THE TRANSFER TABLE
The Wilmington Chapter NRHS Official Newsletter
Internet Edition

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DECEMBER, 2002 MEETING NOTES

Forty members & guests enjoyed appetizers, a buffet dinner, and a decorated cake. We dispensed with the business meeting and went to a wonderful slide program by Steve Barry covering "the best of each box" selected slides from the past year.

JANUARY 27, 2001 SUPER SATURDAY STREETCAR REPORT

Special VIII Chapter Trolley Trip - By Ron Cleaves
Departing Elmwood Car Barn at 10 AM Saturday, January 27, 2001, approximately 40 enthusiastic trolley fans including 5 Wilmington Chapter members embarked on a full day of roaming the streets of the Philly environs aboard PCC No. 2732.  As most of Route 15 and all of Route 23 were not available for our use this day on account of street repairs & construction including trolley line repairs, we covered mostly western Philadelphia routes including some 'rare mileage' trackage.   Highlights of the numerous photo stops included the Center City Tunnel at both 22nd Street and at 30th Street, Malvern, Portal, and Angora Loops, and at locations on Girard, Woodland, and Chester Avenues.  Shortly after departing Malvern Loop following a brief rest stop here, we lost about 20 minutes to a truck tractor blocking the tracks on Girard Ave. The owner of the truck was soon located, removed his vehicle from along the tracks, and we were again under way. Another minor delay occurred at 42nd and Pine Streets where earlier notified Septa Maintenance personnel arrived to perform quick repairs to 2732's trolley pole (pick-up shoe).  Enroute back to Elmwood by way of Yeadon and Darby another minor problem was encountered with the trolley pole pick-up shoe again on Chester Ave, which through the expertise and ingenuity of trolley operator Bill Monaghan and trolley maintenance man Ed Springer, were able to repair enough to get us back to Elmwood. Mostly cloudy skies with a few periods of snow in the morning followed by some limited sunshine in the afternoon was the order of the day, and while I don't know what total Chapter income was from this near sell-out trip, I'm sure it gave a boast to the Chapter Treasury.  Thanks are in order to the trolley operator Bill Monaghan and Ed Springer, who at times that day resembled an Olympic  athlete, quickly exiting and entering the trolley after the pick-up shoe lost contact with the overhead wire going around curves.  (He had to be quick in aligning the trolley pole pick-up shoe to the overhead line so as not to impede vehicles that often were behind the trolley). Thanks are in order too, for Steve Barry for organizing another successful Super Saturday trolley outing.

NOTICE: IN CASE OF BAD WEATHER

If our normal "THIRD THURSDAY" NRHS meeting is canceled due to inclement weather, it will be postponed and held on the FOURTH THURSDAY.  If it must again be canceled, it will NOT be rescheduled. We will simply wait for the next month's normal "third Thursday" meeting.  If the weather looks bad or is predicted to be bad, you may telephone the Claymont Community Center to see if it will be open that evening for our meeting.

Wilmington Chapter NRHS Streetcar Trip

January 25, 2003 Super Saturday Streetcar Special X
A Wilmington Chapter tradition! Our 10th pre-Super Bowl trip. Details aren't finalized yet, but we are planning to either cover north end of Route 23 (departing from Germantown) with a PCC or doing a PCC/Peter Witt 2-car trip in southwest Philadelphia (if Peter Witt is available). Fare $35.00 Order tickets on-line here: http://www.daylightimages.com/streetcar/
Super Saturday Streetcar Special only -- $35
Make checks payable to Wilmington Chapter NRHS and mail your order to:
Wilmington Chapter NRHS
c/o Steve Barry
117 High Street
Newton, NJ 07860

NEWS BITS

In an article about the Homeland Security funding bill, The News Journal reported that much of the money that Amtrak had requested would have been targeted at some fairly old tunnels: six New York City tunnels (built in 1910), the Baltimore and Potomac tunnel (built in 1872), and the Washington, DC Union Station tunnels (built in 1904) under the Supreme Court and Congressional Office Buildings.

The following was edited from an article entitled: Wronged Side of the Tracks? (washingtonpost.com) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A56984- 002Nov14.html  By Don Phillips, Washington Post Staff Writer, Friday, November 15, 2002; Page A01 Richard Whitenight went train watching (rail fanning) near Tower 55 in Fort Worth. But as he sat making notes about passing freight trains, he was approached by the police. Despite the fact that he works for the police department in nearby Arlington, TX, he spent the next five hours talking to the officers, then the officers' supervisor, then a detective from a terrorism task force, then the FBI. They seized his notebook and grilled him about every mark in it. They searched his car and took photos of it, inside and out. Finally, he had to sign a form agreeing never to return to the location known as Tower 55. "Railfanning, by its very nature, is suspicious," said John Bromley, longtime head of public  relations for Union Pacific, the nation's largest railroad. "It involves loitering, taking pictures and taking notes."

Law enforcement officers and train crews have been told to be on the lookout for suspicious characters asking questions, taking notes, and taking pictures of trains. It appears the descriptions of "terrorist" and "railfan" are almost identical. Of thousands, perhaps millions, a handful have even been threatened with arrest, for pursuing a hobby they have embraced for years. In general, railroads have encouraged these "railfans" as long as they do not trespass or interfere with operations. Railroads even hold contests to use railfan photographs in calendars, and the Association of American Railroads has started a Web site to encourage the hobby.

Whitenight, 54, a Vietnam-era Navy veteran simply loves to watch trains. In fact, until the FBI warning, dozens of railfans would regularly gather at Tower 55, an old switching and signal tower where main lines of the Union Pacific and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe converge near downtown Fort Worth.  A lot of the train crews came to know the group and often waved and smiled. "Some of the guys recognize us," Whitenight said. "They see us all the time. But now they've been told to report us." The article had comments from spokesmen Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Amtrak, and CSX Transportation which said they are not specifically targeting photographers but have asked crews to report suspicious activity.

Normally, police railfans simply check identities and record names and other basic information. But one Internet chat group reported a Union Pacific conductor who ran up a bank to a public street to shout at a railfan to stop taking pictures of his train.  Those chat sites have been filled for weeks with advice on what to do about the growing police attention. That advice includes a caution that the railroads also stress: Don't trespass on railroad property. Many of the postings include ways to look unthreatening, by wearing a shirt with a locomotive on it or carrying railfan magazines to show police officers who never heard of the hobby. "As crazy as it sounds, you need to educate the cop about our strange hobby in under 60 seconds," wrote Todd Clark, the webmaster of Trainorders.com. Clark said in an interview that, for the most part, railroad  police are familiar with the hobby but local police "think it's bizarre that grown men would be out there taking pictures of trains."

Some railfans are advising their brothers to remain undercover as much as possible, not looking like railfans, keeping the car out of sight, taking one photo and moving to another location. This is becoming known as "guerrilla railfanning."

The Washington DC Chapter, NRHS, encourages members to join us at the 2003 National Convention to be held in Baltimore June 30 - July 6, 2003. Log onto our website (www.starspangledrails.org.) for more details. Please help us spread the word to each NRHS Member. (see full page notice in this issue)

Operation Lifesaver appeals to media to stop using photos of people on tracks - "Alarmed by a 23.6 percent increase in pedestrian rail trespass deaths in the first four months of 2002 compared to 2001, the nonprofit highway-rail safety group Operation Lifesaver is urging news media to refrain from using photos of people walking, sitting or playing on railroad tracks. A four-color poster with samples of news photos, magazine covers and fashion spreads showing children and adults on the tracks is being sent to thousands of editors at newspapers and magazines nationwide. Under the headline, "Losing Readers?" the eye-catching poster states, "More than 500 Americans died as pedestrians on the rails last year, believing they weren't in any danger. Many people - even news photographers, writers and editors - confuse the area along the tracks with a public park. News photos and ads reinforce this notion. "Nothing could be further from the truth," the Operation Lifesaver piece continues. "Tracks are private property, and these pictures show illegal, potentially deadly behavior. If you're on the tracks, the odds of meeting a train are increasing." Operation Lifesaver President Gerri Hall explains the reason for the mailing. "We are constantly seeing - and writing letters to editors about - photos or stories that glamorize dangerous behavior around tracks and trains. Kids tend to imitate what they see in the media. With trespass deaths up sharply this year compared to last, we decided to appeal directly to the news media to let them know that railroad tracks are for trains, not people." The group suggests that editors consider instead running a story about Operation Lifesaver's grassroots safety education program. The nationwide program certifies speakers who give safety presentations to community groups, schools, truck drivers, emergency response personnel and others. [from http://www.nscorp.com/nscorp/html/newsbreak/1102/index.html#ol]

The Historical Society of Pennsylvania's major rail car collection. - from Dick Rominiecki, Public Information Officer, The Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1300 Locust St. Philadelphia, PA 19107-5699 DRomin@hsp.org Phone 215 732-6200 Ext. 246 Fax 215 732-2680 The Historical Society of Pennsylvania Ensures Public Access to J. G. Brill Rail Car Photograph Collection - The Historical Society of Pennsylvania has completed a processing project to enhance access to and preservation of the J.G. Brill Company Photographic Archive at 1300 Locust St., Philadelphia. Brill, a Philadelphia-based company, manufactured rail cars and engines from 1868 to 1944.  Heavy use, age, and the chemical composition of the negatives had placed much of the collection at critical risk and in need of immediate care. Over the past year, a project archivist rehoused 19,900 user prints and 6,500 glass plate negatives, and the staff photographer created 6,200 new master negatives. A finding aid for the  collection was produced and is available on the Society's website, www.hsp.org. The entire collection has been  inventoried and entered into a keyword-searchable database, which soon will be available, along with an online exhibit featuring some images from the collection, through the website. This exhaustive photographic archive  provides rich primary source material not only for those interested in transportation history, but also social historians and historians of labor, business, and other specializations. To complete the project, the Society used a $20,000 matching grant from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. The Historical  Society of Pennsylvania, including The Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies, documents, preserves, and shares the histories and cultures of the diverse communities in the greater Philadelphia region, across Pennsylvania, and throughout the nation. The Society brings together people and documents to explore and interpret history, enriching the lives of the individuals and communities drawn to the stories of the United States and its people. For more information about the Society call 215-732-6200 or visit www.hsp.org [ From "Dick Rominiecki via Trolley Conductor, Bill Monaghan's webpage http://users.snip.net/~trolleydriver/ ]

This copyrighted article was written for the "Transfer Table", the newsletter of the Wilmington Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society by Chapter Member Richard E. Hall © Richard E. Hall 2000 & 2002

SOME DIAMOND STATE DIAMONDS
By Richard E. Hall

    The Wilmington area might well be considered as having a rich railroad heritage if the number of diamonds that could once have been found in the Wilmington area would have anything to do with it. Of course we are referring to the type of steel diamonds found in railroad tracks, where two tracks cross at grade, not the rather expensive and sparkling little chunk of hard, clear, crystallized carbon known as "a girls best friend" type of diamonds.

    In the late 1800 era, within the area from Claymont, south to New Castle and out to the then little villages of Newport and Elsmere, one could find about 50 diamonds. Those aren't the diamonds that we are referring to here, we are dealing with a few specific diamonds, or crossings of the PW&B/PRR by the DWRR/B&O and the  W&R/W&N/RDG. The first is a DWRR/PW&B crossing agreement that replaced the old W&W crossing agreement with the PW&B. It had been reviewed by the PW&B management when they were making plans to elevate the PW&B tracks through Wilmington.

    There were three railroad companies in Wilmington and the diamonds were not all located in the common carrier owned tracks. The diamonds in main and secondary tracks were mostly found south of Wilmington in the West Yard area, between Water Street and the Christina River, with several in Water Street, and in South  Wilmington. After the B&O was built and the East Junction to just west of the Maryland Avenue Station section of the original W&W was abandoned, after relocating the junction, there was also the B&O/W&N crossing located at the little village of Elsmere.

    There was one proposed crossing in Wilmington that might be regarded as being somewhat unique. There is a PRR Real Estate Dept. drawing dated 1909 for an agreement to allow a narrow gauge industrial track of the Delaware Granite And Mining Co. to cross the PB&W's Brandywine Branch. But that is another story. There were some railroad owned crossings in the yards and shops, most of those were on the PW&B. The area from the PW&B's West Yard's to the Brandywine River, and between the three railroads along Water Street and the Christina River, was filled with a number of manufacturing plants. The tracks leading to those plants, and the tracks within those plants, as well as others in South Wilmington and the New Castle area, contained a number of track diamonds. Although the W&N was a rather late comer to the railroads serving Wilmington, it expanded much more aggressively than the DWRR or B&O had ever done in the Christina River/West Yard and South Wilmington areas. In 1862, there had been an agreement between the PRR and the Reading Co. to jointly build and operate a coal shipping pier at on the Delaware River at New Castle.

    The W&N reached into Wilmington with tracks on Water St., their track ending in French St. at the Christina River. They were located next to the PW&B roundhouse and shops and were placed in French St. to serve George W. Bush's warehouse for his freight boats to Philadelphia. There were eight diamonds in Water St. between Market St. and French St. after the W&N was built.

    Now to the DWRR/PW&BRR crossing referred to above. It was a letter in the PRR collection at Hagley that first caught my attention, but other things fell into place later to create the first part of this story. The PW&B letter that had caught my eye was dated June 28th, 1899. It was on a PW&B letterhead from the General Superintendent's office and it was addressed to the PW&B's Chief Engineer, Mr. William H. Brown. It was in reference to the railroad grade crossings near West Yard, those of the  Delaware Western Railroad and the Wilmington & Northern Railroad. For now, we are only concerned with one agreement for the DWRR crossing at the north end of the PW&B's West Yard. The W&N had crossings north and south of West Yard. The letter states "The agreement with the Delaware Western Railroad bears date January 15th, 1878, and with plat attached (no longer with the letter) is on file in the Secretary's office. See page 231, bound volume of agreements, leases and mortgages of the P.W.& B.R.R.Co.". It would be nice to have a copy of the plat that was originally attached to the letter, but I have not had any luck to date. Various old maps provide us with the basic information on the grade crossing locations.

    One day a couple of years later I had started to do some research work in the collection of PW&B Annual Reports found in the Pennsylvania State Archives in Harrisburg, but my attention was diverted by three rather thick books in the back of the archival box. The first two were bound volumes of early PW&B annual reports, but upon checking the title page of third volume, I received a pleasant surprise.

    The title page of the third book was different. It had the following title, "Agreements, Leases And Mortgages Of The P.W.& B.R.R.Co.". It was the book referred to in the 1899 PW&B letter in the Hagley collection. The contents of that book proved to be most interesting and informative. I would have liked to have made some photocopies of several of the things found in it, but that was not possible. It is most unfortunate, but the Pennsylvania State Archives does not have a "book friendly" photocopy machine, although one has been promised.

    As was stated in the letter from Hagley, found on page 231 of the bound volume of agreements was; 

"AGREEMENT,
The Delaware Western R.R.Co.
The Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore R.R.Co.
January 15, 1878."
----
"Relative to
Crossing near Wilmington"
----

"P.W.& B.R.R.Co. to construct crossing and all appurtenances; to repair and renew same, and select all materials; to employ all flagmen and switchmen required. All costs of construction and maintenance, and wages, to be refunded by D.W.R.R.Co. Crossing to be under exclusive control of P.W.& B.R.R.Co., and its trains to have precedence over those of D.W.R.R., and, subject to this condition, the regulations governing use of crossing shall be those agreed upon by Superintendents of both roads".

----

    That outline of the agreement was followed by two pages with six paragraphs presenting the details of the agreement for the crossing as stated in typical legalese. That was followed by the printed names of Isaac Hinkley, President of the PW&BRR and W.M. Camby, President of the DWRR, who had signed the agreement. The corporate seals of the PW&BRR and the DWRR had been on the original document, attestation by A. Horner, Secretary of the PW&B and J.C. Farra, Secretary of the DWRR. There was no plat, or map, of the crossing included in the book.

    The following may aid Wilmington Chapter members in locating the DWRR/PW&B crossing. At a point about opposite the DWRR turn table at the end of 5th. Ave., the DWRR track swung to the right from the track extending on to end between Cedar and Oak streets. It crossed two tracks of the W&N line running to their Madison St. freight station. The DWRR track then crossed the PW&B main line tracks and the new DWRR/B&O Market St. line swung off to the left, passing more PW&B yard tracks. The DWRR/B&O South Wilmington line then crossed the W&N's Market St. line. The B&O and W&N lines actually extended on past Market St., running on East Water  St. to reach the freight house that was served by the DWRR/B&O, W&N and the PW&B. It was located on French St., between the Christiana River and George W. Bush's coal yard. The freight house was also Mr. Bush's, he also operated a line of freight boats sailing between Wilmington and Philadelphia.

    The PW&B track from their Water St. main line to the French St. freight house crossed the W&N track and ran parallel to the DWRR/B&O track from Water St. down through Mr. Bush's coal yard, then swung left and joined at the French St. edge of the coal yard. They then joined the W&N track located in French St., by the PW&B's large roundhouse and shops. The track used by the three railroads ended in French St., at the bank of the river, next to the freight house. There were eight diamonds in Water St. between Market St. and French St. after the W&N track was put in. Prior to that, the PW&B and the DWRR had both gone through the full length of George W. Bush's coal yard, directly to the freight house. The track was moved to make the connection in French St. after the W&N track was built in Water St., located between the DWRR and PW&B tracks, and curved around to run on French St. to the edge of the river.

West Yard map

    Back at West Yard, both the W&N and the PW&B were crossed by the DWRR about where Cedar St.  reached the railroads. The DWRR was then crossed by the W&N's Market St. line and continued on, but with a track diverging to the right, on the way to their swing bridge crossing the Christiana River [old spelling, a 1937 Delaware law changed it to Christina River]. When the W&N built their Mill Creek Cut Off, it also crossed the DWRR line to the bridge.

    The W&N had also crossed the PW&B at Cedar St., just a few yards west of the DWRR crossing, with their lines to French St. and to South Wilmington by the Mill Creek Cut Off, where the DWRR had crossed their French St. line. That crossing had been installed according to an agreement between the PW&B and the Wilmington &
Reading dated December 3, 1870. As with later agreements, it was to be installed by the PW&B, be maintained and controlled by the PW&B, but the W&R, and later the W&N, were to pay the PW&B for all installation costs, maintenance and operating expenses.

    In the late 1800's to early 1900 era there were many tracks in that area. The track diverging from the DWRR bridge track was their track leading to the Jessup & Moore paper mill. The W&N track was crossed just beyond where it left the W&N's Mill Creek line. It went to Jessup & Moore's Delaware Paper Mills, also served by the PW&B, and to a short spur to a five track W&N stub end yard located parallel to the Christiana River, near the mill.

    Although the Wilmington & Northern is secondary in this article, some further brief mention of one of their other crossings may be in order. That was the PW&B crossing of the W&N's Delaware River Extension, located near Delaware Junction on the PW&B, where the New Castle & Wilmington joined the main line. The W&N's  Delaware River Extension track went straight at the curve located at the bottom of Maryland Avenue hill, crossing the PW&B between Delaware Junction and West Yard. The W&N line crossed the PW&B's Shellpot Branch before reaching the W&N swing bridge on the Christina River. The W&N's Mill Creek Cut Off joined the Delaware River line just before it crossed the Shellpot Branch and extended east, crossing the PW&B paper mill spur and the DWRR's original W&W line to "C" St.. before joining the W&N line to French Street. It might be noted that the W&N switch where their Delaware River track went straight at the curve to cross the PW&B was actually in what had been the original Wilmington & Western, later the Delaware Western track.

    I have in my collection, a PRR Real Estate Department document dated May 1881, the worn blue cover of which is marked "Contract Between Wilm. & Northern R.R. Co. & P.B.& W.R.R. Installation Of Turn Table Crossing". That blue jacket is obviously a later addition with an error, the PB&W did not exist when the agreement was made. The wording of the agreement clearly states PW&B on line six. There are four lightly lined legal size pages containing the hand written copy of the contract for installing the crossing, with penciled reference notes in the wide left margin. Note that the title states that a turn table type crossing was to be installed. That is the same  type of crossing that was reported to have originally been used in the PW&B main line track to connect the tracks of the Pomeroy & Newark Railroad with the Newark & Delaware City Railroad. (A copy of that agreement is also found in the bound volume of PW&B agreements in the Pennsylvania State Archives.) F.A. DuPont had signed for the W&N and Isaac Hinckley for the PW&B, with attestation by P.S. Ermold and H. Horner. A penciled note in the upper left corner states "terminated 9/22/83".

    Following that agreement in the bound volume of PW&B agreements is a second agreement with the W&N for the same crossing, dated September 22, 1883. It terminates the agreement of 1881 and the new agreement for the W&N and PW&B crossing calls for steel crossing frogs to be installed. Any new tracks through the crossing were also to have only steel frogs used, with the material and work provided by the PW&B, billed to the W&N. This W&N contract was basically the same as the agreement between the DWRR and the PW&B for the DWRR crossing north of West Yard. Frank Thompson, Vice President of the PW&B signed this contract, with DuPont (Dupont as printed in the book) signing for the W&N.

    The DWRR line crossing the W&N Market St. line was for the DWRR to reach their swing bridge crossing  the Christina River, on their line to South Wilmington. It was used to reach the "C" St. wye and the track extension leading to the DWRR wharf on the south side of the river. The 1878 crossing agreement was made necessary due to the Delaware Western having made line and operating changes from those of their predecessor, the Wilmington & Western Railroad.

Hagley Museum & Library map

    After the PB&W relocated and elevated the original PW&B tracks, the former DWRR, by then B&O tracks, passed under the new elevated PB&W main line. The crossing of the old tracks was still there, but located on the river side of the elevated line and rearranged. There is nothing in the PW&B's 1899 letter to indicate it, but it may have been a preliminary move by the PW&B to see what changes in the track and what legal arrangements would become necessary with the project to elevate their main tracks through Wilmington. The crossing near West Yard was not the only PW&B/PRR and B&O crossing in Wilmington, there were two more located over in South Wilmington.

    After the DWRR came under B&O control and was consolidated with the B&O's Baltimore & Philadelphia Railroad Co., the DWRR's South Wilmington line became a B&O branch. Over the years, there were some changes made in the tracks and operations in South Wilmington. I have some documentation and a map for one of the  B&O/PRR crossings in South Wilmington.

    On October 20, 1887, the B&O, acting for their B&PRR subsidiary, and the PRR, for their PW&BRR subsidiary, signed an agreement to install a crossing for the B&O track to cross the PW&B/PRR Shellpot Branch tracks. Since this lease was negotiated the same year as the DWRR crossing of the PW&B main line near West Yard, one may wonder if the PRR/PW&B was engaged in a program to renegotiate and renew all existing agreements and leases. There was also an agreement made for the grade crossing of the B&O track and the New Castle Cut Off track, but I have not found a copy of that agreement.

    The B&O crossed the Shellpot Branch just a short distance west of the point where the Reading Co.'s W&N tracks later crossed that line. The PRR described the location as "1772' W. of "CU" Cabin". Perhaps the Wilmington Chapter members may be able to visualize the location if it is described as follows. It was on "C" Street a few yards east [B&O east] of the east leg of the old W&W's "C" St. wye, the switch for which was located in "C" St., on the east edge of Goodman St., with the W&W/DWRR track on "C" St. extending on for some distance. The switch for the west leg of the wye was in "C" St. between New Castle Ave. and Claymont St., just a few yards from their intersection. The apex of the wye was at "B" St. and Bradford St., with the DWRR line to their wharf going on down that street. Just east of the east wye switch in "C" St. is where the PW&B's Shellpot Branch later crossed the DWRR. The DWRR track had been extended, reaching the Christiana River some distance upstream from the Lobdell Canal.

    Although the DWRR originally turned it's locomotives at the Bradford Street wye, their original engine house had been in "C" Street. The track leading to it left their main track where it entered "C" Street at an angle, about where South French Street extended into South Wilmington would have crossed it. The back end of the engine house  was near the side of South Market Street where it became the Wilmington Causeway. There was also a run around and storage siding for their passenger train between the Causeway and South French Street at "C" Street.

    The years brought changes to the B&O in the South Wilmington area. The B&O discontinued operating over the PRR Shellpot Branch crossing, but it still had to be maintained by the PRR because of the 1887 agreement. The PRR did not like that, so in 1924, the PRR notified the B&O of their intended "temporary removal" of the B&O crossing diamonds from their Shellpot Branch tracks. They stated that it was being done because the crossing had not been used by the B&O for some time. On February 29th, 1924, the PRR and B&O signed an agreement for the removal of the unused B&O crossing. That agreement was signed by W.E. Sheer, General Manager B&ORR/  Baltimore & Philadelphia RR and James Buchelew [not clear] Superintendent, for the PRR/PB&WRR.

    The B&O's New Castle Cut Off crossing was to be removed also, but a copy of that agreement is not available. The PRR would remove the crossings at their expense, but if at some future date, the B&O would again need them, they were to give the PRR ten days written notice and the PRR would replace them within 10 working days after receiving the written notice from the B&O. The PRR must have been pretty sure that the B&O would not have any future need for the Shellpot Branch crossing because they agreed to replace the crossing frogs at their own expense if the B&O did notify them that the crossing was needed in the future.

    The B&O line to the Marine Terminal area is now generally forgotten, as is the DWRR/B&O line to the DWRR wharf, called the Third Street Dock, on the Christina River. I do remember seeing the B&O track that still ran along the east edge of Christiana Ave. in the mid 1930's. That was the track from the "C" St. wye that ran down Bradford St., crossed Christiana Ave. and ran parallel to it to reach the B&O dock on the Christina River. There were B&O sidings located on both sides of the Shellpot Branch crossing in 1924, but I can't find that track or the crossing on the partial copies of old B&O Form 6 that are available.

Removal map

    There was also a long B&O spur parallel to the running track that extended from near the crossing back to within a few yards of their crossing of the PRR's New Castle Cut Off track.

    South Wilmington had in times long past, been the scene of much railroad activity. In addition to service by the PRR, B&O and Reading Company, there had been at least two plant railroads, one at the Pyrites Corp. and the one at the Marine Terminal. Of the five movable spans, or draw bridges, that had crossed the Christina River, three were PRR. Two of those bridges were on the PW&B/PRR Shellpot Branch and the third was the "A" frame swing span on the NC&W passenger line to New Castle. (For the modelers, Plastruct had offered plans and a kit for building that specific PRR "A" frame swing bridge in various scales.) Such "A" frame hinged swing bridges were found at other locations on some of the PRR's Del.-Mar.-Va. lines. The other two Christina River movable bridges were the W&W/DWRR/B&O bridge and the W&N/RDG Co. bridge. With the many tracks once found along the Christina River and over in South Wilmington, "Small Wonder" there were once so many railroad diamonds in Delaware, "The Diamond State". © 2000, R.E.Hall

SCHEDULE NOTES
Notices, announcements, schedules, etc. are provided here as a service to the members. The Chapter has no affiliation with any commercial operation, museum, or tourist line.

Saturday, January 25, 2003 Super Saturday Streetcar Special X

January 25-26, 2003 Locomotion B&O Railroad Museum. How things move, lowdown on real horsepower, steam, diesel & electric rail transport. Talks, demonstrations, exhibits.

Feb. 8, 2003 Ambassadors of Service B&O Railroad Museum. Step aboard classic dining & sleeper car, hear retired African-American porters, waiters, chefs recount experiences, stories about working on the railroad. Ask your own questions during the question-and-answer period that follows.

Feb. 15-17, 2003 Pennsylvania Garden Railway Society & PA live Steamers 6th Annual Winter Meet 9 AM - 5 PM at Electric City Trolley Museum, Scranton, PA, reg. fee, call 570-735-5570 or wrunloco@aol.com

Feb. 27-March 2, 2003 50 Years on Track B&O Railroad Museum. Celebrate 50 years of preserving and presenting the wonders of American Railroading. Learn about B&O firsts & celebrate landmark anniversary of world-class collection - oldest & most comprehensive in the Western Hemisphere.

March 15, 2003 Women at Work on the Railroad B&O Railroad Museum. Discover history and hear what it was like to be a woman working for and riding on the rails yesterday and today. Learn about women's roles as railroad workers and passengers from the early 19th century to present day.

March 19 - 22, 2003 International Railroad Preservation Symposium B&O Railroad Museum. Conference will be open to the public by subscription, in Mt. Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore. Details TBA. Hosted by The B&O Railroad Museum, 901 W. Pratt St. Baltimore, MD 21223

April 12, 2003 EastRail Warren Hills High School, Washington, NJ

April 26-27, 2003 Cornell NRHS Chapter's 20th Annual Finger Lakes Railfair
10 AM-5 PM, Field Comm Recreation Center, State Rt. 34 Ithica (near Lansing), NY, call 607-533-4120

June 27 - July 6, 2003 The Fair of the Iron Horse 175 years of American Railroad B&O Railroad Museum. 10-day extravaganza, historic locomotives, pavilions of model trains and railroad history and technology. Daily parade of historic locomotives from America and world tells saga of American railroading from the beginning to present day.

July 1-6, 2003 2003 NRHS Convention - STAR SPANGLED RAILS
The National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) and the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society, Inc. (R&LHS) will hold a joint convention, named Star Spangled Rails, in Baltimore, Maryland July 1 - 6, 2003. Hosted by the Washington, DC Chapter of the NRHS and the R&LHS, the convention will offer exciting mainline excursion trains, other informative, fun rail oriented trips, educational seminars and the annual banquet. There will also be non-rail excursions to see the history and culture of Maryland.
Star Spangled Rails will coincide with the 175th Anniversary of Railroading in the United States and will occur at the height of the B&O Railroad Museum's America on Track Celebration. The highlight of the Museum's celebration will be a recreation of the 1927 "Fair of the Iron Horse". The fair will include special exhibits at the museum and Baltimore's Carroll Park. Railroad equipment of all kinds and vintages will be on display, something special no one will want to miss. Besides all of the exciting public events of the Fair, special private events for Star Spangled Rails attendees only are being planned in conjunction with the museum. For more information, check the official convention website at www.starspangledrails.org. Pre-registration will open in August 2002 for members of both NRHS and the R&LHS.

CHAPTER EVENTS  

Thursday Jan. 16, 2003 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by Phil Snyder "Cross Country Adventure - Part 2".

Thursday Feb. 20, 2003 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by Frank Ferguson, Jr.

Thursday March 20 , 2003 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by Greg Ajamian.

Thursday April 17, 2003 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by Mike Burkhart.

Thursday May 15, 2003 7 PM Chapter Meeting Annual Doug Weaver Memorial Photo Contest 2003 special category: not available at this time.

Saturday ? ? , 2003 11 AM Chapter Picnic location not available at this time.

Thursday June 19, 2003 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by Richard Hall.

Thursday July 17, 2003 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by Bruce Barry.

Thursday Aug. 21, 2003 7 PM Chapter Trip Circle Trip to "Yet-To-Be-Determined" Instead of normal monthly meeting.

The Wilmington Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) meets at 7:00 PM on the third Thursday of each month [except August & December] in the Darley Room at the Claymont Community Center on Green Street in Claymont, Delaware.      Visitors are always welcome. Admission to regular meetings is free. Check out our Website, thanks to Russ Fox at:   http://www.WilmingtonNRHS.com

The Transfer Table
   The Transfer Table is published six to ten times per year as the newsletter of the Wilmington Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society.  Items in this publication do not represent the official position of either Officers or Members of the Wilmington Chapter or the Editor of this publication.

    Permission to reprint articles and news items appearing herein is granted to NRHS Chapters and other newsletters provided appropriate credit is given.   Contributions are always welcome and should be sent to the editor at SD40GMA@aol.com or send to: P.O. Box 1136, Hockessin, DE 19707-5136. Deadline for entries is the 25th of the month.

    Chapter Officers
    President:   Phil Snyder
    Vice President & Historian:  Ron Cleaves
    Treasurer:   Ralph Stevens, Jr.
    Secretary:   Dan Frederick
    National Director:   Tom Posatko
    Editor:  Greg Ajamian
    Education Fund:   Ed Thornton
    Public Relations:    Frank Ferguson, Jr.
    Trip Director & Event Photographer:  Bruce Barry

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