LEWES, Del. - The Lewes Junction Railroad & Bridge Association has launched a community fundraising campaign aimed at bringing a historic steam locomotive back to the city as part of Lewes’ rail heritage.
The effort, titled “Bring #60 for 250,” seeks to raise the significant funding needed to relocate and install a 1913 Pennsylvania Railroad steam locomotive, known as No. 60, at Lewes Junction. The engine is intended to join the existing rail display near the Lewes Public Library and the Rollins History Museum.
The campaign kicked off with a $5,000 donation from the D. Russell Tatman Memorial Fund. Tatman was a founding member of the association when it was established in 2018. After his death in 2020, his family created the memorial fund through the Greater Lewes Foundation with the goal of supporting the railroad association when the timing was right.
"What better time to donate the funds, contributed by family and friends in Russ' memory, to this exciting steam engine project as the crowning piece of rail history is added to Historic Lewes' landscape during the nation's semi-quincentennial celebrations," said Cathy Tatman. "It is a fact that Lewes would not be what it is today if the railroad had not come to town in earlier times to transport produce and passengers."
Locomotive No. 60 is currently undergoing cosmetic restoration in Wilmington by FMW Contractors. Once complete, the engine would be moved to Lewes as a permanent display highlighting the role railroads played in the city’s development.
In December 2022, the first of the locomotive display in Lewes arrived. The N5A caboose kicked off the exhibit along the Lewes Georgetown Trail beside the Lewes Public Library. Later, in April 2025, a steam locomotive tender was added to the iconic red caboose display.