Wilmington and Western Railway

The Wilmington and Western Railroad was founded in 1867 to operate from the Port of Wilmington up the Red Clay Creek. Freight and passenger service started in 1872 but by 1877 the railroad went bankrupt and was reorganized as the Delaware Western Railroad which was then purchased by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in the 1880s. In the 1960s, the Historic Red Clay Valley Railroad was formed and leased the line and operated steam excursion trains on weekends. In 1982 the line was purchased by the HRCV and it began operating under the Wilmington and Western Railroad name again.