New York, Philadelphia and Norfolk Railroad
The New York, Philadelphia and Norfolk Railroad (reporting mark NYP&N) was a railroad line that ran down the spine of the Delmarva Peninsula from Delmar, Maryland to Cape Charles, Virginia and then by ferry to Norfolk, Virginia. It became part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system.[1]
History
The NYP&N was the vision of
Passenger service
Through the first half of the 20th century, several trains a day ran along the train line. From the 1920s to the 1950s, the PRR operated the day train, the Del-Mar-Va Express, and the night train, the Cavalier. At peak levels in the mid-1940s, the company also operated southbound, the Furlough, and an additional night train, the Mariner, in addition to unnamed local trains. Northbound the PRR added the Sailor, the Mariner night train, and an unnamed local train.[5]
By 1957 the named trains were gone, and all that remained was a once-a-day Philadelphia–Cape Charles train.[6] In 1958, the route was shortened: from Philadelphia to Delmar, Delaware at the Delaware–Maryland border.[7] The last train was a Wilmington–Delmar train, Blue Diamond, ending in 1965.
Ferry service
The original ferry crossing was 30 miles, which was later reduced to 26 miles when the terminals were relocated.[8] Both passenger and freight ferries existed. Up to 30 freight cars could be loaded on flat barges pulled by a tugboat for the trip. The original passenger ferries, Cape Charles & Old Point Comfort, side-wheeler paddle steamers, could hold an entire train on their two tracks. In 1889 the New York the first propeller driven ship, 200 feet long, 31 feet beam was built for the run to Norfolk, and in 1890 the Pennsylvania, a larger vessel (260 feet long, 36 feet beam) was added. In 1907 the Maryland was built with the same dimensions, and the last ship was the Virginia Lee.[9]
Demise
Because most of the route served a rural area, revenue expectations were never met. Branches were abandoned and the final remnant of passenger service, a shuttle between
See also
- Pennsylvania Railroad
- Bay Coast Railroad
- Train ferry: United States for a list of current and former car floats and train ferries
References
- ^ "New York, Philadelphia and Norfolk Railroad (NYP&N)". Retrieved October 2, 2013.
- ^ a b Hayman, John (1979). Rails Along The Chesapeake. Marvadel.
- ^ In 1899. Casssatt returned to the PRR as its 7th President.
- ISBN 0-944513-10-7
- ^ "Pennsylvania Railroad, Table 78". Official Guide of the Railways. 78 (12). National Railway Publication Company. May 1946.
- ^ "Pennsylvania Railroad, Table 65". Official Guide of the Railways. 90 (7). National Railway Publication Company. December 1957.
- ^ "Pennsylvania Railroad, Table 67". Official Guide of the Railways. 91 (3). National Railway Publication Company. August 1958.
- ISBN 0-7603-0379-7.
- ^ Williams, W.D. (13 June 1946). "A Short History of Cape Charles, Part 1". Northampton Times. University of Virginia. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
- ^ Official Guide of the Railways, December 1964, Pennsylvania Railroad section, Table 40
- ^ Official Guide of the Railways, December 1966, Pennsylvania Railroad section, Table 155
- ^ "UPDATED: New short line to take over NS's Delmarva Secondary". Trains Magazine. October 19, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
- ^ Delmarva Central Railroad (PDF) (Map). Carload Express. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
- ^ "Docket No. FD 36196 - Delmarva Central Railroad Company - Change in Operator Exemption - Cassatt Management, LLC d/b/a Bay Coast Railroad" (PDF). Surface Transportation Board. May 29, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2018.