Dorchester & Delaware Railroad Combination Car of 1874

Here's a really neat builder's photo of the Dorchester & Delaware Railroad's combination smoking, baggage, & mail car at Jackson & Sharp Works in Wilmington, DE in 1874 (the exact date is not known). This is from the Delaware Public Archives collection. She arrived in the D&D's 5th year of operations.

Dorchester & Delaware Railroad Baggage car in 1874, Jackson & Sharp Works builders photo, 

Delaware Public Archives collection.

I'd love to build this car as a display item (it's a little too early for my model railroad operations). Of course, that Bachmann American-type (4-4-0) still looks enticing as a “W. Wilson Bryn” stand-in. Although it would require a lot of re-working the boiler, moving the stack & headlight forward, replacing the tender trucks, yadda, yadda, yadda...

Dorchester & Delaware Railroad's "W. Wilson Byrn" on an unknown date, an unknown location & by an unknown photographer, Delaware Department of Transportation collection.

Bachmann Trains' DCC Ready (HO American 4-4-0) Pennsylvania Railroad 51005, Bachmann Trains photo.

I can always dream.

PC 7757 Heading to Seaford, DE in 1975

PC 7757 on train D-200 near Seaford, DE on the Cambridge Branch in 1975, by Jim Shaw (Ed Sharpe collection)

Here is Penn Central GP38 7757 on train D-200 heading railroad northward (geographically eastward) near Seaford, DE on the Cambridge Branch in 1975, by Jim Shaw (Ed Sharpe collection).

What's interesting is that PC kept the former Pennsylvania Railroad job symbols right up until the formation of Conrail.

Although not published in the employee timetables anymore (that stopped after the PRR Chesapeake Region ETT #10 in April 1961), the D-200 signed-up in Cambridge & ran daily (except Sunday) to Seaford, DE. It operated to Preston, MD on Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays & to Vienna, MD on Tuesdays, Thursdays, & Saturdays. It returned to Cambridge as the D-201.

The 7757 (built by EMD in August 1969, B/N 35384) is one of 6 GP38's that were assigned to the Delmarva to replace the old former PRR Baldwin S-12's. This would be PC 7754-7759 block of GP38's. All of these GP38's would make it to Conrail, only to be sold to the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad in the early 1980's. She would become P&LE 2036 (then to Central Oregon & Pacific 5536, & then Northeast Kansas & Missouri 3860 & I'm not sure where she is now being the Northeast Kansas & Missouri sold their line to the Union Pacific back in 1999).

While working on the design work for the layout, I've (more than once) thought to be able to operate the layout during different eras. The Penn Central era will definitely be one of them & I'm slowly gathering equipment to do this.

Phillips Packing Company by the J. Victor Dallin Aerial Survey Company on May 7, 1937

Here's another photo from my files of Phillips Packing Company by the J. Victor Dallin Aerial Survey Company on May 7, 1937, from the Hagley Museum and Library (ID 70_200_09931). Dallin (& Company) took a lot of photos in May 1937 around Cambridge. This is looking northeast (roughly).

Phillips Packing Company by the J. Victor Dallin Aerial Survey Company on May 7, 1937, from the Hagley Museum and Library (ID 70_200_09931)

Cannery Park Restoration in Cambridge Begins

More plans for the former Phillips Packing Company property in Cambridge, MD. I can't wait to see what happens to this property. This news item is from WBOC16 (Salisbury, MD) on January 23, 2018.

Cannery Park Restoration in Cambridge Begins

Phillips Seafood Founder Passes December 25, 2017

God Speed Shirley Phillips! She passed away on December 25, 2017, at the age of 95. She & her late husband, Brice R. Phillips (who passed in 2011), founded Phillips Seaford in 1956 (about the same time Phillips Packing Company was winding-down operations in Cambridge, MD).

This is related to my post from January 21, 2017, regarding "the modern-day Phillips Seafood Inc. was founded by descendants of Colonel Phillips (& yes, a shameless plug, I do like & use Phillips Seafood's products - just wanted to get that out there)."

Here's a link to the delmarva now article: delmarvanow.com December 26, 2017.

Phillips Canning & Model Trains?

Too much spiked egg nog? Nope. I thought I talk about subject that has a railroad connection when it comes to the Christmas holidays – model trains. Specifically one toy company that I grew up on: TYCO.

So, what's this connection that I'm trying to make regarding model trains & Phillips Canning? Follow along & you will see where I'm headed.

Back on January 21, 2017, I spoke of the history of Phillips Canning. I won't bore you with the topic again, but you can go read it at your leisure. I quoted the excellent August 2006 article by Harold W. Hurst's entitled “The Canning Industry in Delmarva”: 

When Phillips finally exited the canning business, they sold the company to Consolidated Foods in 1957.

The key point to pick up here: Phillips sold their company to Consolidated Foods in 1957.

So what about Consolidated Foods? 

I'll quote the excellent article by Tony Cook on his website Tony Cook's HO-Scale Train Resource, specifically the section about TYCO. Here's the website:

http://tycotrain.tripod.com/tycotrains/id1.html

Tony says:

“Consolidated Foods purchased TYCO's model trains and HO-scale slot racing cars around 1970. Consolidated Foods would later change its name to Sara Lee. This early '70s period ushers in "The Consolidated Foods Era" or "brown-box" period for collectors. Prior to 1970, TYCO offered models that reflected fairly accurate prototypes. After 1970, under Consolidated Foods leadership, TYCO's offerings wander into a fantasy world of unprototypical models. It is this interesting period that provides modelers and collectors with such items as a Popsicle and StarKist Tuna box cars and various Bicentennial locomotives. Looked down upon by serious hobbyists, these items none the less have found favor among those who enjoyed them as kids and now enjoy collecting them as adults.”

“The Consolidated Foods purchase of TYCO did not enjoy much of a honeymoon period. The book, "Toyland" by Sydney Ladensohn Stern and Ted Schoenhaus, reports TYCO's returns were unprofitable by 1972, and Consolidated Foods/Sara Lee was put in the position of folding up the TYCO line or making major changes in operations. Consolidated Foods management remained positive on TYCO and placed Dick Grey as president and Harry Pearce as chief financial officer in 1973.”

So, there's connection between Phillips & model trains: Consolidated Foods (or Sara Lee). Thirteen years after Consolidated Foods bought the remains of Phillips, they purchased TYCO to diversify the company.

            TYCO corporate symbol                                                                                           Phillips Delicious tomato label

Even though my Grandmother (on my Dad's side) worked for Bachmann Trains in Philadelphia, PA (you could see the factory almost from her front door step, so she would walk to work everyday), & I did have Bachmann model trains & train sets, I had much more TYCO equipment. Bachmann is still around & producing model trains. TYCO, unfortunately (or fortunately for those die-hard model railroaders out there) disappeared 1993 (yes, there were later “versions” of TYCO equipment, but it just wasn't the same).

No, TYCO equipment doesn't run well & isn't highly collectible, but their product brings back good memories for me. I pretty much destroyed my equipment over the years (I think I got my first set at 10 years old & when my teenage years kicked-in, my interests went elsewhere & so did my care of my collection). Luckily through both eBay & swap meets, I've been able to piece back most of my collection. It still runs like crap, but it still makes me smile just the same & reminds me of Christmases of my childhood.

PRR's advertisement "Holiday Homecoming" from 1948.

That being said, I want to wish you & yours a Merry Christmas & a Happy Chanukah & make memories with your friends & family!

Happy Thanksgiving 2017!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

"Main Lines of Commerce," by Grif Teller (1951)