Eastern Railroad Discussion > Primer Power

Still wearing a coat of primer paint Wilmington & Western SW900 #915 works the Delaware Brick siding in Wilsmere, DE yesterday alongside CSX's Philadelphia Sub.

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I was unaware the Wilmington & Western did any freight work. Is this a relative new development? Appreciate the photos and info!

Mike Derrick
http://www.shortlinesusa.com

As far as I know this is the only customer and it coudn't be closer to the beginning of the W&W if it tried.

shortest delivery from pick up to interchange.

Delaware Brick has been their primary customer for over 30 years.

They are a terminal switching operation, although they have had line haul freight in the past 15 years, it's been very minimal. Most of their customers dried up in the mid 80's after Octoraro Railway provided rather shotty and sporadic service to the customers. HRCV had just bought the line from Chessie (1982) and had not yet incorporated the W&W Railway Corp (freight operations), so they contracted with the OCTRR to provided service.

At that time, they still had online service to NVF in Yorklyn, Hollingsworth Mill and M&M Toy Comp, just west of the Rt 62 Crossing in Marshallton and HAVEG/AMETEK just west of Old Capitol Trail, also in Marshallton.

They had tried in the past to get back service to the Cement Plant just below the shops, but the Company wanted the sand delivered at a different location in the Yard (was via the track that their new shop building now sits on) which would have meant having to build a ramp from Old Capitol Trail and lay track up to the level of their office building and continue to the unloading site...not worth the cost at the time. There was also serious talk of re-instating service to AMETEK in the mid 90's, but the local's concern of shipping hazardous materials quickly fizzled that out (a derailment or leak would have been a PR nightmare for the W&W). Soon afterward, AMETEK closed the site and it has since been mostly torn down. The two trestles leading into that plant washed away in Hurricane Floyd and were not rebuilt.

The Delaware Brick siding was also used for unloading Lumber for a customer a few years back, but that was short lived (not by the RR's doing) as the local housing construction market tanked.

Of the 6 online customers in the 1980's, only 2 remain and only one receives. It is the most profitable operation out there, as they use only volunteers. No paid staff of the W&WRC.

FWIW: If I am to understand correctly, the 915 is not going to be on the W&W forever. Once the 8408 (SW-1) comes back from its' rebuild at McHugh's Shop, it will once again take over the duties of the workhorse and the 915 will go bye bye. 8408 has been assigned to the Landenburg Branch (W&W) since it was built in 1940.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 06/24/11 06:28 by nhiwwrr.