Wilmington and Western reportedly trims staff as shutdown continutes

The group claimed that all but one employee was let go, with the general manager and account manager asked to vacate their offices. The group was able to post the news on the Wilmington and Western's Facebook page.

According to the post, "As the majority of volunteers will corroborate, nearly all of the volunteer workforce in the back shop greatly attributed with keeping the railroad running through the end of 2024 has had their volunteer activities in the back shop indefinitely paused, effective in early January. If the board really cared about reopening, the entire volunteer base would have been tapped upon to continue their work in the back shop, rather than limiting access of the space and its functions to the special few."

Like most excursion lines, the Wilmington and Western primarily operates with volunteers.

Robert Peoples, Jr., listed as chairman of the nonprofit board, was sent an email seeking comment. Volunteers and others  are welcome to offer their thoughts on our comment feature.

The railroad runs through rolling hills along Red Clay Creek from the Prices Corner area west of Wilmington to the Hockessin area and is one of northern Delaware's leading visitor attractions. 

One volunteer stated in a Facebook post that work is underway to get equipment up to snuff before resuming operations. The volunteer also mentioned that only a limited number of people can work in the railroad's shop.

Nonprofit filings with the Internal Revenue Service show the railroad to be in solid financial shape as of the last reporting year, 2023. The organization operates under the name Historic Red Clay Valley.

The line posted a profit in 2021 and 2022 after a significant loss in the COVID-19 year of 2020. A small loss was reported in 2023.

The railroad's balance sheet shows virtually no debt and assets of $12.8 million.

Excursion railroads, while often profitable, face the challenge of an aging pool of volunteers who do everything from overhauling vintage equipment to serving as conductors and locomotive engineers.

However, lines across the country feature dinner trains, Easter, Christmas, Harry Potter, and other promotions that draw young and old passengers.

Wilmington and Western was once viewed as one of the more innovative excursion lines with a variety of equipment that included diesel and steam locomotives and a "Doodlebug" powered passenger car. (See video above).