Historic rail car to leave Parksley

The Diplomat, a Pullman rail car that was built in 1927 and once was the end car for the Wabash Cannonball is leaving it’s spot at the Parksley Railroad Museum.

According to Johnny Bates, a member of the Delmarva chapter of the NHRS which owns the car, it was donated to a group in Bradford,  Pennsylvania.  Bates said that the car would cost between $150,000 and $250,000 to restore.  He said the Delmarva Chapter of the NHRS decided to donate the car in order to preserve it.   Bates said that they would hate to have it scrapped like  some of the cars and locomotives were at Cape Charles.

Bates said that the local railroad museum along with the Delmarva Chapter of the National Historic Railroad Society have lost members and there are very few individuals willing to be active in the organizations. Bates said he hopes the Town of Parksley will rally around the local museum and help keep it viable.

The car will be removed from it’s wheels and the passenger part and the wheels will be shipped separately to Bradford.

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