Wilmington and Western Railroad

Volunteer Run Heritage Railroad Operating Steam And Diesel Excursion Trains On An 1872 Branch Line Up The Red Clay Creek Valley From Greenbank Station To Hockessin, Run By Historic Red Clay Valley, Inc. · Wilmington, Delaware

The Wilmington and Western Railroad is a heritage line that runs excursion trains up the wooded Red Clay Creek valley west of Wilmington. The track was laid in 1872 as a freight and passenger branch to serve the mills, quarries and farm villages of the valley, and since 1966 volunteers of Historic Red Clay Valley, Inc. have run tourist trains over it. Trips start at Greenbank Station, a small depot on Newport Gap Pike near Prices Corner, and climb slowly through the woods, crossing the creek on a string of low bridges, to Yorklyn and on to Hockessin. The line has been washed out more than once by the creek it follows and was badly damaged by flooding in recent years; repairs are finished and excursions are running again. Trains are pulled by a century-old steam locomotive on some dates and by vintage diesels on others, hauling old open-window coaches. It is slow, smoky, hands-on and friendly, closer to a day out with a railroad club than a polished attraction, and it is best enjoyed with a child at the window or a camera by the tracks.

2201 Newport Gap Pike, Wilmington, Delaware, 19808, United States

There is no daily service. The railroad runs scheduled excursions on selected days, mostly weekends and some holidays, from roughly spring through December, and the timetable changes from month to month; confirm the dates before you drive. Two regular trips have been running from Greenbank: the Hockessin Clipper, a round trip of about two and a half hours with a layover of around half an hour at the Hockessin end, and the shorter Yorklyn Limited of about an hour and three quarters. Which locomotive pulls a given train, steam or diesel, is set by the railroad and can change at short notice for mechanical or fire-danger reasons. Themed trains such as the Santa Claus Special and the Holiday Lights Express run on their own evenings and weekends and sell out early. Trains leave on time and do not wait for latecomers, so arrive well before departure to park and board. The line can close without much warning after heavy rain or storm damage on the creek. Greenbank Station, its shop and its restrooms are open around train times only, not on non-operating days.

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