PW&B in 1881 & NYP&N in 1884 Map, PRR
Delaware Railroad Company, 1836 -1974
June 20, 1836 - Delaware Railroad incorporated in Delaware to build a railroad from either the Wilmington & Susquehanna or New Castle & Frenchtown Railroads to the Maryland state line in the direction of Cape Charles; John M. Clayton (1796-1856), William D. Waples (1779-1841) and Richard Mansfield appointed commissioners; Maryland refuses to charter an extension further south as interfering with own Eastern Shore Railroad. (PL, Val)
August 5, 1836 - John Randel, Jr., begins survey for Delaware Railroad, Newark to Georgetown and Frankford with a branch to Lewes. ( , Rept)
September 13, 1836 - Future Delaware Railroad Superintendent Isaac Newton Mills (1836- 1913) born at Philadelphia of English and Scots parents. (EvryEvng)
February 2, 1837 - John M. Clayton (1796-1856), William D. Waples (1779-1841) and Richard Mansfield, Commissioners of the Delaware Railroad, report on surveys by John Randel, Jr.; favor a line along the dividing ridge between the bays over a route following the eastern landings through Georgetown and Frankford; note that Virginia has chartered a connecting line, but Maryland refuses to do so; Randel’s assistant, Edward Staveley (1795- 1872), is a British civil engineer who fled to Baltimore in 1833 after embezzling £1,400 from his employer, the Leicester Navigation; he later becomes a prominent architect in Quebec. (Rept, jinshead.com)
January 14, 1840 - Eastern Shore Railroad submits its second annual report to the Maryland Legislature; by now, there is only disconnected grading between Elkton and the Bohemia River on the north and 7 miles partly graded and 4 miles completely graded in Somerset County on the south; the southern part will be revived by a different company after 1860, while the line running just west of the Delaware state line will be superseded by the Delaware Railroad, built wholly within Delaware and paralleling it just to the east, in the 1850s. (Rept)
February 22, 1849 - Delaware Railroad Company charter revived and amended to call for a railroad across the Delmarva Peninsula from Dona Landing to Seaford instead of a north-south line; done at request of Samuel Maxwell Harrington (1803- 1865) and Manlove Hayes (1817-1910) of Dover, who control the Dona Steam Boat, Transportation & Freighting Company running from Dona Landing to Philadelphia; since the earnings of the steamboat company can't build the railroad, and there are no potential subscribers between it and larger markets, the project languishes for want of investors; it is possible that the idea was to link with the projected New Jersey line running from Keyport to the lower Delaware River, with a steamboat connection between Seaford and Norfolk. (Digest, Gibb)
February 7, 1852 - Delaware act calls for NC&F to pay in lieu of taxes $10,000 per year for 20 years beginning January 1, 1852; of this, $6,500 to be paid each year by state for stock of Delaware Railroad. (PL)
February 11, 1852 - Joint resolution of Delaware Legislature raises sum to be subscribed annually to Delaware Railroad from $6,500 to $8,000. (PL)
February 20, 1852 - Second Delaware joint resolution restores amount to be subscribed to Delaware Railroad from $160,000 to $130,000. (PL)
May 22. 1852 - Delaware Railroad Company organized at Dover; Samuel Maxwell Harrington, President. (Val, C&C)
June 21, 1852 - Horace Bliss, engineer of Baltimore, begins survey of Delaware Railroad between Dona Landing and Seaford via Dover. (Rept)
September 30, 1952 - Horace Bliss, Chief Engineer, presents survey and estimate for Delaware Railroad between Dona Landing and Seaford. (Rept)
December 23, 1852 - New Castle & Wilmington Railroad opens between Wilmington and New Castle; controlled by PW&B and linking it with NC&F and Delaware Railroad; operated by PW&B under agreement of Dec. 21. (newspaper, Val)
February 24, 1853 - Supplement to charter of Delaware Railroad permits extension north to connect with New Castle & Frenchtown instead of by steamboat from Dona Landing, thus making it attractive to Philadelphia investors. (PL)
February 28, 1853 - Delaware act permits PW&B and NC&F to guarantee bonds of Delaware Railroad. (PL)
1853 - PW&B obtains stock interest in Delaware Railroad, then under construction.
January 12, 1854 - Delaware Railroad stockholders authorize change of line to run north-south and connect with NC&F. (AR)
February 1, 1854 - Delaware Railroad contracts with PW&B, New Castle & Wilmington, and New Castle & Frenchtown for operation of through route and abandons proposed connection with steamboats at Dona Landing. (AR)
August 1, 1856 - PW&B contracts operation and maintenance at fixed rate per mile to company of A.J. Barrett, George Stearns, Jr., William Stearns and Henry F. Kenney; contracts operation of NC&F, Wilmington & New Castle Railroad and Delaware Railroad to Andrew C. Gray; Southwark Railroad to William Windle. (MB)
December 11, 1856 - Delaware Railroad holds formal excursion celebrating completion to Seaford; the completion of the railroad causes commercial-scale peach growing to expand down the whole length of the state south of the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal; the railroad is capable of rushing large quantities of fresh peaches to northern cities during the summer harvest before they can spoil. (AR, Scharf)
February 3, 1857 - Delaware Railroad contracts with Maryland & Delaware Railroad; Delaware Railroad and PW&B will support M&D being chartered in Delaware, providing do not build east of Delaware Railroad.
February 13, 1857 - Delaware Railroad agrees with the Maryland & Delaware Railroad for a connection at Smyrna, Delaware; the M&D is not to build east of the Delaware Railroad. (MB)
March 10, 1854 - Maryland & Delaware Railroad Company incorporated in Maryland to build from Delaware Railroad to Easton, Maryland. (Val)
March 14, 1854 - PW&B reports that old 11th & Market Street depot has been sold to Dr. David Jayne for $135,000; PW&B Board adopts plan for new freight depot in Baltimore; appoints E.Q. Sewell Superintendent of Susquehanna River Bridge, Engineer of Port Deposit Branch and Consulting Engineer of Delaware Railroad. (MB)
June 6, 1854 - Delaware Railroad issues $500,000 Mortgage bonds guaranteed by PW&B. (AR)
September 7, 1854 - Delaware Railroad Chief Engineer E.Q. Sewell, Jr., reports on survey from Delaware Jct. (near present-day Porter) to Seaford. (Rept)
January 8, 1855 - PW&B stockholders approve lease of Delaware Railroad. (MB)
February 28, 1855 - State of Delaware loans Delaware Railroad $170,000 in state 6% bonds with 6,800 shares and $200,000 Delaware Railroad Second Mortgage bonds guaranteed by the PW&B as collateral; it is the state’s first public debt for internal improvements. (MB, ARJ)
March 7, 1855 - Joint Companies Executive Committee orders furnishing the Belvidere Delaware Railroad with two Camden & Amboy Railroad locomotives suitable for running on the standard-gauge Lehigh Valley Railroad and to sell them 400 tons of railroad iron from the English order. (MB)
March 23, 1855 - Samuel M. Felton, Andrew C. Gray and Jesse Sharp are elected directors of the Delaware Railroad, cementing control by the PW&B interests. (MB)
May 4, 1855 - Delaware Railroad Company Board approves a lease to the PW&B for 21 years to take effect Jan. 1, 1857. (MB, C&C)
May 4, 1855 - Delaware Railroad Board adopts a new straight line below Prettyman’s Corner. (MB)
August 2, 1855 - Delaware Railroad Board approves offering bonuses to contractors Hathaway, Leach & Gross if the road can be opened to Middletown by Aug. 1, Blackbird on Sep. 1, Smyrna on Oct. 1, Dover on Dec. 1 and Seaford on Feb. 1, 1856. (MB)
September 1, 1855 - First section of Delaware Railroad opens between Delaware Jct. (Rodney) and Middletown, Delaware. (AR)
October 4, 1855 - Delaware Railroad Board appoints a committee to arrange for a steamboat line between Seaford and Norfolk. (MB)
December 10, 1855 - Maryland & Delaware Railroad Board accepts the revised construction contract with J.T. Davis & Co.; fixes the point of beginning on the Delaware state line near Greensboro and authorizes a conference with the Delaware Railroad. (MB)
1855 - Delaware Railroad is planning to organize a line of steamboats to run between Seaford, Delaware, and Norfolk or Aquia Creek; Harlan & Hollingsworth is making plans for the boats and investing in the line. (AR)
January 1856 - Edmund Q. Sewall leaves the Delaware Railroad and PW&B to be Engineer & Superintendent of the Milwaukee & Watertown Railroad in Wisconsin. (RRBio - left Del RR 11/1/1855 - MB)
January 22, 1856 - Delaware Railroad opens between Middletown and Dover. ( , AR)
February 7, 1856 - Delaware Railroad Board authorizes the purchase of the Dona Steam Boat, Transportation & Freighting Company property at Dona Landing. (MB)
March 26, 1856 - Delaware Railroad Board appoints a committee to negotiate the sale of the steamboat Zephyr, intended for the Dona Landing-Philadelphia link, to the PW&B for $10,000; the company had bought the steamboat and landing to prevent the formation of an opposition line. (MB)
August 1, 1856 - PW&B contracts operation and maintenance at fixed rate per mile to company of A.J. Barrett, George Stearns, Jr., William Stearns and Henry F. Kenney; contracts operation of NC&F, Wilmington & New Castle Railroad and Delaware Railroad to Andrew C. Gray; Southwark Railroad to William Windle. (MB)
August 7, 1856 - Delaware Railroad Board approves the transfer of 400 shares to the Dona Steam Boat, Transportation & Freighting Company (Manlove Hayes, President) in return for their stock, lease, etc., which is currently vested in trustees; the plan to use the Dona Landing route has been abandoned and the steamboat Zephyr sold to the PW&B. (MB)
August 1856 - Delaware Railroad opens to Milford. (AR - verify) – should be the Junction & Breakwater Railroad, not the Delaware Railroad.
September 1, 1856 - Delaware Railroad opens for revenue service between Dover and Harrington, Delaware.
September 29, 1856 - Delaware Railroad opens between Harrington and Bridgeville, Delaware.
December 1, 1856 - Delaware Railroad opens between Bridgeville and Seaford, Delaware. (AR)
December 11, 1856 - Delaware Railroad holds formal excursion celebrating completion to Seaford; the completion of the railroad causes commercial-scale peach growing to expand down the whole length of the state south of the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal; the railroad is capable of rushing large quantities of fresh peaches to northern cities during the summer harvest before they can spoil. (AR, Scharf)
January 1, 1857 - PW&B begins operating Delaware Railroad under agreement dated May 4, 1855. (Val)
February 3, 1857 - Delaware Railroad contracts with Maryland & Delaware Railroad; Delaware Railroad and PW&B will support M&D being chartered in Delaware, providing do not build east of Delaware Railroad.
February 13, 1857 - Delaware Railroad agrees with the Maryland & Delaware Railroad for a connection at Smyrna, Delaware; the M&D is not to build east of the Delaware Railroad. (MB)
March 19, 1857 - Delaware Railroad Board appoints a committee to negotiate for a steamboat line between Seaford and Norfolk. (MB)
April 25, 1857 - Thomas Clyde offers to sell the steamboat St. Nicholas to the Delaware Railroad to operate between Seaford and Norfolk. (MB)
Spring 1857 - Delaware Railroad conducts unsuccessful negotiations for a steamboat line from Seaford to Norfolk.
May 21, 1857 - Delaware Railroad Board resolves to reimburse the owners of the steamboat St. Nicholas from loss to Jan. 1, 1858; operates Seaford-Norfolk. (MB)
June 30, 1857 - Joint Companies Executive Committee informs the Delaware Railroad that there is no way of sending fruit through to New York without opening the cars and/or transferring the cargo; fruit must be delivered at Walnut Street Wharf in Philadelphia or at Camden. (MB)
September 21, 1857 - Delaware Railroad President Samuel M. Harrington reports that the railroad can handle the peach traffic better than boats. (MB)
January 1, 1858 - Edmund Q. Sewall, Jr. (1828-1908), named Superintendent of the Delaware Railroad. (RRBio)
March 27, 1858 - Junction & Breakwater Railroad appoints John Dale as Chief Engineer and orders surveys from the Delaware Railroad to Milford. (MB)
April 26, 1858 - Junction & Breakwater Railroad Board authorizes survey and location from Clarkes Corner on the Delaware Railroad to Cullen Town. (MB)
May 7, 1858 - Junction & Breakwater Railroad Board hears the report by Chief Engineer John Dale on the survey from Clarkes Corners on the Delaware Railroad to Milford and authorizes advertising for bids. (MB)
September 18, 1858 - Delaware Railroad Board appoints a committee to negotiate with the Seaboard & Roanoke Railroad for a steamboat connection on the Nanticoke River. (MB)
December 1858 - Engineer Edmund Q. Sewall reports on a preliminary survey to finish the Eastern Shore Railroad; estimates cost to build from Seaford at the end of the Delaware Railroad to Somers Cove (Crisfield) at $540,000. (Rept)
January 28, 1859 - Delaware passes an “Act for the Encouragement of Internal Improvements in the State of Delaware”; $720,000 to be raised by lottery contracted to be operated by Richard France; proceeds to be distributed to Delaware Railroad ($106,000), Maryland & Delaware ($114,000), Mispillion & Choptank ($74,000), Frederica Railroad ($48,000), Junction & Breakwater ($276,000), and an assortment of river improvements, local schools, and a new court house at New Castle; the proceeds of the lottery are to be paid over to the state at the rate of $36,000 per year. (PL)
February 24, 1859 - Delaware act returns to Delaware Railroad all dividends on $130,000 of state's stock. (Digest)
February 25, 1859 - Delaware act declares it to be unlawful, effective May 1, for the PW&B to “carry any Negro or mulatto” in the cars of the Delaware Railroad used for white passengers except at the request of a white person traveling with a slave or servant. (PL, DRR AR)
March 23, 1859 - Delaware Railroad Board meets at Laurel to consider extending the line further south. (MB)
March 28, 1859 - Delaware Railroad Board appoints a committee to accept proposals for extending the road south to the Maryland state line using rail removed from the NC&F and stored at Delaware Jct.; appoint Edmund Quincy Sewall (1828-1908) Chief Engineer; authorizes $1,500 to procure a boat line between Seaford and Norfolk via the Nanticoke River. (MB)
April 21, 1859 - PW&B authorizes the extension of the Delaware Railroad south to the Maryland state line. (MB)
April 21, 1859 - New Castle & Frenchtown Board approves sale of rail removed from old line between Rodney, Delaware, and Frenchtown, Maryland in 1857; proceeds to be invested in stock of Delaware Railroad. (MB)
April 27, 1859 - Delaware Railroad contracts the extension to the Maryland state line to George A. Parker. (MB)
May 1, 1859 - New Delaware law effective this date bans PW&B from carrying African Americans or mulattoes in "white" cars on the Delaware Railroad unless they are slaves or servants accompanying their masters. (Digest)
June 23, 1859 - Junction & Breakwater Railroad Board sets the point of connection with the Delaware Railroad at a point above Harrington station. (MB)
July 18, 1859 - John Mifflin Hood (1843-1906) joins the engineer corps of the Delaware Railroad at age 16. (Memoir) (or Eastern Shore RR?)
August 1859 - Peach traffic on Delaware Railroad is now sufficient to fill a daily train; Delaware Railroad sparks agricultural improvements along its line, including the planting of peach orchards to supply northern cities. (PWB AR)
October 17, 1859 - Delaware Railroad opens between Seaford and Laurel, Delaware.
December 20, 1859 - Delaware Railroad completed to Delmar, using rails removed from the abandoned portion of the New Castle & Frenchtown. (Hayman - or 12/19!!)
November 7, 1860 - Contractor William R. Maffet addresses the Maryland & Delaware Railroad Board on the matter of substituting red oak for white oak ties; the Board accepts the written apology of David Mitchell, Jr., for his previous outburst; Maffet claims that the Delaware Railroad was to be the model for construction (which the Board denies) and that the Delaware Railroad uses both white and red oak; Mitchell & Maffet threaten to withdraw from the contract if the Board does not agree to accept red oak; the Board leaves the decision to Chief Engineer William H. Dilworth. (MB)
November 14, 1860 - Contractors Mitchell & Maffet appear before the Maryland & Delaware Railroad Board with their lawyer; maintain that Chief Engineer William H. Dilworth has previously sanctioned the use of the Delaware Railroad as a model before executing the contract, which Dilworth denies; notes delays in the delivery of iron and the fact that the company limited the size of their crews during the spring, and they now won’t be able to complete the road to the state line by Jan. 15; Dilworth says they have kept their crews under 37, while he has permitted up to 75; the Board backs Dilworth. (MB)
February 7, 1861 - Clayton & Smyrna Railroad incorporated in Delaware to build a branch to the Delaware Railroad from Smyrna. (Digest)
April 4, 1864 - Junction & Breakwater Railroad Board approves a mortgage loan up to $40,0000; committee reports that they have proposed to Samuel M. Felton to sell the Junction & Breakwater for $25,000 in stock, the Delaware Railroad to complete it to Georgetown and operate it. (MB)
November 1864 - Samuel M. Felton suffers a stroke, forcing him to resign as President of PW&B; he remains a director and also President of Delaware Railroad. (DAB, Casebook)
February 13, 1865 - Delaware Railroad Board resolves that any railroad running east of the Delaware Railroad to the river and bay except the Junction & Breakwater Railroad are to be considered hostile to the interests of the Delaware Railroad, and if any receive state aid, it is a violation of pledges made to the Delaware Railroad; are determined to lobby against current legislation. (MB)
September 16, 1865 - Maryland & Delaware Railroad contracts with Charles B. Dungan to build line from Smyrna Station on Delaware Railroad to Oxford, Maryland. (ARJ)
November 28, 1865 - Samuel M. Harrington (1803-1865), President of the Delaware Railroad and Chancellor of Delaware, dies at Dover. (Scharf)
December 8, 1865 - Samuel M. Felton, the real power in the company for many years, is elected President of the Delaware Railroad, replacing Samuel M. Harrington, deceased. (AR, MB)
January 7, 1866 - Isaac Hinckley elected a director of the Delaware Railroad. (MB)
February 6, 1866 - Dorchester & Delaware Railroad incorporated in Maryland to build from Cambridge to the Delaware state line, where it will meet a short branch of the Delaware Railroad. (Digest)
April 23, 1866 - First Maryland & Delaware Railroad locomotive Baltimore delivered; M&D train arrives in Smyrna Station (Clayton) from Wilmington following regular Delaware Railroad train; makes first trip on M&D to Slaughters station; to be run for construction work. (Smyrna Times)
May 19, 1866 - Meeting held at Millington, Maryland, for extension of Queen Anne’s & Kent Railroad from Millington to Masseys on the Delaware Railroad. (ARJ)
August 1, 1866 - Chief Engineer William S. Sneden (1829-1905) reports on a survey between Atco and Penns Grove for the Williamstown Railroad; urges company to buy the Camden & Atlantic Railroad’s Batsto Branch, whose ownership is contested between the C&A and the Torrey family; holds out hope of carrying the peach traffic of the Delaware Railroad, without noting that the PW&B is unlikely to short-haul itself. (Rept/Rdg)
November 26, 1866 - Wilmington, Delaware, businessmen interested in the Wilmington & Reading Railroad hold a press excursion over the newly opened Delaware Railroad route between Wilmington and Norfolk. (Smyrna Times)
December 20, 1866 - Delaware Railroad Board authorizes a branch from Townsend to meet the Ken County Railroad at the Maryland state line. (MB)
January 30, 1867 - Smyrna & Smyrna Station Railroad opens between Smyrna Station (renamed Clayton) on Delaware Railroad and Smyrna, Delaware; track runs in the street and terminates in front of the factory of Hoffecker & Brothers; operated by a small "dummy" tank engine which pulls a single freight or passenger car. (Smyrna Times)
March 6, 1867 - Supplement to Delaware Railroad charter authorizes branch from Townsend to Maryland state line to meet Kent County Railroad. (Digest)
March 7, 1867 - Elkton & Delaware Junction Railroad incorporated in Maryland by Jacob Tome, Columbus O’Donnell, Enoch Pratt, et al., to build from Elkton towards the New Castle & Frenchtown or Delaware Railroads. (PL)
March 21, 1867 - Charter of Queen Annes & Kent Railroad Company on Eastern Shore of Maryland revived; may build either to Elkton or to the Delaware state line to meet the Delaware Railroad; the state is to subscribe $110,455 and Queen Anne’s County $60,000. (Val, Emory)
June 24, 1867 - Delaware Railroad Board authorizes a branch from Seaford to meet the Dorchester & Delaware Railroad at the Maryland state line and arranging a lease of the Dorchester & Delaware. (MB)
October 15, 1867 - Meeting of Delmarva peach growers at Dover protests high rates and regulations on Delaware Railroad that hinder access to profitable markets in New York and New England. (Smyrna Times)
December 6, 1867 - Kent County Railroad Board selects Deep Landing as its western terminus; authorizes negotiations with the Delaware Railroad to build from Masseys to the Maryland state line. (MB)
February 26, 1868 - Maryland act authorizes the Delaware Railroad to extend into Maryland to meet the Kent County Railroad and Queen Annes & Kent Railroad at Masseys Cross Roads. (PL)
June 23, 1868 - Kent County Railroad Board again fixes its terminus at Townsends, the New Castle & Frenchtown Railroad having forbidden a connection with the Delaware Railroad at Middletown. (MB)
October 3, 1868 - Delaware Railroad through cars between Philadelphia and Crisfield make last run; discontinued for want of traffic; boats continue in freight service between Crisfield and Norfolk running twice a week; route carries southern cotton to mills in the Philadelphia-Wilmington area. ( , AR)
November 1868 - Dorchester Branch of Delaware Railroad opens between Seaford and Maryland state line near Oakgrove to link with Dorchester & Delaware Railroad. (Val - may be wrong)
December 24, 1868 - Delaware Railroad Board authorizes disposing of the Dona Landing property. (MB)
May 11, 1869 - Delaware Railroad Board authorizes a temporary loan of $50,000 to the Dorchester & Delaware Railroad to finish their road. (MB)
June 3, 1869 - Representatives of the Delaware Railroad and Queen Anne’s & Kent Railroad meet at Millington; the branch from Townsend to Masseys is to be done by June 15, and the QA&K to Sudlersville by July 25. (ARJ)
June 24, 1869 - Townsend Branch of Delaware Railroad completed between Townsend and Masseys Crossroads; apparently no revenue service until Queen Annes & Kent Railroad opened. (newspaper)
June 25, 1869 - Maryland & Delaware Railroad Board recommends replacing the locomotive Gen. Tilghman with one of less weight more suited to the road; authorize negotiations with the PW&B and Delaware Railroad to furnish cars for the annual peach traffic. (MB)
July 1, 1869 - Townsend Branch of Delaware Railroad completed between Townsend, Delaware and Massey, Maryland; apparently no service until Queen Annes & Kent Railroad opened in following month. (Middletown Transcript - see above)
August 5, 1869 - Queen Annes & Kent Railroad opens between Masseys and Millington, Maryland for revenue mixed train service; also first service on Townsend Branch of Delaware Railroad. (Middletown Transcript)
September 1869 - Delaware Railroad builds depot at Masseys Crossroads, Maryland. (Smyrna Times)
November 8, 1869 - Dorchester & Delaware Railroad opens between Delaware state line, and Cambridge, Maryland; Dorchester Branch of Delaware Railroad opens between Seaford and D&DRR. (Val, Hayman)
February 10, 1870 - Queen Anne’s & Kent Railroad Board resolves to rent the Townsend Branch of the Delaware Railroad jointly with the Kent County Railroad. (MB)
June 1, 1870 - Kent County Railroad and Queen Anne’s & Kent Railroad take a one-year lease of the Townsend Branch of the Delaware Railroad. (MB - check C&C has 6/18/72)
October 1870 - Edmund Q. Sewall, Jr., resigns as Superintendent of the Delaware Railroad. (RRBio)
February 18, 1871 - Delaware Railroad trains make first trip to Milford over the Junction & Breakwater Railroad. (MB)
May 1, 1871 - On the Delaware Railroad, New Castle Jct. renamed Delaware Jct.; Delaware Jct. renamed Rodney; St. Georges renamed Kirkwood; Willow Grove renamed Woodside. (USRR&MR)
August 1871 - Wilmington & Reading Railroad begins carrying peaches received from the Delaware Railroad. (AR)
April 30, 1872 - Dorchester & Delaware Railroad begins operating Dorchester Branch of Delaware Railroad. (Val)
June 18, 1872 - Queen Annes & Kent Railroad and Kent County Railroad lease operation of Townsend Branch of Delaware Railroad, retroactive to June 1, 1872. (Val)
June 6, 1873 - Delaware Railroad Board authorizes the return of $100,000 in Dorchester & Delaware Railroad bonds held as collateral for the 2,500 shares of Delaware Railroad stock loaned to the Dorchester & Delaware Railroad. (MB)
July 4, 1873 - Richmond & York River Railroad reorganized as Richmond, York River & Chesapeake Railroad; using the Clyde steamboats, it provides an alternative way for the PRR to connect with Richmond & Danville Railroad around obstacles raised by the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad; rumors of car ferry to operate between West Point and Crisfield to develop through route via Delaware Railroad. (Harrison, ICC, ARJ)
August 1873 - Heavy rain and breaking of Chesapeake & Delaware Canal reservoir cuts Delaware Railroad at the height of the peach harvest; road is out for 7 days. (AR, Hayes - was late Aug.)
April 25, 1874 - Kent County Railroad drops out of lease of Townsend Branch of Delaware Railroad because of poor financial condition. (Val, )
June 18, 1875 - Delaware Railroad appoints committee to meet with Junction & Breakwater Railroad regarding a new joint station at Harrington. (MB)
September 4, 1875 - In four days, 827 cars of peaches shipped on Delaware Railroad; total for season is 5,287 cars. (RRG)
September 25, 1875 - Delaware Railroad has carried 7,974 cars of peaches to date this season. (RRG)
November 5, 1875 - Committee of local Delaware Railroad directors reports that it is not expedient to accept PW&B’s offer of replacing iron with steel rails; issue is postponed for two years. (MB)
September 18, 1876 - Delaware Railroad Board authorizes new station at Harrington. (MB)
June 20, 1877 - Delaware Railroad Board authorizes survey between Dover and Rehoboth by E.Q. Sewell. (MB)
July 1877 - Delaware Railroad completes preliminary survey for direct line between Dover and Rehoboth Beach. (RyW)
August 12, 1877 - Queen Anne & Kent Railroad abandons lease of Townsend Branch of Delaware Railroad. (Val)
October 31, 1877 - Dorchester & Delaware Railroad stops operating the Dorchester Branch of the Delaware Railroad (its extension in Delaware). (Val)
December 19, 1877 - Delaware Railroad Board authorizes substitution of steel rails at option of PW&B after two years delay. (MB)
January 10, 1878 - Delaware Railroad Board authorizes PW&B to substitute steel for iron rails. (MB)
March 1879 - Mail service extended over Pennsylvania & Delaware Railroad between Pomeroy and Landenberg. (RRG)
December 17, 1879 - Delaware Railroad Board appoints committee for new survey between Dover and Rehoboth via Frederica, Milford and Milton. (MB)
December 23, 1879 - Delaware Railroad agrees with PW&B for it to install steel rails on Delaware Railroad as it sees fit.
January 1, 1880 - Meeting held at Frederica, Delaware, in favor of a Delaware Railroad branch from Dover to Rehoboth. (MB)
January 8, 1880 - Committee of Delaware Railroad recommends construction of branch from Dover to Rehoboth. (MB)
March 8, 1880 - Elkton & Middletown Railroad Company of Cecil County incorporated in Maryland to build a cutoff for traffic between Baltimore and Delaware Railroad; not formally organized until 1894. (Val)
July 1880 - Near total failure of Delmarva peach crop impacts Delaware Railroad and Junction & Breakwater Railroad. (MB)
January 13, 1881 - Delaware Railroad Board authorizes a new survey between Dover and Rehoboth. (MB)
March 1, 1881 - Delaware Legislature passes Delaware Western Railroad bill giving it the power to extend from the Maryland state line to the Pennsylvania state line in the direction of Philadelphia and make lease to another railroad, but not proposed amendment to permit it to extend downstate parallel to the Delaware Railroad. (PL, BaltAm)
August 1, 1881 - New organization for former PW&B lines; main line of PW&B becomes Maryland Division; Central Division (PB&W) created from Philadelphia & Baltimore Central and West Chester & Philadelphia Railroads; Delaware Division created from Delaware Railroad and branches; PRR officials installed at all levels above General Superintendent, except for Isaac Hinckley, who remains President; he also insists that Henry F. Kenney remain as General Superintendent. (MB)
December 1, 1881 - Delaware Railroad becomes Delaware Division of PW&B; Isaac N. Mills (1836-1913), formerly General Agent of Delaware Railroad, appointed Superintendent. (MB, AR, RRGaz)
1881 - Total failure of the Delmarva peach crop creates a loss for the Delaware Railroad. (AR)
1881 - Freight station built at Harrington on the Delaware Railroad. (C&C)
January 18, 1882 - New lease of the Delaware Railroad to the PW&B. (AR)
September 30, 1882 - Peach season closes; Delaware Railroad has shipped over 6,000 cars, second only to record year of 1875. (RyW)
1882 - Bumper Delmarva peach crop; Delaware Railroad carries 40,976 tons, plus 7,959 tons of berries. (AR)
1883 - Another good year for fruit crops on the Delaware Railroad; 3,344 cars of peaches and 999 cars of berries or a total of 34,748 tons. (AR)
June 13, 1884 - Delaware Railroad Board hears a report on the demand of citizens of Odessa, Delaware, for a branch to Middletown; notes will require heavy excavations and a steep grade. (MB)
June 13, 1884 - Committee of Delaware Railroad reports to Board on branch from Middletown to Odessa; Delaware Railroad will pay for surveys providing residents pay for right of way. (MB)
1884 - Another good year for the Delaware Railroad fruit traffic: 3,581 cars of peaches and 1,066 cars of berries. (AR)
1886 - Delaware Railroad builds a new passenger station at Delmar. (AR)
1886 - Delaware Railroad peach traffic has fallen to 1,750 cars from 3,052 cars in 1885 because of the “peach yellows”; berry traffic begins to become of equal importance with 1,232 cars vs. 975 cars in 1885. (AR)
February 4, 1887 - To meet conditions set by the ICC, local rates on Delaware Railroad cut to equal the lowest through rate of water competition, since most of its territory is easily served by steamboats, increasing PRR's operating loss. (AR)
March 5, 1887 - General Manager Charles E. Pugh recommends to President George B. Roberts building a complete double track on the Delaware Railroad from New Castle to Middletown and for 1.7 miles south of Dover. (MB)
March 29, 1887 - Delaware Railroad Board authorizes a second track from State Road, the junction with the New Castle & Frenchtown Railroad, to Kirkwood, and from Mt. Pleasant to Ginns Siding. (MB)
1887 - Delaware Railroad and PW&B are heavily impacted by the long haul-short haul clause of the Interstate Commerce Act, as their local rates must be lowered to the lowest through rates set my water carriers; most points on both railroads are within 5-10 miles of navigable water, and many points are much closer. (AR)
1887 - PW&B completes second track between State Road and Rodney on the New Castle Branch and Rodney-Kirkwood, and Mt. Pleasant-Ginns on the Delaware Railroad. (AR)
1887 - Delaware Railroad fruit traffic is now at 1,414 cars of peaches, down from 3,581 in 1884, and 1,196 cars of berries. (AR)
1888 - PRR cuts operating costs on Delaware Railroad and earns 7% dividend despite steamboat competition. (AR)
January 24, 1889 - Samuel M. Felton (1809-1889), President of Delaware Railroad and of Pennsylvania Steel Company, dies at age 79. (RyW, AR)
February 19, 1889 - Christian Febiger (1845-1930) elected President of the Delaware Railroad, replacing Samuel M. Felton, deceased. (AR)
June 1889 - Johnstown Flood impacts the New York & New England Railroad by cutting off through freight from the PRR, also interferes with the movement of fruit from the Delaware Railroad. (AR)
1889 - Delaware Railroad carries only 1,401 cars of peaches, down from 5,296 in 1888; carries 1,229 cars of berries vs. 1,500 in 1888. (AR)
July 1890 - Delmarva peach crop fails; none carried on Delaware Railroad system. (AR)
December 17, 1890 - Delaware Railroad Board appoints a committee to negotiate the sale by the PW&B to the Delaware Railroad of the New Castle Branches between Delaware Jct. and Rodney. (MB)
1890 - Delmarva peach crop fails; none carried by Delaware Railroad; the railroad carries only 853 cars of berries, vs. 1,229 cars in 1889. (AR)
1890 - New drawbridge built over the Nanticoke River on the Delaware Railroad. (AR)
April 18, 1891 - ICC decides case of Delaware State Grange vs. PRR, PW&B, Delaware Railroad and NYP&N; finds rates for perishable excessive and rates on Delmarva Peninsula higher than those from Norfolk; orders rates reduced by 20-25%. (NYT)
July 1, 1891 - PW&B sells New Castle & Wilmington, New Castle & Frenchtown and New Castle Cutoff branches south of the Shellpot Branch to the Delaware Railroad for $1 million under an agreement of May 25; ceded from Maryland Division to Delaware Division. (Val, MB, AR)
1891 - Second track opens between Kirkwood and Chesapeake & Delaware Canal (1.6 miles) on the Delaware Railroad. (AR)
January 15, 1892 - Delaware Railroad President and PW&B director Christian Febiger (1817- 1892) dies the day after his reelection; replaced by E. Tatnall Warner (1835-1904) as President of Delaware Railroad. (AR, RRGaz)
1893 - New stations built at Delmar and Rehoboth on the Delaware Railroad. (AR)
May 1, 1897 - PW&B begins operating Baltimore & Delaware Bay Railroad under its lease of Delaware Railroad as part of the Delaware Division.
May 1, 1897 - PW&B executes new 30-year lease of Delaware Railroad granting it all the net earnings only, instead of half of surplus. (Val, AR)
July 1897 - Delmarva peach crop fails, with loss of traffic to Delaware Railroad and PW&B. (AR)
January 23, 1899 - Queen Annes & Kent Railroad, Cambridge & Seaford Railroad, and Delaware & Chesapeake Railway merged into Delaware Railroad under agreement of Dec. 31, 1898. (Val)
May 28, 1901 - PW&B Board authorizes change of line at Claymont, Delaware; committee reports on sale of Baltimore & Delaware Bay Railroad and Smyrna & Delaware Bay Railroad securities to the Delaware Railroad. (MB)
June 1, 1901 - Effective date of PW&B sale of its stock of the Baltimore & Delaware Bay Railroad and Smyrna & Delaware Bay Railroad to the Delaware Railroad; includes the Nicholson Branch. (AR)
June 25, 1901 - PRR purchases Baltimore & Delaware Bay Railroad and its subsidiary Smyrna & Delaware Bay Railroad (Bombay Hook, Delaware-Chestertown, Maryland) from CNJ; PW&B begins operating B&DB under its lease of Delaware Railroad dated May 1, 1897, as part of the Delaware Division. (Val - MB indicates this day PW&B sells interest to Del RR - B&DB MB shows sale before 6/22/01)
Summer 1901 - Delaware Railroad relays main line to Delmar with 85-lb. rail. (RyW)
1901 - Delaware Railroad completes second track between the C&D Canal and Mount Pleasant and between Ginn and Townsend. (AR, C&C)
March 20, 1902 - Maryland Act authorizes the Baltimore & Delaware Bay Railroad to sell its road and franchises to the Delaware Railroad and to abandon its road east of Massey. (MB)
April 24, 1902 - Baltimore & Delaware Bay Railroad, as assignee of Robert W. de Forest holds $100,000 in bonds of the Smyrna & Delaware Bay Railroad upon which no interest has ever been paid, now votes to have this mortgage foreclosed. (MB)
April 1902 - PRR announces it will build six new station buildings on former Baltimore & Delaware Bay Railroad between Massey's and Chestertown, Maryland. (WEJ)
May 27, 1902 - PW&B agrees to permanently employ all employees of the Baltimore & Delaware Bay Railroad. (MB)
June 4, 1902 - Baltimore & Delaware Bay Railroad Board authorizes abandonment of its road east of Massey. (MB)
June 25, 1902 - Baltimore & Delaware Bay Railroad authorizes removing the rails from its line east of Massey. (MB)
July 1, 1902 - Baltimore & Delaware Bay abandons track between Massey and the Delaware state line; Smyrna & Delaware Bay Railroad abandoned over entire length, Maryland state line to Bombay Hook. (MB, Val, C&C)
July 5, 1902 - Smyrna & Delaware Bay Railroad sold at foreclosure to John T. Dyer of Norristown, Pennsylvania, as agent of the Baltimore & Delaware Bay Railroad for $15,150 or scrap value; most rails east of Clayton removed a number of years ago. (MB, WEJ)
October 2, 1902 - Baltimore & Delaware Bay Railroad conveys all property to Delaware Railroad for $126,809; operation by PW&B ceases; unsold real estate from abandoned right of way is conveyed to the Manor Real Estate & Trust Company. (MB, Val)
April 1903 - Second track on Delaware Railroad opens as far as Clayton.
April 7, 1903 - Second track on Delaware Railroad extended for eight miles south of Clayton. (WEJ)
December 1903 - Second track extended to Dover on Delaware Railroad.
January 15, 1904 - E. Tatnall Warner (1835-1904), VP and former President of the Delaware Railroad, dies at Wilmington. (AR, RyW)
1907 - Automatic block signal system completed between Wilmington and Delmar on Delaware Railroad.
January 10, 1908 - Henry Fletcher Kenney (1824-1908), President of Delaware Railroad, Philadelphia & Baltimore Central, etc., and long-time Superintendent of PW&B, dies at home in Ridley Park at age 84 of pneumonia. (Obit)
March 1, 1910 - PB&W begins operating Delaware Railroad under agreement of February 24, 1910. (Val)
October 1914 - Rails removed from Nicholson Branch of Delaware Railroad between Worton and Nicholson. (Val)
August 20, 1917 - P.L. Grove named Superintendent of Delaware Division, replacing E.B. John, transferred. (MB)
1917 - PB&W establishes telephone dispatching on the Claymont Branches, between Townsend and Farmington, Clayton and Goldsboro, Seaford and Federalsburg, Clayton and Seaford, Townsend and Centreville, and Massey and Chestertown on Delaware Division. (AR)
March 18, 1920 - Fruit Growers' Express Company incorporated in Delaware for purpose of operating refrigerator cars originally operated by Fruit Growers Express, Inc., a subsidiary of Armour & Co.
April 1, 1921 - Peninsula Auto Express Company incorporated in Delaware to operate trucking service in Wilmington area and down Delmarva Peninsula as far as Chincoteague, Virginia. (MB)
1921?? - Double-tracking of Delaware Railroad completed.
April 15, 1922 - H.H. Garrigues named Superintendent of the West Jersey & Seashore Railroad, replacing Mitchell; I.B. Sinclair to Superintendent of Delaware Division, replacing Garrigues. (PR)
August 5, 1922 - Traffic on Delaware Division halted by strike sympathizers cutting air hoses on trains of cantaloupes near Seaford. (NYT)
September 20, 1926 - Motor Transit Corporation incorporated in Delaware as holding company for a nationwide bus system that later becomes Greyhound.
December 7, 1928 - Railway Express Agency, Inc. incorporated in Delaware. (Moody's)
January 1930 - Scott Brothers, Inc., acquires control of Peninsula Auto Express Company (incorporated April 1, 1924), a small truck operator on Delmarva Peninsula.
April 16, 1930 - Delaware and Norfolk Divisions consolidated to form Delmarva Division with headquarters at Cape Charles; lines north of Porter ceded to Maryland Division. (MB)
April 16, 1930 - Superintendent of Delaware Division W.R. Davis to Superintendent of Delmarva Division; Superintendent of Norfolk Division George W. Curtiss to General Agent at Trenton. (MB, PR)
April 20, 1931 - PRR places New York harbor steam lighter Bucyrus in service as container ship between Baltimore and Love Point, establishing container service between Baltimore and Delmarva points; containers carried by boat to Love Point, by rail to Salisbury and then by truck. (A-sheet, PaNews, NYT)
May 26, 1931 - PRR begins experimental "demountable truck body" container service between Baltimore and points on Delmarva Peninsula; 20-foot containers can be carried on truck chassis or railroad cars; are carried by ferry to Love Point and rail to Salisbury, from which they are distributed by road; New York ferryboat Philadelphia placed on Baltimore-Love Point ferry, replacing steamer New York, to facilitate movement of vehicles and eliminated two transfers of containers necessary with the lighter Bucyrus; Philadelphia is leased to Baltimore & Eastern Railroad; new slips built at Pier 5, Light Street, and at Love Point, to accommodate the New York type of double-end, double-deck ferry; the Philadelphia is designed to operate in ice and is never locked in by freezes. (PaNews, Mutual, MB, Burgess)
June 8, 1931 - PRR inaugurates two new fast freight trains between Cape Charles and Wilmington for Delmarva Peninsula produce, with second morning delivery in Boston.
June 1931 - PRR begins operating solid “Strawberry Specials” from Painter, Virginia, on the Delmarva Peninsula to Jersey City on an 11:00 schedule, with connections to New England and western points; the fastest such service yet offered. (Mutual)
May 16, 1932 - E. R. Vought named Superintendent of the Delmarva Division, replacing W. R. Davis. (MB)
March 9, 1933 - PRR announces it will begin store-door pick-up and delivery between Camden, Philadelphia and Baltimore and points on Delmarva Peninsula on March 20. (NYT, Railway Age)
March 20, 1933 - PRR begins store-door pick-up and delivery truck service between Philadelphia/Baltimore and points on the Delmarva Peninsula as far south as Crisfield and Pocomoke City. (PR)
August 20, 1933 - Two days of heavy rains and gales strike the Delmarva and N.J. coast as a hurricane approaches directly from the vicinity of Bermuda. (Schwartz)
September 6, 1935 - The remnants of the “Great Labor Day Hurricane” move out to sea off Norfolk, where they briefly regain hurricane strength; heavy rains hit the Delmarva Peninsula; locomotive of freight train falls into a stream at an undermined culvert north of Harrington, Delaware, killing the engine crew; through passengers detoured via Washington and Richmond, and local passengers bused between Harrington and Dover. (Schwartz, NYT)
April 1, 1939 - K.R. Vought to Assistant to the General Manager Eastern Region; J.A. Schwab to Superintendent of Delmarva Division and Baltimore & Eastern Railroad, replacing Vought. (MB
April 1939 - J.A. Schwab named Superintendent of the Delmarva Division. (Railway Age - verify cards, MB)
September 1, 1940 - Thunderstorms, blocked by a hurricane out at sea, stall over the northern Delmarva Peninsula and southern New Jersey centered in a belt lying east of and parallel to the Delaware River as far north as Hightstown; maximum rainfall of 22.4 inches in 24 hours recorded at Ewansville; many low-head water power dams in southern New Jersey fail. (Schwartz)
February 16, 1942 - H.C. Hostetter to Superintendent of Middle Division, replacing E.C. Geggenheimer (1893-1964); Paul W. Triplett (1904- ) to Superintendent of Delmarva Division and Baltimore & Eastern Railroad, replacing Hostetter. (MB)
April 1, 1943 - Lester E. Gingerich named Superintendent of the Delmarva Division and Baltimore & Eastern Railroad, replacing P.W. Triplett. (MB)
May 16, 1944 - L. G. Walker, Jr., named Superintendent of the Delmarva Division and Baltimore & Eastern Railroad, replacing Lester E. Gingerich. (MB)
September 14, 1944 - Hurricane moves up about 50 miles off the east coast causing heavy damage along the Delmarva Peninsula; PRR’s Norfolk-Cape Charles steamboats suspended because of high winds and trains detoured via Washington. (RyAge, Gregory, Schwartz, Butler)
December 16, 1945 - R.W. Grigg named Superintendent of the Delmarva Division and Baltimore & Eastern Railroad, replacing L.G. Walker, Jr. (MB)
July 1, 1948 - Thomas M. Goodfellow named Superintendent of the Delmarva Division and Baltimore & Eastern Railroad, replacing R.W. Grigg. (MB)
June 1, 1949 - First RDC demonstrator No. 2960 leaves the Budd Company plant at Red Lion for a test on the PRR’s Delmarva Division. (Crouse – or August below?)
August 1949 - Budd RDC prototype demonstrator No. 2900 tested on Delmarva Division. (Mutual - or 2960 & on June 1 above?)
June 1, 1951 - M.H. Lingenfelter to Superintendent of Delmarva Division and Baltimore & Eastern Railroad, replacing Thomas M. Goodfellow. (MB, Mutual - are other superintendents.)
April 28, 1954 - PRR Board authorizes single-tracking with manual block between “CAPES” and “CASSATT” Interlockings on the Delmarva Division. (MB)
August 23, 1954 - Single-tracking with CTC completed between Cape Charles and Parksley on Delmarva main line. (CE)
October 18, 1954 - Single-tracking with CTC completed between Parksley and Pocomoke on Delmarva main line. (CE)
August 21, 1955 - The Cavalier makes last run between Philadelphia and Cape Charles, Virginia; last sleeping car service on old Delmarva Division. (tt - is last run of sleeping car!! - see 1956)
March 1956 - Double track and automatic block signals removed between Seaford and Delmar on the Delmarva Branch; replaced by single track and manual block. (PRR-FAX)
June 22, 1955 - PRR Board approves the retirement of the following tracks and lines, all to be done by December 31, 1958: single-tracking with manual block between Wilmington and Pocomoke. (MB)
July 5, 1955 - Delaware Railroad establishes single-tracking with manual block between “BANK” and Mount Pleasant and between Delmar and MP 21. (BdFl)
November 1, 1955 - General reorganization adopting a decentralized corporate structure recommended by Robert Heller & Associates; three regions and all divisions replaced by nine regions without divisions (New York, Philadelphia, Chesapeake, Northern, Pittsburgh, Lake, Buckeye, Northwestern, Southwestern), each with a full complement of operating and traffic officers; Treasury Dept., Accounting Dept., Insurance Dept,, Pension Dept., Voluntary Relief Dept., and Tax Dept. all consolidated to form Financial Dept.; Research & Development Dept. created to develop new generation of lightweight passenger trains and piggyback transportation; duties of Vice President-Operations divided between a Vice President and Vice President Transportation & Maintenance; Personnel Dept. made responsible directly to President instead of Vice President-Operations; Pension and Voluntary Relief Depts. consolidated into Employee Benefits Dept. reporting to Vice President-Personnel; Women's Aid formally abolished; Traffic Dept. divided into Freight Sales & Services and Passenger Sales & Services. (MB, Pennsy)
January 20, 1956 - Delaware Railroad Board approves applying to abandon line between Easton and Oxford, Maryland. (MB)
June 1956 - Double-track and automatic block signals removed between Delmar and “CASSATT” near Princess Anne on the Delmarva Branch; replaced by single track and sidings with manual block. (PRR-FAX)
November 28, 1956 - Delaware Railroad retires Delmar passenger station. (BdFl)
1956 - Last automatic block signals on former Delmarva Division taken out of service between Seaford, Delaware, and Pocomoke, Maryland.
May 21, 1957 - Delaware Railroad retires line between Oxford and Easton, Maryland. (BdFl)
June 19, 1959 - Delaware Railroad Board hears report on negotiations to sell the Dover, Delaware, station to the state to be paid for with the 5,200 shares of Delaware Railroad stock still owned by the state. (MB)
April 11, 1960 - Delaware Railroad retires Dover passenger station and moves passenger accommodations into the freight house. (BdFl)
June 17, 1960 - Delaware Railroad Board authorizes abandoning 0.22 mile of the Centreville Branch at Townsend, Delaware. (MB)
July 5, 1961 - Delaware Railroad Board authorizes abandonment of 0.22 mile of the Oxford Branch at Easton, Maryland. (MB)
December 31, 1965 - Blue Diamond makes last run between Wilmington and Delmar; passenger service permanently discontinued on Delmarva Peninsula south of Wilmington; six-month experiment earned $5,500 vs. $40,000 in expenses. (timetable, A-sheet, Passenger Department)
July 1966 - PRR rehabilitates line between Newark and Porter, Delaware, closed for 15 years, converting it to main gateway to Delmarva lines; establishes through freight train HD-1/HD-2 from Delmar to Enola via the Port Road. (Pennsy - press release 7/7)
November 14, 1969 - Henry W. Large in a memo to Stuart Saunders explains Price/Cost Management Information System (MIS) developed by George R. Wallace and the Market Research Group; recommends a pilot study on the Delmarva Peninsula.
January 28, 1970 - Penn Central Board approves upgrading Newark & Delaware City Branch between Newark and Porter as main connection to Delmarva line. (MB)
March 26, 1970 - PB&W Board authorizes upgrading the line between “DAVIS” Tower, Newark, Delaware, and Porter, Delaware, to be the main connection to the Delmarva lines instead of via New Castle. (MB)
December 28, 1970 - Penn Central defaults on rent paid to the Delaware Railroad. (MB)
January 14, 1972 - Penn Central Trustees make report to Judge Fullam on contracts: recommend affirming leases of New York & Harlem, Delaware Railroad, Erie & Pittsburgh; cancel leases of: Beech Creek; Caton & Loudon; Erie & Kalamazoo; Ft. Wayne & Jackson; Holyoke & Westfield; Kalamazoo, Allegan & Grand Rapids; New York Connecting Railroad; Mahoning Coal Railroad; North Brookfield Railroad; Shamokin Valley & Pottsville; Troy & Greenbush; Mahoning & Shenango Valley; also propose to cancel bond guarantees for most old PRR subsidiaries and Indiana Harbor Belt.
February 2, 1973 - Freighter strikes Penn Central bridge over Chesapeake & Delaware Canal, cutting all service to the Delmarva Peninsula; one sailor killed; some traffic is detoured over the Cape Charles-Little Creek ferry. (Philadelphia Inquirer, PC Post)
February 9, 1973 - Penn Central establishes special run-through detour freight service between Enola and Portsmouth and Cape Charles, Virginia, via Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad and Seaboard Coast Line Railroad to serve the Delmarva Peninsula due to the bridge over the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal being damaged on February 2 after a boat collides with it. (PR)
July 14, 1973 - Fourteen Penn Central subsidiaries file for Chapter 77 bankruptcy after Penn Central stops rental payments: Beech Creek; Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway ("Big Four"); Cleveland & Pittsburgh; Connecting Railway; Delaware Railroad; Erie & Pittsburgh; Michigan Central; Northern Central; Penndel Company, Philadelphia & Trenton; Philadelphia, Baltimore & Washington; Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago; Pittsburgh, Youngstown & Ashtabula; Union Railroad of Baltimore. (PR)
May 2, 1974 - Judge Fullam rules that Penn Central and Lehigh Valley Railroad are not reorganizable under Chapter 77 and must liquidate or join Conrail; Judge J.William Ditter makes a similar ruling on the Reading; bankruptcy judge in Boston holds that Boston & Maine Railroad is reorganizable; Judge Fullam also rules that the United New Jersey Railroad & Canal Company, the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis, the Cleveland & Pittsburgh, the Connecting Railway, the Delaware Railroad, the Michigan Central, the Northern Central, the PB&W, the Philadelphia & Trenton, the Pittsburgh, Youngstown & Ashtabula, the PFW&C and the Union Railroad Company of Baltimore are all reorganizable as income-producing properties. (RyAge, AR, PR)
March 22, 1976 - Southern Railway and 12 of 20 unions reach accord on Southern taking over Conrail’s Delmarva line between Cape Charles and Wilmington. (NYT)
March 23, 1976 - Brotherhood of Railway & Airline Clerks refuses to accept labor conditions demanded by Secretary of Transportation William T. Coleman, blocking Southern Railway’s acquisition of the Delmarva line. (NYT)
March 27, 1976 - Conrail agrees to continue Delmarva service, including Cape Charles-Little Creek car ferry, after Southern Railway withdraws from purchase. (NYT)
April 1, 1976 - Conrail arranges with State of Virginia to keep Cape Charles-Little Creek car float service and line from Cape Charles to Pocomoke City operating; also agrees to keep most Light Density Lines on Delmarva Peninsula operating.
July? 1976 - Pennsylvania Representative Fred Rooney (1925-2019), Chairman of the House Transportation & Commerce Subcommittee, has deleted a provision from the “Son of Conrail” aid bill sought by New York State that would allow it to purchase the ex-Erie Lackawanna Southern Tier main line and lease it to a competitor of Conrail; Eastern Shore Railroad Management Associates is lobbying to take over Delmarva lines. (Cinders)
September 1976 - President Gerald Ford signs the Railroad Transportation Improvement Act; authorizes $350 million in guaranteed loans to pay claims against Conrail by the estates of the bankrupt railroads; requires government studies of the future of rail transportation on the Delmarva Peninsula. (Cinders)
March 1977 - Virginia & Maryland Railroad becomes the designated operator of the ex-PRR Delmarva Division between Pocomoke City, Maryland and Cape Charles, Virginia including the car ferry to Little Creek, Virginia. (Railpace)
July 16, 1978 - Conrail moves its main Delmarva switching yard from Dover to Harrington after neighbors at Dover complain of noise. (Cinders)
Source: "PRR Chronology," by Christopher T. Baer, PRR Technical & Historical Society.
"Rails Along the Chesapeake," John C. Hayman, Marvadel Publishers, 1979.
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