A State-By-State Guide
Delaware
Photograph courtesy of the Wilmington & Western Railroad
One can trace the beginning of railroading in Delaware to the industry’s earliest days, with the creation of the New Castle and Frenchtown Turnpike and Railroad Company in 1827. Much of the history of railroading within the state centered on connecting the agricultural southern Delmarva Peninsula to the urban north and to the trunk line railroads that would eventually build across the northwest corner of the state, most notably the Baltimore & Ohio and the Pennsylvania Railroads. You can catch a glimpse of Delaware railroad history in the WHYY-TV news story highlighting the opening of Almost as Fast as a Bird can Fly, an exhibit created by the Delaware Historical Society that became the Society’s first traveling exhibit. Here then are places you can visit to engage in or retrace railroading in Delaware:
Delmar; DELMAR RAILROAD MUSEUM; Delmar Public Library; 101 N. Bi-State Blvd.; 302.846.9894 (by appointment only): Railroad artifacts dating from the 1800s. Georgetown; GEORGETOWN TRAIN STATION; 140 Layton Avenue; 302.855.5750: Renovated 19th-century train station with exhibits on railroad and local history. The Chamber of Commerce occupies part of the station. Open to the public Monday through Friday and with an operating model railroad on second floor open mid-day on the 1st and 3rd Saturday each month. Harrington; AMERICINN; 1259 Corn Crib Road; 800.396.5007 or 302.398.3900; www.americinn.com/hotels/DE/Harrington?chebs=ai_gl: RAILROADS: Norfolk Southern; FREQUENCY: Light; REQUEST: Even numbered rooms on the north side of the building. Lewes; JUNCTION AND BREAKWATER RAIL TRAIL; www.traillink.com/trail/junction-and-breakwater-rail-trail.aspx OR www.delawaregreenways.org/maps.html OR www.delawaregreenways.org/lewescanal.html OR www.destateparks.com/activities/trails/locations/cape-henlopen/index.asp#8: TRAILHEADS: Lewes: Kings Highway at Gills Neck Road (no parking available); Rehoboth Beach: Hebron Road off U. S. Route 1 (no parking available); DESCRIPTION: 6 miles, crushed stone; Ex-Pennsylvania Railroad/Penn Central route between Lewes and Rehoboth Beach, through forest, open fields, and coastal marshes. NOTES: Park at either Wolfe Glade off Wolfe Neck Road. Newark; JAMES F. HALL TRAIL; City of Newark Parks and Recreation; 302.366.7060; www.traillink.com/trail/james-f-hall-trail.aspx OR www.cityofnewarkde.us/index.aspx?NID=434 OR www.americantrails.org/nationalrecreationtrails/trailNRT/James-Hall-Trail-DE.html: TRAILHEADS: Wyoming Road at Library Avenue OR Apple Road off Devon Drive; DESCRIPTION: 1.7 miles, paved; Adjacent to tracks used by Amtrak, CSX, and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), separated by a tall fence. NOTES: A 2-mile extension under development will follow the ex-Pomoroy and Newark Railroad. __________; TRI-VALLEY TRAIL; White Clay Creek State Park; www.traillink.com/trail/tri-valley-trail.aspx OR www.destateparks.com/activities/trails/locations/white-clay-creek/: TRAILHEADS: Begins and ends at White Clay Creek State Park Nature Center, from either the intersection of Hopkins Road and Tweeds Mill Road, or a point 300 yards beyond Tweeds Mill Road on Hopkins Road; DESCRIPTION: A 3.1 mile loop with a natural surface and crushed stone, through open fields, mixed woods and over Middle Run. Rehoboth; JUNCTION AND BREAKWATER RAIL TRAIL; see Lewes, Delaware. Wilmington; DELAWARE HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM; 504 North Market Street; 302.295.2400; www.hsd.org: Railroads in Delaware are only touched on in various permanent exhibits of the museum. The state's first traveling exhibit, "Almost as Fast as a Bird can Fly," documents the history of railroading in Delaware. Check with the Historical Society for its current whereabouts. __________; THE DINNER TRAIN; Wilmington & Western Railroad; Greenbank Station at 2201 Newport Gap Pike; 302/998-1930; www.wwrr.com: Year-around on a varying schedule, offering occasional ride 'n dine destinations, eat-on-board catered buffet dinner trains, and Murder Mysteries offering desserts only. __________; WILMINGTON & WESTERN RAILROAD; Greenbank Station at 2201 Newport Gap Pike; 302/998-1930; www.wwrr.com: Seasonal operation on a frequent schedule that includes two standard scenic excursions with numerous special events trains tied to holidays and/or local festivities. Steam, diesel and doodlebug operations follow a route laid out in the early 1870s. __________; HAGLEY MUSEUM AND LIBRARY; 200 Hagley Road/Route 141; 302.658.2400; www.hagley.org: Short section of narrow gauge track with one box car to illustrate how materials once used to make explosives were moved around in the facility. Open daily. __________; NORTHERN DELAWARE GREENWAY; Delaware Greenways; 302.655.7275; www.traillink.com/trail/northern-delaware-greenway.aspx OR http://www.delawaregreenways.org: TRAILHEADS: Fox Point State Park OR Glen Avenue at North Market Street; DESCRIPTION: 9 miles, crushed stone and paved, about half of the trail is former rail line; NOTES: An urban trail within the city of Wilmington, parking and entry points may be found at various points along the route. HELP! WE'RE STILL LOOKING FOR: Restaurants set in restored railroad equipment, station restaurants, trackside eateries, and information on the New Castle Heritage Trail/New Castle Industrial Track Trail
On the national stage, Delaware holds a place in railroad history out of proportion to the size of the state. Wilmington, especially, was home to the one-time largest passenger and freight car manufacturer in the country, Jackson and Sharp Car Company/Delaware Car Works (http://www.midcontinent.org/rollingstock/builders/jacksonsharp1.htm), begun in 1863. Another “largest” was the Lobdell Car Wheel Company, a manufacturer of railroad car wheels.
Today Delaware is served by Norfolk Southern, which operates on former Pennsylvania Railroad routes, CSX on ex-B&O routes, and Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor operation across northern Delaware. Amtrak also has its training center, dining car test kitchen and locomotive shops in Wilmington, and a major car shop in Bear. Short lines include the Maryland & Delaware Railroad.
