Have you ever been unable to move forward with an important project until you first go back and take care of some older, nagging issues? That’s where the Wilmington and Western Railroad found itself not long ago. But we’re pleased to announce that the hard work is being completed, and we’ll soon be back to provide the entertainment you deserve and expect. So we’d like to bring you up to date …
In the spring of this year, the Wilmington and Western made the difficult decision to pause all train operations in order to catch up on — and, for the first time in many years — to get ahead of some critical maintenance of both track and equipment. We could have continued to run train excursions while making repairs and improvements, but that would have created a less than optimal experience for our passengers, and it might have lasted for an extended period of time. We found that unacceptable.
In addition to tending to relatively short-term maintenance items, we decided to look further ahead, in order to better plan for the inevitable long-term needs such as refurbishing bridges and crossings. The Historic Red Clay Valley’s primary mission has always been to provide responsible stewardship for the land and equipment that is the Wilmington and Western — so it can be enjoyed, and passed to future generations in good physical and financial condition. So now armed with better insight into our most likely medium and long-term infrastructure needs, we’re putting a plan in place to insure that major maintenance will not be put off until it suddenly becomes critical.
Since this spring, we’ve accomplished a great deal. In fact, we’ve done much more than would have been possible if we’d continued to run excursions. A few examples:
- Major repairs needed to all three diesel locomotives have been made, bringing them back to operational readiness for the first time together in some time. The Doodlebug is also fully-serviced and ready for use.
- Several passenger cars and a caboose have received needed cosmetic improvements such as new windows, new roofs, recovered seating, painting, etc.
- Over 1,000 worn or damaged track ties have already been replaced; over 2,000 more have been identified, and will be replaced by the end of September.
- Two 1870-era stone bridges have been scheduled for immediate repair or replacement. The remaining stone bridges have been inspected, and will receive needed minor repairs next year.
- All of our maintenance-of-way equipment has been started and run, evaluated, and received repairs as required.
We’re also making several procedural and structural changes to our organization, primarily to improve the responsiveness and efficiency of our support operations. This will help the Wilmington and Western deliver best-in-class safety, reliability, and overall rider experience.
So where does this leave our schedule as of mid-August, 2025? We are confidently committing to operate our traditional Christmas trains again this December. There is also a distinct possibility that we’ll be able to complete all planned work in time to offer a limited schedule of popular fall trains.
Please check back here to our (new!) website for additional news as it becomes finalized. And as always, a sincere thanks to our loyal followers and supporters. We look forward to seeing you soon!