Little red caboose to be dedicated on Train Day
On Saturday, May 13, Lewes Junction Railroad & Bridge Association will present a one-hour program to celebrate National Train Day and the arrival of Lewes’ Little Red Caboose. Festivities will occur in Stango Park in front of the recently restored 1917 Pennsylvania Railroad caboose. In the event of rain, the program will be held in the Rollins Community Center.
The ceremonies include brief remarks from several speakers beginning at noon. Master of ceremonies Mike DiPaolo will introduce speakers: Sen. Russ Huxtable, D-Lewes; Rep. Stell Parker Selby, D-Milton; former Mayor Ted Becker and representatives of the association.
Concluding the event, Lewes City Councilwoman Candace Vessella will christen Little Red followed by the ceremonial driving of a golden spike into the recently restored rails. The latter commemorates the historic day in 1869 when a golden spike was driven into the rails in Promontory, Utah, thus connecting this country from east to west.
The caboose will be open to the public for the first time since it was placed on the track in December 2022. The association will offer railroad-themed merchandise for purchase to raise funds for its project to add the Golden Age of Railroading to Lewes’ history.
Neighboring organizations will also take part by hosting railroad-themed events. The Lewes Public Library focuses on children’s activities beginning at 10 a.m. and includes a model railroad display provided by the Shoreline Garden Railroad Club. At the Lewes Historical Society in the Rollins Community Center, a lecture on the railroad’s importance to Lewes and Sussex County will be offered at 1:30 p.m. Concluding the day’s festivities, Doug Poore, author of several books on Delaware railroad history, will present a lecture at 2:30 p.m. in the library.
