THE STORY OF THE WILMINGTON AND WESTERN RAILROAD by Arthur G. Volkman Historic Red Clay Valley, Inc. Wilmington, Delaware 1963 (original publish year) Republished digitally by HRCV – 2019 Reprint Copyright © by Historic Red Clay Valley This publication is, In recognition of the 150th anniversary of the forming of the Wilmington & Western Rail Road company in 1869, And dedicated to the memory of HRCV founder, Thomas Clarence Marshall, Jr. February 20, 1924 ~ February 12, 2019 Educator, Humanitarian, Philanthropist, Preservationist “The best thing to make in life, is to make a difference!” Historic Red Clay Valley Incorporated’s. founder, Thomas C. Marshall, Jr., at Greenbank Station on May 17, 2009 during HRCV’s celebration of #98 providing 100 years of steam service. American class 4-4-0 locomotive #98, outshopped in January 1909 by the American Locomotive Company, Schenectady Works (#45921) for the Mississippi Central Railroad, is named the “Thomas C. Marshall, Jr.” on this date in recognition of Marshall’s 50 years of generous support and dedication to the organization, recognition of his donation of #98 to HRCV in 1977, and for returning steam passenger service to the Landenberg Branch of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. Kurt Bell photo. Other Monograph Publications of Historic Red Clay Valley, Inc. 140 Years Along Old Public Road by Clinton A. Weslager, 1960 The Old Hollingsworth Plantation by Clinton A. Weslager, 1961 Ironworks on Red Clay Creek by Carroll W. Pursell Jr., 1962 Two Mills on the Red Clay Creek by Carroll W. Pursell Jr., 1964 Note Regarding the 2019 2nd Edition This document was digitally scanned to high resolution images from a copy contained in the Historic Red Clay Valley Archive collection. Optical character recognition was performed and the document transferred to Microsoft WORD for editing. Editing involved formatting for letter-size pages (the original monograph was printed in a 6” x 9” page size). As a result, the page numbers in this document do not match the page numbers of the originally published monograph. To improve readability, the font size has been increased over what was originally used for the printed monograph. The author’s original numbered footnote references are unchanged. HRCV has elected to build on the author’s work with this reissue. Spelling and grammar have changed in the fifty years since this manuscript was originally presented. Where applicable, spelling and grammar changes have been made to bring the text in alignment with current grammar and spellings. Lettered footnotes refer the reader to new information as well as the original spelling and grammar references at the back of the manuscript. The use of {brackets} notes 2019 edition text clarifications. New facts have been uncovered as well as other relevant information related to the author’s original content. Any new facts and information included are printed as part of the letter footnotes at the rear of the monograph. Original photos and drawings have been updated, where possible, with the originals referenced by letter footnote at the end of the monograph. An Addendum includes financial, land parcel, and legislative Act information. This monograph is being released by HRCV in recognition of the 150th anniversary of the Delaware Legislature’s Act revising the identity of the Delaware & Chester County Railroad to the Wilmington & Western Rail Road (Laws of the State of Delaware, Volume 13, Chapter 491; March 10, 1869). With this change of corporate identity and a new slate of highly-regarded Delawareans in control of the enterprise, progress on the new railroad progressed rapidly. On October 19, 1872 their efforts were rewarded with the railroad’s first day of operation. Robert E. Wilhelm, Jr., Editor, 2019 Historic Red Clay Valley, Inc. is a non-profit organization engaged in promoting interest in the social and economic history of Red Clay Creek Valley. FOREWORD Although the Wilmington & Western Railroad is mentioned in passing in most Delaware histories, its story has never before been told in detail. In many ways, it was representative of the many small railroads that sprang up in America following the Civil War, and what might be termed its “rise and fall” finds parallel in other rail enterprises solidly constructed to withstand sun, wind, and snow, but which could not weather financial storms on their modest budgets. Although the Wilmington & Western had less than 20 miles of track, it served a vital need not only in providing public transportation for rural New Castle County families, but in making the first rail freight service available to the milling industries in the valley of the Red Clay. Its story, in fact, is an integral part of the economic history of the Red Clay Valley, and it is fitting that it should be published by Historic Red Clay Valley, Inc., whose membership includes so many railroad enthusiasts intent upon reviving the Wilmington & Western as a non-profit enterprise to bring visitors to the scenic, historic Red Clay Valley. No one is better qualified to tell the story of the Wilmington & Western than Arthur G. Volkman. Born in Wilmington and educated at the old Willard Hall Grammar School and at Goldey College, he has a native-born sensitivity for early Delaware. In 1915, he got his first job as a messenger boy on the Philadelphia, Baltimore & Washington R.R., and he has been a railroader ever since. He has held various positions with the Pennsylvania Railroad in all departments. He has ridden engines, cabooses, and freight trains. He has lived through the exciting drama of keeping trains moving during hurricanes, floods, snow storms, and wrecks. For almost 50 years he has worked and been in daily association with railroad men. He saw coal-burning locomotives replaced by diesel and electric trains. He witnessed railroads at their peak as common carriers and watched them trying to meet the competition of the motor truck, bus, and airplane. His younger brother, John, also a railroader, retired recently from the Pennsylvania Railroad after 43 years of service. Throughout the account the reader can sense the author's experience and confident knowledge of the many facets of railroading. To obtain data for his story, Volkman not only tramped along the old right-of-way of the Wilmington & Western from the site of the first depot in Wilmington to the turntable at Landenberg, but he sought out many old informants and consulted newspaper accounts and other documentation. Volkman is versatile in his interests, and he and his late wife Frieda Hofmann Volkman were active in Delaware archeology, archery, and natural history for many years. The Archeological Society of Delaware published a number of his papers relating to early Indians. He is also an admirer of Thoreau, and in 1960 the Peter Pauper Press published his little book of compilations entitled Thoreau on Man and Nature. C. A. WESLAGER 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. Page 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Ever since the rounded sun and full moon may have suggested to some ancient mind the idea of a wheel, man has been capitalizing on its invention. However, the greatest potentialities of the wheel, with its resultant impact on civilization, were not realized until after the discovery of steam. It was following this development that railroads sprung into prominence, and this story is an attempt to capture the effect of the stirring industrial epoch locally. In order to do this, it was necessary for me to solicit the aid of numerous others. Among the foremost of these so much assistance was rendered me by Dr. Clinton Alfred Weslager that it is almost presumptions to style myself the author. Indeed, without his guidance the story would never have been written at all and I gratefully acknowledge this debt. Of the others who contributed materially to this story I can mention only a few. William E. Grant, Sr., furnished many photographs, only a few of which could be used due to lack of space. The Elwood S. Wilkins' family of Strickersville, Pa., likewise furnished photographs as well as other information. Clarence T. Crossan and T. Clarence Marshall, both octogenarians, recalled stories they heard in their youth about the Wilmington & Western Railroad. The staffs and employees of the Hagley Museum, Chester County Historical Museum, the Historical Society of Delaware, and especially of the Wilmington Institute Free Library were extremely helpful. Mrs. Ruth B. Robertson, of the latter organization, read the semi-finished manuscript and offered valuable suggestions. For whatever merit there is in the story I can credit my departed wife, Frieda Hofmann Volkman, whose unseen presence was a constant encouragement. A. G. Volkman August 1, 1963 Wilmington, Del. Editor’s Note – Use of ‘railroad’, ‘railway’ and ‘rail road’ The United States primarily uses the term ‘railroad’, while the rest of the world generally prefers ‘railway’. In the U.S, ‘rail road’ was first used in the early 19th century followed by ‘railroad’ by the start of the 20th century. Historic research on the 19th century Wilmington & Western uncovers both ‘railroad’ and ‘rail road’ in use for the official corporate name. Delaware legislative acts and the Company’s letterheads and other corporate documentation employed both forms of the word. As a result, in this document the reader will find both ‘Wilmington & Western Rail Road’ and ‘Wilmington & Western Railroad’ in use. Note that the use of ‘Wilmington & Western Railroad’ on trains operated by Historic Red Clay Valley is not as a legal FRA controlled railroad entity but simply a historic livery reference to the original organization that built the line in the 1970s. The Wilmington & Western Railway Corporation however, is a commercial railroad freight entity handling all freight moves on the former B&O’s Landenberg Branch.