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Junction railroad rings locomotive bell for new year

Next stop: entire engine arrives in Stango Park
David Ludlow of the Lewes Junction Railroad and Bridge Association rings the 400-pound bell from a 1913 locomotive Jan. 1. The rest of the engine is expected to arrive in March or April. It will be reassembled on the track in Stango Park. BILL SHULL PHOTOS
Bill Shull
January 2, 2026

A bell rang out from the railroad track in Lewes’ Stango Park on New Year’s Day, welcoming 2026 and signaling the next phase for the historic train display.

The Lewes Junction Railroad and Bridge Association brought the bell from engine No. 60, its 1913 locomotive currently under restoration in Wilmington.

People could take turns pulling on the rope to ring the 400-pound bell. It was placed on the track where the engine will eventually be parked.

A banner hanging on the black tender showed a picture of the locomotive with the bell attached on the top, near the cab.

The next milestone for the railroad display will be the arrival of the entire locomotive.

The LJRBA’s David Ludlow said that is still on track for March, possibly sliding into April. 

Ludlow said the goal is to have the display ready for a dedication ceremony May 9, which is Train Day.

Train Day celebrates the driving of the golden spike in Utah in 1869, marking the completion of the railroad from New York to Sacramento.

“We’ve got to have it here by May; we’ve put too much into this,” Ludlow said.

The train will arrive on three trucks and be reassembled on the track using cranes. The locomotive’s headlight will face east, toward the beach.

The tender and red caboose will be pushed farther west down the track to make room for the engine, which is about 40-feet long.

For more information and to donate to LJRBA, go to lewesjunctionrr.org.

 

 

 

 

 

The LJRBA’s tender and red caboose will be pushed farther west down the track to accommodate engine No. 60. The engine’s headlight will face east, toward the beach. The banner shows the locomotive with the bell attached on the top, near the cab.
Michael Lee of Lewes takes a turn ringing the bell on New Year’s Day. The bell rang in 2026 and symbolized the arrival of the entire engine, planned for the spring. Engine No. 60 will be parked where the bell was placed.
The Lewes Fire Department brought two of its trucks Jan. 1 to support the LJRBA’s bell ringing and train display.

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Bill Shull has been covering Lewes for the Cape Gazette since 2023. He comes to the world of print journalism after 40 years in TV news. Bill has worked in his hometown of Philadelphia, as well as Atlanta and Washington, D.C. He came to Lewes in 2014 to help launch WRDE-TV. Bill served as WRDE’s news director for more than eight years, working in Lewes and Milton. He is a 1986 graduate of Penn State University. Bill is an avid aviation and wildlife photographer, and a big Penn State football, Eagles, Phillies and PGA Tour golf fan. Bill, his wife Jill and their rescue cat, Lucky, live in Rehoboth Beach.

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