Merry Christmas 2021 & Happy New Year 2022!

 From me to you - Merry Christmas & have a Happy New Year!

PRR's Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from 1947.

Good ol' 2021!

With life throwing some curve balls this year (like my health issues & then my Father passing away right after Thanksgiving), I kinda held-off selling some of my excess railroad & model railroad items.

Now this year's coming to a close & I've promised myself to put things up for sale.

Even though I said back in February 2021, that I'll have a link to the list, I'll repeat it in December 2021 - I'll have a list out soon, so stay tuned!

Happy Thanksgiving 2021!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! The photo is a PRR advertisement from 1946 entitled, "Vacation begins when you step aboard the train!"

PRR's "Vacation begins when you step aboard the train!" from 1948.

PRR Track Charts

 Just wanted to show some PRR track charts of the Cambridge Secondary Track:

This is the section from Cambridge, MD to Linkwood, MD.

This is the section from East New Market, MD to Williamsburg, MD.

This is the section between Federalsburg, MD & Oak Grove, DE.

This is the section from Oak Grove, DE to Seaford, DE.

One interesting take-away from the maps is that the ruling grade for the entire line can be found in & out of Federalsburg (right around the Block Limit Sign "FED").

M-m-m Good Soup...best I ever tasted...it's Phillips Declicious!

Phillips Delicious Soup Advertisement with George Rector (1937).

This is a Phillips Delicious Soup advertisement from 1937 with George Rector. George (1878 - November 26, 1947) was a restaurateur, raconteur, and food authority, who wrote several cookbooks in the 1920s and 1930s. He had several articles in the Saturday Evening Post and also had a column that was published in 22 newspapers across the United States. He appeared on the radio on the Columbia Broadcasting System's (CBS's) “Dine with George Rector” and also played himself in at least one movie: “Every Day's a Holiday” (1937) with actress Mae West (wikipedia).

Cambridge Station Combo

I wanted to combine all of the shots I have on file of the Cambridge, MD station into one post (so it doesn't have to be searched throughout this blog).

This is a 1908 postcard of the Philadelphia, Baltimore & Washington Cambridge, MD station (facing west), Rudy Wilson collection.

U.S. Doughboys boarding a train at the Cambridge, MD depot (facing northeast) during WWI (Emerson Harrington Archives collection)

Cambridge, MD station (facing southwest) on June 10, 1965 by John P. Stroup from the Trackside on the PRR Delmarva Lines 1965-1967 (Morning Sun book).

Cambridge, MD station (facing northwest) in 2011 by the late Ed Sharpe.

PRR Cambridge, MD (facing southeast) on March 26, 2013 station by William T. Miller.

Cambridge, MD (facing southwest) in July 2014 by James E. Reaves.

DuPont Nylon Plant

Announced in December 1938, and opened on November 1, 1939 (production would begin December 12, 1939), the E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company opened its Seaford, DE plant to produce Nylon. This was after Dr. Wallace Hume Carothers (1896-1937) first produced Nylon at the DuPont Experimental Station (in Wilmington, DE) in 1935.

The plant would focus production of nylon for parachutes and B-29 bomber tires during World War II, but after the war, the plant's production changed to DuPont's textile fiber program. DuPont's “Fiber X”, would be produced here in 1948 (later to be introduced as Dacron). In the mid-1980s, DuPont began downsizing at the plant and by 2003, sold its synthetic fiber division (now known as Invista), to Koch Industries, Inc. Invista still owns the plant, but rail service has been non-existent since 2003.

The first photo shows the building the DuPont plant in 1938-1939 by an unknown photographer (Jim Bowden collection).

The second undated shot is simply labelled the “DuPont Nylon Plant” by an unknown photographer (the Delaware Public Archives collection). Note the SHPX tank car in the foreground.

The last undated shot is through the stairs inside the DuPont plant, facing Woodland Road by an unknown photographer (Jim Bowden collection).

M&D #19 at Federalsburg, MD in 1983

Just another excellent shot by Richard W. Jahn of Maryland & Delaware Railroad (M&D) T6 number 19 in front of the M&D engine house in Federalsburg, MD in 1983. The Delaware Coast Line Railroad (DCLR) would end up buying her a few years later & I would run her until I left the DCLR in 1994. The DCLR still has her in Georgetown, DE, but she is up for sale.

Maryland & Delaware Railroad T6 #19 at Federalsburg, MD in 1983, by Richard W. Jahn

More on Phillips Packing Company

I'm going to continue more random musings about Phillips Packing Company in Cambridge, MD. 

June 1937 Strike at Phillips Packing Company, from "Cambridge Past & Present, A Pictorial History," by Donald L. Reid, Roger Guy Webster, & Hubert H. Wright IV, published by The Donning Company/Publishers in 1986 (ISBN 0-89865-491-2)

In the first photo, taken around the June 1937 strike at Phillips by an unknown photographer. I believe that is Washington Street crossing the railroad tracks in the photo. This can be found in the excellent book “Cambridge Past & Present, A Pictorial History,” by Donald L. Reid, Roger Guy Webster, & Hubert H. Wright IV, published by The Donning Company/Publishers in 1986 (ISBN 0-89865-491-2).

Phillips Packing Company Factory B office, Maryland Historic Trust D-710: Office, Factory B, Phillips Packing Company, Inc., Architectural Survey File, April 16, 1996

The next photo is the Phillips Packing Company Factory B office (with the smokestacks in the background) in 1996, by an unknown photographer from a Maryland Historic Trust document on the study of the former Phillips Packing ground (D-710: Office, Factory B, Phillips Packing Company, Inc., Architectural Survey File, April 16, 1996).

Happy Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day. Please remember those who gave it all & made the ultimate sacrifice to keep us free.

PRR "On Their Way" from May 1944.

The Virginia & Ohio Railroad

One of the great model railroaders & his former layout that influenced me into focusing more on the prototype & also helped fuel my career choice of going into the railroad industry was W. Allen McClelland & his Virginian & Ohio. There is a Facebook group for this former railroad (Bill has retired, but still runs what is left of his equipment on another model railroader's layout) & it can be seen here & is run by his son, Brad: V&O Historical Society .

Linkwood, MD

M&D 22 near Linkwood, MD in 1980 or 1981 by Richard W. Jahn.

Here's an awesome photo by Richard W. Jahn of a Maryland & Delaware Railroad train (with M&D RS1 number 22 in the lead) going over the Higgins Mill Pond bridge in 1980 or 1981 near Linkwood, MD. Linkwood was located at, roughly MP 9 (from Seaford, DE) or MP 108.5 from Wilmington, DE. There was a telegraph office at one time (according to the PRR's C.T. 1000 E, from November 1, 1923). The telegraph station was gone by May 1945.

Phillips Packing Company Produce Delivery

There's a lot to write about Phillips Packing Company in Cambridge, MD & it will take me awhile to bring its history to this blog, but I wanted to show another set of photos inside the plant grounds. In June 1937, the Farm Security Administration Office of War Information sent Arthur Rothstein to Cambridge to photograph a strike at Phillips (I'll post the set of photos of the strikers at another date). These next 4 photos show how farmers brought in their produce to get processed into canned goods. Take a look at these photos. Note that the third photo has lines all over the top of it (that's how it scanned into the computer – it's not an issue with your computer).

Trucks waiting at the Phillips Packing Company, Cambridge, MD photo by Arthur Rothstein, June 1937 (Farm Security Administration Office of War Information fsa 8c33117r, photo 80723-E)

Trucks unload into the canning room 2 Phillips Packing Co., Cambridge, MD photo by Arthur Rothstein, June 1937 (Farm Security Administration Office of War Information fsa 8c33070r, photo 80677-C)

Trucks unload into the canning room 3, Phillips Packing Co., Cambridge, MD photo by Arthur Rothstein, June 1937 (Farm Security Administration Office of War Information fsa 8c33084r, photo 80691-C)

Trucks unload into the canning room, Phillips Packing Co., Cambridge, MD photo by Arthur Rothstein, June 1937 (Farm Security Administration Office of War Information fsa 8c33054r, photo 80661-C)

Williamsburg, MD Correction

It's funny - you take your time doing research before writing a post & then about a month after you make the post, new information comes to light.

May I present an actual photo of the Williamsburg, MD station & freight platform. What I like is the fact that the D&D/C&S reported that the Williamsburg station was of "similar design" as the Federalsburg, MD station. If you look at my post from January 23, 2021, you'll note that both stations are not of "similar design." They may occupy about the same square feet, but you'll note that they're not the same.

Either way, it's cool when more information comes up.

Williamsburg, MD from an undated photo, Rudy Wilson collection from the Delmarva Railroad Heritage Museum

Stuff for Sale on eBay

You know when you start accumulating stuff over the years & then you sit down an start cataloging everything & notice you have too much stuff?

Well, I'm there right now.

Not only do I have too much model train stuff, I've got too much stuff from my 37 years working in the railroad industry.

Looks like it's off to eBay is where some of this stuff is going to go.

I don't have anything posted for sale there yet, but if you want to see what's going up for sale over the next few months, search for my seller's account: chessie3877.

chessie3877 on eBay

Willamsburg, MD

Willamsburg, MD was reached by the Dorchester & Delaware Railroad sometime in November 1868 about 19 miles from Cambridge, MD or 13.5 miles from Seaford, DE (or 97.8 miles from Wilmington, DE). There was a station built there (& it matches the same plan and design of the station at Federalsburg, MD).

In these 2 photos, you'll see the station at Federalsburg, MD in 2014 (photo taken by James E. Reaves) and also an unidentified PRR gas electric at Williamsburg sometime in the 1930s by an unknown photographer (Chase Andrews collection). Williamsburg matched Federalsburg design, so that's why I'm showing Federalsburg here.

Federalsburg, MD station in July 2014 by James E. Reaves. Williamsburg matched Federalsburg in design.

Unidentified PRR gas-electric at Williamsburg, MD in the 1930s by an unknown photographer, Chase Andrews collection.

Passenger service between Seaford & Cambridge officially ended on April 23, 1949.