Does anyone remember the old Wawa and Concordville Tourist line that operated from 1966 to 1970 along a portion of the Octoraro Pennsy branch line in southeastern PA? Does anyone have any old pictures

Mike

plc95@yahoo.com

Any info would be great. I live about 10 minutes from Concordville. Always wondered about that stuff.

Jeff Lisowski
West Chester, Pa

unfunkyufo76@hotmail.com

Talk to Kurt Bell from RR Museum of PA, he wrote a recent article on it. Several pictures are floating around the net of the operation.

jeff@CompuComIS.net

Kurt Bell, who regularly posts here, is supposed to be doing an article on the W&C in an upcoming issue of the RMofP's newsletter (actually more of a magazine) THE MILEPOST. Kurt can fill you in on the "whos and whats" of this operation.

In the meantime, I'll offer a little information from what I know and from what I remember.

Kurt dug up information that some of the same folks that were behind the original operator of the New Hope & Ivyland RR (Steam Trains, Inc.) were also behind the W&C.

Locomotives included ex-US Navy 0-6-0T 3 and ex-Pacific Lumber 2-8-2T 37. Rolling stock included a fleet of open-sided excursion cars that came from Bethlehem Steel, where they had used for in-plant tours (these open cars were originally made from ex-CNJ wooden boxcars). Other rolling stock included several ex-DL&W steel "Boonton" coaches. One of these was to be used on the train, the others were/to be converted into a gift shop.

The train operated push-pull on the 10 mile round trip. 0-6-0T 3 sported a bright blue paint job and had the fake diamond stack/box headlight/cowcatcher pilot treatment somewhat common on 1960's era tourist operations. 2-8-2T 37 wore traditional black, but also sported a cowcatcher pilot. IIRC (Kurt, correct me if wrong!) 37 was to have been converted into a tender engine with the addition of a tender originally off an ex-Reading Camelback locomotive (Kurt, what type engine??). Kurt also has mentioned an ex-Ma & Pa RR 4-wheel wooden caboose being used as a tourist info center, but that seems to escape my memory.

After years being stored at Concordville following the demise of the W&C, the two steam locomotives found their way to the Wilmington & Western RR in DE, where both saw use during primarily the late 1980's. 0-6-0T 3 later moved to the Queene Annes RR, also in DE, and was used there for a while. 2-8-2T 37 is still at the W&W, but IIRC either Kurt or Tom Gears mentioned that it may leaving in the future. Today both 3 and 37 are out of service. One of the open cars and salvaged parts from one of Boonton coaches also went to the W&W. The open car was used on the W&W trains for a while, but IIRC Kurt stated it has seen been cut down into a flat car. That Ma & Pa bobber caboose that I can't seem to remember went to the Red Caboose Motel at Strasburg for while and later to the Ma & Pa preservation group.

Regards,
Jim Robinson

Still don't remember this caboose at the W&C... but see below link for a photo of it being moved to the Red Caboose Motel from the W&C.

Also, forgot to add that the rather ornate looking Concordville station burned some years ago (IIRC during the early 80's??) and there are/were still some of the old W&C open cars rotting away along the Octoraro ROW.

I have seen some B&W photos of the W&C in operation on one of the online rail photo databases, but unfortunately didn't bookmark them.

Regards,
Jim Robinson


ex-W&C / Ma & Pa bobber caboose

I have a couple of post cards from the line in my collection. They both show the 0-6-0 switcher in action.
They are captioned:
Reminisce and relax for an hour on a delightful
real steam engine train ride-- only 8 miles from
Chester, Pa... only 12 miles from Wilmington,
Del. Free parking, free picnic areas.Refreshments
and souvenirs available at historic terminal.

Open Apr. through Oct., Sat. & Sun. Noon 'til 9PM.

Glad to have the dates when the line ran.

ted_miles@nps.gov

Since this is one of my all-time favorite "fallen flag" tourist lines, I'll share with you what I know on the history of the W&C.

The W&C was the brainchild of Lawrence H. Myers, a co-founder of the New Hope & Ivyland. The W&C was incorporated in 1966 with the intent of running steam excursions on the PRR's Octoraro Secondary track, between Concordville and Wawa. Myers also spearheaded refurbishing equipment for Johnson & Johnson's "Permacil Special" train consist. Myers, former owner of United Scale Models in Chester, purchased numerous pieces of equipment, including 0-6-0T No. 3 and 2-8-2T No. 37, seven Bethlehem steel ex-CNJ wooden boxcars, one CNJ steel coach, one tank car, two cabooses (one ex-NYC, the other ex-M&PA) and four ex-DL&W Boonton coaches. Myers even investigated buying one of the Rayonier logging locomotives in the northwest, but it never came to pass. Equipment was refurbished at the Chester Tidewater Terminal in Chester, Pa., by Peter Renzetti. Some boilerwork was done on No. 37 at the PRR's Wilmington Shops in early 1967. Operations began on July 1, 1967 and concluded in November 1968. One trip even ran west to Kennett Square with No. 37. Crews were mostly ex-PRR retirees. Essentially numerous lawsuits and NIMBYs with PC stock at Wawa ended the line's lease via upper-level connections with the Penn Central management. The W&C had a shot at resuming operations after negotiations with PC officials but a flash flood in September 1971 washed out portions of the line, and regardless of how one looks at it, the W&C was doomed from the start. SEPTA in 1971 acquired the line and much of it remains dormant. Equipment languished, some pieces were purchased, most others scrapped. One open-air car went to the W&W but was never at Concordville; it was brought over from storage in Chester. The steamers survived, as well as the P&R camelback tender No. 90691 (built 1901 and formerly assigned to the Tamaqua Relief train), ending up at the W&W. The four DL&W Boontons were scrapped (only one was used during the 1968 season) as was the sole CNJ coach. The Concordville station caught fire in the 70s and 80s and was finally razed. Two open air cars in derelict condition remain at Concordville adjacent to the James Pool Co. The M&PA bobber caboose was never kept at the Concordville station but was used as a "billboard" for the Delaware Co. Chamber of Commerce/W&CRR at the corner of Rts. 1 and 322 in Concordville. By 1981, most traces of the W&C were gone from the scene.

My forthcoming history of the W&C will appear in an upcoming issue of the MILEPOST, journal of the Friends of the Railroad Museum of Pa. I have spectacular b&w photos accompanying the article. Stay tuned.

K.R. Bell

> I have a couple of post cards from the line
> in my collection. They both show the 0-6-0
> switcher in action.
> They are captioned:
> Reminisce and relax for an hour on a
> delightful
> real steam engine train ride-- only 8 miles
> from
> Chester, Pa... only 12 miles from
> Wilmington,
> Del. Free parking, free picnic
> areas.Refreshments
> and souvenirs available at historic
> terminal.

> Open Apr. through Oct., Sat. & Sun. Noon
> 'til 9PM.

> Glad to have the dates when the line ran.

> Two open air cars in derelict condition
> remain at Concordville adjacent to the James
> Pool Co. The M&PA bobber caboose was
> never kept at the Concordville station but
> was used as a "billboard" for the
> Delaware Co. Chamber of Commerce/W&CRR
> at the corner of Rts. 1 and 322 in
> Concordville. By 1981, most traces of the
> W&C were gone from the scene.

OK, I remember this now. I pass over that line almost everyday by the pool company. This time of year you can clearly see the old line. As for the two cars there, I'll investigate this week, there is also some structure there. If I'm not mistaken, there may have been more cars there at one time in the very very early 80's?

I seem to remember that for some reason.

Jeff Lisowski
West Chester, Pa


unfunkyufo76@hotmail.com