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About Historic Red Clay Valley, Inc.
Wilmington & Western Railroad – Historic Red Clay Valley, Inc.
📍 WILMINGTON, DE 19808
History
Historic Red Clay Valley, Inc. is the nonprofit that has operated the Wilmington & Western Railroad as a tourist line since 1966, reviving a corporate name first used in 1869. The route began as the Delaware and Chester County Railroad, incorporated in February 1867, renamed the Wilmington and Western in March 1869, and opened to Landenberg on October 19, 1872. A foreclosure sale in April 1877 produced the Delaware Western Railroad, which was folded into the Baltimore and Philadelphia Railroad, a Baltimore and Ohio subsidiary, in February 1883; the B&O later trimmed the branch back to Hockessin. Historic Red Clay Valley began running weekend steam tourist trains in 1966, the line was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, and in August 1982 the organization purchased the branch from the Chessie System for $25,000. Flooding on Red Clay Creek from Hurricane Floyd in 1999 destroyed two trestles, and Tropical Storm Henri in 2003 swept away most of the rest; all were replaced with steel spans and the line officially reopened into Hockessin on June 30, 2007. The railroad marked its 50th anniversary as a tourist operation in 2016. In February 2025, the board of directors suspended operations indefinitely, citing needed equipment repairs.
The Trains
The railroad fields both steam and diesel power over its 10.2-mile former Baltimore & Ohio branch through the Red Clay Creek valley. Its General Motors SW1 diesel No. 114, built in February 1940, is the oldest diesel locomotive anywhere still in routine scheduled service, and the 1982 purchase of the branch brought along a second SW1, ex-B&O No. 8408. Passenger excursions board at Greenbank station, with regular Hockessin Flyer and Mt. Cuba Meteor round trips plus a slate of themed trains, and a caboose can be coupled to a scheduled train and rented for birthday parties. As of February 2025, operations are suspended pending track, bridge, and equipment repairs.
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Most heritage railroads sit well off the interstate. Picking up a rental at the nearest airport is usually the easiest way in.
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