Reporting mark | WWRC |
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Locale | New Castle County, Delaware, USA |
Dates of operation | 1872–1877, 1966–present |
Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
Headquarters | |
Wilmington and Western Railroad
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Location | 2201 Newport Gap Pike, Wilmington, Delaware |
Coordinates | 39°44′17″N 75°37′58″W / 39.73806°N 75.63278°W |
Area | 73 acres (30 ha) |
Built | 1867 |
NRHP Reference # | 80000932 |
Added to NRHP | September 8, 1980 |
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The Wilmington and Western Railroad (reporting mark WWRC) is a freight and heritage railroad in northern Delaware, operating over a former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) branch between Wilmington and Hockessin. The 10.2-mile (16.4 km) railroad operates both steam and diesel locomotives. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places as a national historic district in 1980. Wilmington Western serves one customer for revenue service, and interchanges with CSX Transportation at Landenberg Junction, Delaware
The Delaware and Chester County Railroad was incorporated in February 1867 to build from Wilmington in the direction of Parkesburg or Atglen, Pennsylvania, and was renamed the Wilmington and Western Railroad in March 1869, opening the line to Landenberg in 1872. A foreclosure sale in April 1877 produced the Delaware Western Railroad, which was incorporated in June 1877 and merged into the Baltimore and Philadelphia Railroad, a B&O subsidiary, in February 1883.
The B&O cut back the line to Southwood in the early 1940s and to Hockessin in the late 1950s. Historic Red Clay Valley, Inc. began operating steam tourist trains on weekends in 1966, reusing the old W&W name, and in August 1982 the W&W bought the branch from the Chessie System for $25,000, which included Ex-B&O SW1 #8408 as a part of the purchase.