Steamscape - Winter at Red Clay Creek. Delaware's Wilmington & Western Railroad follows the Red Clay Creek on its journey from Greenbank to Hockessin, crossing the waterway no fewer than 9 times in the course of a one-way trip. In this scene, the line's venerable 4-4-0 Number 98 crosses Bridge 10C, just north of the Mt. Cuba Picnic Grove in the town of Ashland, Delaware. The iced-over Red Clay Creek makes for a very peaceful, winter scene in this January, 2011 photograph, but in warmer weather, that creek can become a raging torrent. Back in 1999, flash-flooding from the effects of Hurricane Floyd wiped out nearly all of the Wilmington & Western's bridges, requiring a multi-year restoration effort. Fortunately, the replacement bridges, such as this one, are very stout structures, which should serve the line well in the event of future floods on the Red Clay Creek.
