea. Thus, we were content to explore this relic all around the bottom.
In our pre-adventure research, we came across reports of a mine in the area. We proceeded 0.2 miles down the Red Lion Mile and found “something” near the western terminus. But it wasn’t a mine.
The structure is in fact a cold storage cellar from before the days of refrigeration. It is similar to the many cellars we’ve found on Mt. Penn near Reading, PA. Note how the stones are fitted in the arch of the walls and ceiling, holding the structure by together by compression. An ancient and fascinating technique! imagine the workmanship that went into building the cellar.
Parking at the St. Paul’s Church trailhead is at 39.901194, -76.609111.
The Taylor Trestle is at 39.899149, -76.621139.
The cellar is at 39.902147, -76.622918.
The out-and-back distance is 2.4 miles total.
Our exploration of the Red Lion Mile to the Taylor Trestle ruins and abandoned cellar was an easy excursion on a gravel and paved path. It is a popular local walking spot. It was an interesting piece of history right in town. Because the trestle is largely overgrown with vines and blocked by trees, we recommend visiting after the leaves are fallen. The view of the trestle would be heavily obstructed in summer. Unfortunately, the trestle is heavily deteriorated and it won’t be too many years before this relic is a pile of rubble, so visit while you can.
Be sure to check out our other adventures.
