70 years of coal trains rolling down the Delmarva Peninsula helped to keep our lights on. While Vienna, MD and DuPont in Seaford, stopped getting coals at the beginning of the 21st century, the Indian River Power Plant was the last plant on Delmarva to receive coal trains. Following the closure in February of 2025, left over coal was remaining and NRG has made the decision to ship the coal out. Several empty coal trains came down to NRG starting in August through December to load the remaining coal from in a backup pile and in underground bunkers. As we start off the 2026 year, the last coal left the Delmarva Peninsula a few days before the New Year’s Day and Delmarva Rail Productions made it a mission to document every single last one.

Chasing Delmarva’s Last Coal Trains | Part 1 of 3