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.