Consolidation and Civil War Northern Central Railway

lincoln s funeral train carried remains, 300 mourners , casket of son william, on northern central railway in april, 1865

during civil war, pennsylvania railroad-controlled northern central served major transportation route supplies, food, clothing, , materiel, troops heading south camp curtin , other northern military training stations. during 1863 gettysburg campaign, confederate major general jubal a. raided ncry during occupation of york, burning rolling stock , few machine shops in rail yard. impair traffic between baltimore , harrisburg, cavalry destroyed large number of york county bridges constructed b&s. rebuilt herman haupt , u.s. military railroad in conjunction ncry. traffic resumed shortly thereafter, , thousands of wounded soldiers battle of gettysburg, including union maj. gen. daniel sickles, evacuated via northern central hospitals in harrisburg, baltimore, york, , elsewhere.

the northern central attacked again on july 10, 1864, when 130-man confederate cavalry detachment attacked line near cockeysville, under orders gen. bradley t. johnson. after cutting telegraph wires along harford road, encamped @ towson overnight. next day, confederate cavalry skirmished smaller force of union cavalry along york road far south govens, before heading west rejoin gen. johnson s main force.

abraham lincoln traveled on northern central on way deliver gettysburg address in november 1863, changing trains in hanover junction, pennsylvania. after lincoln s assassination, body transported via same rails on funeral train s journey washington, d.c., springfield, illinois. nine-car train departed washington on april 21, 1865, arriving @ baltimore s camden station @ 10 a.m. on b&o railroad. after public viewing of president s remains, train departed baltimore on northern central @ 3 p.m. , arrived @ harrisburg @ 8:20 p.m., brief stop @ york.

in 1873 ncry opened charles street station, , union railroad of baltimore opened new line connecting station. 9.62 mile (15.48 km) railroad gave ncry access canton area, established shipping terminal on inner harbor. line completed crucial link in central baltimore between ncry, pw&b , baltimore , potomac railroad. in february 1882 northern central acquired union railroad. union railroad link enabled prr operate through trains between philadelphia, baltimore , washington, d.c., , route generated serious competition b&o. today prr system part of northeast corridor.

in 1898, ncry built millersburg passenger rail station.