Eastern Shores, Virginia

Parksley was a town created around the Eastern Shore Railway line. Parksley lies approximately three-quaters of the way north, between Cape Charles in the south and the Virginian border with Maryland. The Eastern Shore Railway was opened in 1884 by the New York, Philadelphia & Norfolk Railroad. The railway ran for some 60 miles in an almost straight line southwards from the Virginia border until reaching the outskirts of Cape Charles, when the line took a 90 degree turn westwards to the centre of the town and the port.

At the port of Cape Charles freight wagons were shunted onto special barges and towed by tugs across 26 miles of the Chesapeake Bay to Norfolk. Passengers completed their journey by luxury steamer. Regular daily passenger services were operated from New York and Philadelphia to Cape Charles and Norfolk, with considerable goods traffic also on the line. Traffic continued much as previously in the late 1940s but as the 1950s progressed, as with all railways, both passenger and goods custom was being lost to road transport. The last passenger train ran from Cape Charles northwards on 11th January 1958.

In 1988, a group of volunteers on the Eastern Shore re-opened the Parksley station area as a railway museum. There are a number of interesting carriages and wagons on display, but no locomotives.

Mike Smith, August 2009.

These photographs were taken in July 2009.

The Wabash Caboose was donated to the museum in 1988 by the Norfolk Southern Corporation.
It is currently undergoing restoration. Note the observation module for the guard.

Interior of the Wabash Caboose. The observation module is reached by vertical ladder.
The guard could then be seated, and watch for any problems with the wagons.

The Seaboard Air Line # 8011 Diner is a 1947 stainless steel car built for the Seaboard Air Line Railroad
and later used by Amtrak on its Washington, D.C./Miami route. The car was staffed with a crew of seven;
all meals, including baked goods, were prepared on charcoal stove/grill/steam heated stove.
Seating capacity was 48 diners.
The car was purchased by the Museum in 2000 and will be converted into a restaurant.

Seaboard Air Line # 8011 Diner, showing how passengers could enjoy a freshly-cooked meal.
It is hoped to serve meals in the carriage at some date in the future.

The Nickel Plate Caboose was built in 1962.
It was donated to the Eastern Shore Model Railroad Society by the Norfolk Southern Corporation.
Note the side-attached observation module for the guard.

View from the side-attached observation module for the guard.
There is an identical module on the other side of the vehicle.

The Fairfax River was built for the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad in 1950.
It was built as 2 drawing room/14 roomette car and travelled between New York City and Miami.
It was converted into a Maintenance of Way (MOW) car and used in this manner from 1966 to 1980.
The Tidewater Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society purchased the car in 1984.
The current owner, John Bates, bought the car in 1994, and restored it to it former glory.

The bar and snacks area of the Fairfax River carriage.
It really is coloured turquoise!

The central corridor of the Fairfax River roomette car.
Access to the roomettes is from this corridor. Each roomette has its own sink and toilet.

Parksley station building. This is not the original building, which was taken away
to make a family home. This building was brought from Hopeton.