WILMINGTON, Del. — The Wilmington & Western Railroad, which announced an indefinite halt to operations earlier this year, has experienced more turmoil, with unhappy volunteers picketing the railroad, potential legal action, and the operation briefly posting then removing an announcement that excursions would return this fall.
On Thursday, about 20 volunteers mounted a protest outside the railroad’s Greenbank Station in Wilmington, WDEL Radio reports. The protesters say the board of nonprofit Historic Red Clay Valley Inc., which runs the railroad, has not been transparent with them, and has not provided opportunities to be involved in the election of board members.
Trains News Wire reported in February that volunteers had been told that operations had been paused indefinitely, but provided no details [see “Wilmington & Western Railroad operations …,” Feb. 24, 2025]. The railroad — which did not respond to multiple News Wire inquiries prior to the posting of that article — announced the next day that the 2025 season would be suspended for “important maintenance and repairs to our beloved equipment.” [See “Wilmington & Western suspension …,” Trains News Wire, Feb. 26, 2025].
Some of the volunteers told WDEL that they did not understand the need for a maintenance shutdown. And Andy Gwiazda, who designed and maintains the railroad’s website, according to a credit on that site, told the station that the railroad has fired three of its full-time employees — its general manager, volunteer program manager, and accounting manager — but has not informed members of that move. The railroad’s website now lists its roadmaster as the only paid staff member.
The news site Delaware Business Now reports that the railroad said in a social media post today (Saturday, April 12) that it planned to resume operations this fall, but first needed to replace a bridge and repair equipment. That post was subsequently removed, and the railroad’s Facebook page was deleted after critical comments were posted, the news site reports. The link from the railroad website to Facebook is currently dead.
Meanwhile, a group calling itself “Concerned Volunteers of the WWRR,” on its own Facebook page, posted an announcement on April 7 that a member of Historic Red Clay Valley Inc. had delivered a letter requested an examination of the board’s governance and conduct. If the board failed to respond with five business days, the announcement says, the individual “reserves the right to initiate legal proceedings … in furtherance of the interests of the Concerned Volunteers of the WWRR. The financial resources necessary to pursue said litigation, if required, have been secured.”
