Special 50th Anniversary Historic Timeline The Wilmington & Western’s Half-century of Operation May 1966 ~ May 2016 Edited by: Robert E. Wilhelm, Jr. Public Domain & Copyright Information This publication is provided in keeping with Historic Red Clay Valley’s (HRCV) purpose; “to promote interest in and engage in the operation of early transportation (particularly railroads); to preserve and restore historic sites and buildings; to establish and operate museums; and to issue such publications relating to the Red Clay Creek Valley as the members deem fitting and proper; all for the public welfare and for no other purpose." All textual material appearing in this publication is in the public domain and only limited excerpts of textural material may be reproduced or copied without permission from HRCV or the editor. Photographs, imagery, drawings, maps, and other illustrations and materials may be copyright by their owners and permission to reproduce or distribute such copyrighted material without the original owner’s specific permission is not granted by HRCV or the editor. This publication, in its entirety, is copyright © 2016 by the editor. Reproduction and/or distribution of this publication, in whole or in part, without the specific, written authorization of HRCV or the editor is prohibited. Citation of the source and credit to “Historic Red Clay Valley Incorporated” is requested and appreciated where material is referenced in other public and/or private works. You are granted a limited license to reference, use, and reproduce short “as printed” extracts (defined as less than one or more contiguous pages) of this publication for your own personal, non-commercial use only, per the guidelines above, provided reference and credit to HRCV is included with the excerpt. Any other use of the material contained herein is prohibited and may not be otherwise reproduced, republished, and/or re-disseminated in any manner or form without the prior written consent of HRCV. To obtain such consent, please contact HRCV’s Executive Director or President. Historic Red Clay Valley Incorporated does not guarantee the quality, accuracy, completeness or timelines of the information. While efforts are made to verify the information provided, this publication may contain typographical, grammatical, or other errors and should not be assumed as error free. Some information and data has been provided by third parties. You agree that Historic Red Clay Valley Incorporated shall not be responsible for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, consequential, or other damages whatsoever and howsoever caused arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this publication’s information. Consider a donation to Historic Red Clay Valley, Incorporated Historic Red Clay Valley Inc. (HRCV) is the 501(c)(3) non-profit parent organization operating the Wilmington & Western Railroad. Since its founding in 1960, HRCV has set out to preserve and interpret the natural, cultural and railroad heritage of northern Delaware, and specifically the features of the Red Clay Valley, for the education and enjoyment of the public. If you’ve found this publication of interest, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to HRCV. We cannot operate our trains on ticket sales and membership fees alone - that's why we look to our generous friends to help support our preservation efforts. Your tax deductible gift will ensure a long life for this unique piece of Delaware history, and keep the trains on track for many years to come! Historic Red Clay Valley Incorporated 1601 Railroad Avenue (office location) P.O. Box 5787 (mail/ship address) Wilmington, DE 19808 302-998-1930 www.WWRR.com HISTORIC RED CLAY VALLEY, INCORPORATED HISTORIC TIMELINE OF THE WILMINGTON & WESTERN 50 YEARS OF OPERATING THE WILMINGTON & WESTERN RAILROAD ALONG THE BALTIMORE & OHIO RAILROAD’S LANDENBERG BRANCH MAY 1966 TO MAY 2016 A HALF CENTURY DEVOTED TO PEOPLE, PRESERVATION & PROGRESS EDITOR: ROBERT E. WILHELM, JR. Facts of General Interest HRCV is the 7th oldest, standard gauge, heritage railroad (May 1966) in North America and is the oldest tourist railroad operated entirely by volunteers! It is one of Delaware’s top tourist attractions and is known as “Delaware’s Operating Railroad Museum”. In 1975 the FRA proposed eliminating all steam motive power and vintage rolling stock operations because there were insufficient qualified inspectors. It was believed steam locomotives and vintage passenger and freight equipment had become inherently hazardous! #98 is the oldest American-class 4-4-0 locomotive operating in routine passenger service and has been maintained essentially “as-built” in 1909. EMD SW1 diesel locomotive #8408 has spent most of its service life associated with the B&O’s Landenberg Branch! HRCV is the only heritage tourist railroad operating a pair of 1940 SW1 600-horsepower EMD diesel locomotives; former B&O #8408 and former Lehigh Valley #114. #114 is older (February 1940) than #8408 (August 1940). They are the oldest SW1s operating in scheduled service. In 1983 HRCV had nine steam locomotives in its motive power stable not including a “fireless cooker”, a Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 electric locomotive, and former B&O/Chessie #8408. Over 50 years the following steam locomotives have spent extended time on W&WRR rails; · #3 – US Navy Vulcan 0-6-0T (pulled W&WRR consists) · #14 - Buffalo Creek & Gauley Railroad 2-8-0 (stored, never operational) · #37 - Sugar Pine Lumber Company 2-8-2T (pulled W&WRR consists) · #58 - Atlanta, Birmingham & Atlantic Railroad 0-6-0 (current W&WRR steam power) · #60 - Pennsylvania Railroad 0-6-0 (stored, never operational) · #92 - Grand Trunk Railway 2-6-0 (currently stored, first engine to pull W&WRR consists) · #98 - Mississippi Central Railroad 4-4-0 (current W&WRR steam power) · #113 - Central Railroad of New Jersey 0-6-0 (stored, never operational) · #425 - Gulf, Mobile, & Northern Railroad 4-6-2 (fired up, never pulled W&WRR consists) · #722 - Southern Railway 2-8-0 (pulled W&WRR consists) · #2839 – Canadian Pacific Railway “Royal Hudson” 4-6-4 (pulled W&WRR excursions) (locomotives in bold text are currently owned by Historic Red Clay Valley) #8408 has provided motive power during many major HRCV celebration events including the 1966 ribbon-cutting ceremony, 100th and 125th anniversary celebrations of the construction of the line, the celebration of the purchase of the line in 1982, the celebration of the 25th anniversary of HRCV’s founding, and the celebrations of 25-years and 50-years of HRCV passenger operations! While the B&O discontinued scheduled steam passenger travel on the Landenberg Branch in September 1930, the B&O’s last steam passenger trip on the Branch was in May 1949! In 1922 the Landenberg Branch was host to the first test run of a prototype self-propelled passenger car constructed for the B&O, the precursor to “doodlebugs” and rail diesel cars (RDCs)! The last steam freight operations occurred on the Branch in 1958, the same year that Thomas C. Marshall, Jr., HRCV’s founder, began considering the possibility of returning steam passenger operations to the Landenberg Branch! “Doodlebug” #4662 is officially named “The Paul Revere”. When #4662 operated in routine service for the Pennsylvania Railroad, it was known as “The Ruxton Rocket”. HRCV volunteers donated their time to prepare this publication. Please consider a donation to HRCV as a thanks for their efforts and to insure our future. Table of Contents Editor’s Introduction ........................................................................................... II Executive Director’s Preface .............................................................................. V Founder’s Preface............................................................................................. VII Guidelines to Reading the Timeline ................................................................. IX Map of the Wilmington & Western’s Route ................................................... XIV Wilmington & Western Rail Road Original Letterheads .............................. XVI Wilmington & Western Rail Road and Delaware Western (1868 – 1881) .. 1 – 6 The Early Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Years (1882 – 1957) ...................... 7 – 17 HRCV and the Red Clay Valley Line (1958 – 1966) ................................ 18 – 48 The Baltimore & Ohio Lease Years 1966 – 1969 ....................................................................................... 49 – 62 1970 – 1979 ....................................................................................... 63 – 96 1980 – 1982 ..................................................................................... 97 – 108 The Historic Red Clay Valley Ownership Years 1983 – 1989 ................................................................................... 109 – 127 1990 – 1999 ................................................................................... 128 – 153 2000 – 2009 ................................................................................... 154 – 182 2010 – 2016 ................................................................................... 183 – 214 Landenberg Branch Track Profile Map ............................................. Appendix 1 Symbols, Abbreviations & Definitions ............................................... Appendix 7 Acknowledgments ............................................................................. Appendix 15 About the Editor .....................................................................