Junction and Breakwater Railroad

The Junction and Breakwater Railroad was a 38 mile long railroad that ran between Harrington, Delaware and Lewes with a spur to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware during the late 19th and early 20th Century. It passed though Milford, Ellendale and Georgetown. In 1883, it merged with the Breakwater and Frankford Railroad and the Worcester Railroad to become the Delaware, Maryland and Virginia Railroad which was eventually purchased by the Pennsylvania Railroad

History

Junction and Breakwater

The Junction & Breakwater Railroad (J&B) was formed in 1857 as a subsidiary of the Old Dominion Steamship Company to operate in conjunction with steamship service between the Delmarva Peninsula and New York. The line created a "junction" with the Delaware Railroad in Harrington, and by 1859 it had reached Milford, DE. Work was stalled by the Civil War but resumed in 1867 and the line was completed to Lewes and the Delaware Breakwater, via Georgetown, by 1869 with stations at each end as well as stations in Cool Spring, Harbeson (later called Broadkill) and Nassau. By 1878 it had built a 5 mile extension to Rehoboth. In Rehoboth it eventually built connections to Canneries along the canal, factories along Laurel Street, a passenger station on Rehoboth avenue and a wye that connected to Henlopen Junction.

In 1874, the Breakwater & Frankford Railroad (B&F) built a connection to the J&B at Georgetown that ran from Georgetown to the Maryland line at Selbyville which opened on May 22, 1874. By 1876, the Worcester Railroad had extended the line to Franklin City, Virginia. Both of these lines were also owned by Old Dominion Steamship.

In 1883 the J&B merged with the B&F and Worcester to form the Delaware, Maryland and Virginia Railroad (DMVR). In 1891 the DMVR defaulted on two mortgages and was taken over by the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad at the request of the Delaware General Assembly. Over time, the DMVR and other PW&B owned properties came to be known as the Delmarva Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad.

Remnants

The preserved canal swing bridge along the trail

The tracks from Harrington to Harbeson are actively used for freight rail.

The historic Milford train station is still in use, but as office space.

The abandoned right-of-way from Fischer Road on the east side of Harbeson to just west of Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes was converted into the Lewes-Georgetown Trail and there are plans to extend it west to the end of the track in Harbeson.

The Harbeson Railroad Station privy, built in 1870, was donated to the Lewes Historical Society and moved to their campus by 2022.

Milford Railroad Station listed on the NRHP on January 7, 1983.

The old Lewes-Rehoboth Canal bridge, and the date stone from the west abutment, are on permanent display along the Lewes-Georgetown Trail at American Legion Road in Lewes. The bridge was a hand-cranked swing bridge that was originally built in 1869 and modernized by PRR in 1916. The bridge was reconstructed in 1997. After DelDot decided it was unsafe in 2016, leading to the rail line east of the canal being shut down, it was removed on Feb. 15, 2022 and the canal was restored over the next year.

Some of the abandoned right-of-way from Lewes to Rehoboth Beach is used for the Junction and Breakwater Trail.

The Rehoboth Beach Train Station which was built in the late 1800s currently serves as Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center. It was in service until the 1920s. After that it served as offices, small shops and a restaurant until it was sold in 1950. It was donated to the city and the Rehoboth Railroad Station Preservation Society and moved to its present location at 501 Rehoboth Avenue in 1987.