Good afternoon everyone,
Anyone who has taken his children or grandchildren on the Wilmington & Western Railroad can thank Tom Marshall.
Marshall passed away yesterday at 94 after a remarkable life driven by his love of history, the scenic Red Clay Valley and steam power.
Following in his father’s footsteps, Marshall assembled an impressive collection of Stanley Steamer automobiles and other antique jewels. Along the way, he opened a couple of Holiday Inns, ran a travel agency and somehow found time to become the driving force behind the successful excursion railroad.
About a decade ago, Marshall donated his home and adjacent property in Yorklyn to the State of Delaware, which now operates one of the more interesting state parks in the nation.
Auburn Heights offers at selected times miniature train rides and tours of the impressive car collection. The state is now working to remediate the nearby NVF site and with the help of the private sector redevelop the mill town of Yorklyn, a part of the Marshall family legacy.
A modest man with strong Quaker values, Tom Marshall did not seek the limelight and may have shied away from well-deserved accolades that sometimes went to those with fewer accomplishments.
Still, it is not too late to celebrate Marshall ’s remarkable life and the gifts he left us. – Doug Rainey, publisher.
