The Wreck Train

In 1944 the wreck train was stationed at the Delmar yard.  By railroaders it was called the M. E. Work Train but everyone else called it the wreck train.  It was sent out to clear the tracks of any accidents that may have happened.  It might be a derailment, a train hitting a truck crossing the tracks, or head on collisions with another locomotive. The Delmar rail yard had a special whistle they blew when there was wreck and the men in town would rush to dress and head for the wreck train.

The wreck Train was run by Wade S. Plummer, "Wreckmaster".  He had 14 men assigned to the train. The train had to be operational and leaving Delmar in 20 minutes after receiving the call.  It was kept fully loaded and stocked, including food and ice for the kitchen car. Delmar was selected as the base of operations because it was at the half way point for the Pennsy line on the shore.  There was a second wreck train at Cape Charles.

above photo from the Salisbury times 1944

The wreck train consisted of four cars.  The first was the kitchen car which had a long counter bar down the middle with stools for the men to sit and eat.  Behind the counter was a coal range, dishes, icebox and food.  At one end of the kitchen car was lockers for wet weather clothing for the crew.

The next car was the tool box car where all imaginable types of tools were kept to fix the problems encountered.

The third car was an open gondola car where rails, ties, wheels, and other heavy repair equipment was kept.  It was important that the third car was a low profile car such as a gondola as the fourth car held the crane and it was important that the crane boom could swing completely around and over the gondola.

The fourth car was a huge Crane, powerful enough to left a locomotive or 500,000 pounds. It did the work of clearing obstacles on the track. It could lift and remove rail cars and while the crane was working the work crew could replace rails and ties if necessary so the crane could work it way to the center of the problem.

this is the wreck train in cape charles

Below are some photos of the railroad crane.  they are not the one at Delmar but merely examples;

 So about the man who was cook and car repairman; Chauncey Lee Hastings (1893-1969).  Mr. Hastings was the son of Levin (Lenny) Hastings ( 1846-1927) and Olivia Ann Ellis Hastings (1849-1923).  At an early age he would be employed by the Railroad in Delmar.  He would retire after 48 years of service in the 1950s.  He married Mabel J. Riley (1889-1973 ) from Girdletree, daughter of James and Mollie Riley.  Chauncey and Mabel would live in Delmar at first 507 Jewell Street and in the 1960s at 107 Grove Street.

They had one daughter; Eunice Leigh Hastings (1917-1999).  She would graduate Delmar High School and then attend Beacom Business College in Wilmington.  She would live in Wilmington a couple years and work for DuPont Company.  In 1948 she would marry Victor Hartwell Laws, Jr (1919-2017).  They would have two sons.