Chartered in 1867, the Wilmington & Western Railroad moved goods between the mills along the Red Clay Creek and the Port of Wilmington. It officially opened for freight and passenger service in 1872.

Excessive construction debts and poor management caused the line to fall into foreclosure in 1877, and it was bought by the more profitable Delaware Western Railroad. In the 1880s, the line was purchased by a subsidiary of the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) Railroad and was, for a time, the most profitable lines of the B&O.

After years of changing hands and hurricane recovery, the line was reborn in 2007 and still operates tourist trains along 10 miles of track between Greenbank and Hockessin.