Lancaster, Oxford & Southern (LO&S)

LO&S 10, doodlebug
Lancaster, Oxford and Southern Railroad doodlebug No. 10 in Strasburg, PA on Sunday, July 7, 2019. This former narrow gauge car was built Sanders Machine Shop in 1915 and was first used on three-foot gauge track in Southern Lancaster County. It was converted to standard gauge in 1918. It is now operational at the Strasburg Rail Road, where it works today on passenger service, and as a substitute for any of the steam engines, in case one or all of them were out of service and is used in the off season.

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Steve Sloan's Trains : Lancaster, Oxford & Southern (LO&S)

Lancaster, Oxford & Southern (LO&S)

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LO&S 10 Doodlebug, Sanders Machine Shop

In October 1914, when the Lancaster, Oxford and Southern Railroad was sold after financial woes, an attempt was made to operate more economically by converting some passenger cars to gasoline-powered railcars (sometimes called "doodlebugs"). The Lancaster, Oxford & Southern Railcar was built by the Sanders Machine Shop in 1915, from the Lancaster, Oxford and Southern Railway. Number 10, as it was originally numbered, was first used on three-foot gauge track in Southern Lancaster County. Its diminutive size was due to its origins on a 3' gauge line. It operated for two years as a narrow gauge motor car before being converted to standard gauge in 1918. After being sold to numerous owners, this motor car was later purchased from the Grasse River RR in 1962. It was sold again to the Wolfeboro RR in the ‘70s and sold again to Lowell Nat. Park where it worked from 1980-1984. It is now operational at the The Strasburg Rail Road, where it works today on passenger service, and as a substitute for any of the steam engines, in case one or all of them were out of service. The railcar, originally built as a regular coach, is used during the "off" season when passenger loads are light. It was converted to diesel in 2009 and sees service during the off-peak season at on the Strasburg (SRC) at Strasburg.
L&OS 10 at the Strasburg Rail Road
Lancaster, Oxford and Southern Railroad in Strasburg, PA, on Sunday, July 7, 2019.

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