SUSSEX COUNTY, Del. — The final coal train left the Indian River Power Plant this week, marking the end of decades of coal transportation on the peninsula.
The Indian River Power Plant shut down in February. Even after the plant shut down, trains continued moving in and out of the site to remove leftover coal. The most recent departure, headed south toward Norfolk, signaled what rail officials say is the last coal shipment on the peninsula for the foreseeable future.
A representative from Carload Express Inc., the parent company for Delmarva Central, confirmed there are currently no plans for additional coal trains on the peninsula. Officials said as long as the Indian River Power Plant remains closed, there is no need for further coal shipments.
Andrew Campbell, the owner of 'Delmarva Rail Productions', said he made it his mission to watch the last train as it left on December 28th.
Campbell also followed the trains over the past several months as they hauled away remaining coal from the Indian River facility, documenting it for his YouTube channel. He said watching the final one leave was emotional.
“I knew I was going to follow them, because this is history being made," Campbell said. "Seeing the last coal train on the peninsula really was an emotional ending, but it just goes to show you that the world is changing one day at a time."
Campbell said he has been filming trains for ten years, and described himself as a train enthusiast. He said he loves both the trains themselves and the broader role they have played across the peninsula. Campbell said trains have hauled various types of shipments across the area.
“Grain, agricultural products, lumber, liquid petroleum gas, they put in your cars," Campbell said. "Delmarva is a very important network."
While the final coal train left from Indian River, Campbell said the history of coal trains on Delmarva has never been exclusive to Sussex County.
“Vienna was getting coal trains until they stopped getting theirs," Campbell said. "You also had Dupont in Seaford that had coal and steel, but they stopped getting theirs, too."
As 2025 comes to a close, the departure of the last coal train leaves the region’s tracks a little bit quieter.
“This is the end of an era. But I have to tell myself, the world is changing. Nothing lasts forever,” Campbell said.
Those interested in learning more about the coal trains can go to the Delmarva Rail Productions page for more information.