Milton Lions Club begins upgrades on iconic train

A popular summer staple in Milton is getting a makeover just in time for the upcoming season.

The Clipper Express in Milton Memorial Park is getting a fresh coat of paint, as well as repair to the gear boxes, brakes and underneath structure of the cars, as part of an effort to keep the near-70 year-old train running.

The train is owned by the town, but maintained and operated by Milton Lions Club. Bob Crowell, head of the Lions Club’s train committee, said the train was originally built by the state in 1956. It was purchased by the town for $1 in 1992. It was refurbished and put into operation in 1994.

The train runs during special events in the park, most notably during the weekly Concerts in the Park series in the summer, but also for special events such as the Horseshoe Crab and Shorebird Festival, Fourth of July, Halloween and Bargains on the Broadkill, among others. 

Crowell said 800 riders boarded over a four-hour period during the Terror Train, which runs during Halloween. This year, the club decided to do more extensive maintenance on the train to both update the look, which will be silver with red, white and blue accents, and fix ongoing mechanical and structural issues, such as rust. There will also be a strobe light installed in the rear of the train to improve safety.

While the train is in good shape for its age, keeping it running requires a lot of help. This year’s fixes will run $7,000 to $10,000, he said, but help has come from donations in both money and material. He said Ace Hardware has been particularly helpful in donating supplies. Crowell said it is also helpful that the club has a number of retired engineers in its ranks who have pitched in to help with planning maintenance on a vehicle that has a 2,000-pound engine and two cars weighing 1,000 pounds each. 

Crowell said the train is one of 12 in the world of its size that are operational. He said the goal is to have the maintenance done before the first week of Concerts in the Park, set for just after Memorial Day. He said the plan is to do the bulk of the mechanical work in-house before sending the train out for painting. After painting, the train will come back and the club will conduct final checks and punch-list items before it is put back in service. All told, Crowell said, 100 to 150 volunteer hours will be put into fixing the train.

“This is fun,” Crowell said. “Everybody loves the train.”

For more information, find Milton Lions Club of Delaware on Facebook or go to e-clubhouse.org/sites/miltonde.