sentences:  The result was the circuitous, "Ma and Pa" route between Baltimore and York, compared to the competing Pennsylvania Railroad's more direct distance between the two cities on its Northern Central Railway division.The completed line had grades up to 2.3 percent and 55 sharp curves of (most mainline railroads seldom exceed six degrees, and even the former Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad's mainline through the Rocky Mountains does not exceed 12 degrees).Following the merger, the Ma and Pa operated through passenger and freight trains between York and Baltimore, as well as local trains at each end of the line, hauling mail and express, slate, marble, anthracite coal, lumber, furniture, and agricultural products to market.