ABOVE: The scenic Wilmington & Western hugs the bank of Red Clay Creek for much of its run. Just west of Ashland, Del., the Creek encoun- ters a small spillway. STEVE BARRY PHOTO LEFT: No. 98’s 1909 technology includes a hand-fired boiler. The author is busy feeding the 4-4-0 in anticipation of its departure out of Greenbank, the home of the station for the Wilmington & Western. Most of the line is on a steady uphill grade as the train proceeds to Mount Cuba and Hockessin. MIKE CIOSEK PHOTO
Back To the Future No. 98 operated regularly on the Wilm-
ington & Western until she was taken out of service in 1998 for her federally mandated inspection and rebuild; she returned to the rails in October 2004. I will never look at No. 98, or any oth- er piece of historic equipment, through the same lens. For every statistic, there is a story of a human being, people who worked hard to raise a family and enjoy
a piece of the American dream. The next time you look at your favorite locomotive, remember that its story goes much deeper than the diameter of its driving wheels and its tractive effort. If you have the opportunity, learn the sto- ries of the men and women connected to it. Those stories are much more interest- ing than how fast it ran and how much coal it consumed. If you like trains and are not involved,
Visit the Wilmington & Western Railroad website at
www.wwrr.com
get involved. There is much to be done and a lot of great memories to be made. That’s the bottom line.
Thomas Gears, a long-time member of the Wilmington & Western Railroad, will be releasing his book The Epic Journey of Engine No. 98: From the Mississippi Central to the Wilmington & Western later in 2015.
43
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74