By Donovan Palmer
My name is Donovan Palmer, and I am writing to share my experience from the 2025 Summer RailCamp—one of the best experiences I have ever had at any camp.
When I arrived in Wilmington, Delaware, on Sunday, June 22nd, I was beyond excited about being there. I arrived first and had some time to enjoy the sights and sounds of the Northeast Corridor while waiting for the other campers’ trains. Once everyone had arrived, we headed to the vans and made our way to the University of Delaware. That is where I got to meet the rest of the campers.
The introductions went extremely well. Mr. Tony and the rest of the counselors introduced themselves, and then we introduced ourselves. From that moment, I knew it was going to be an exciting time. After the introductions, we had a delicious meal and then heard from former RailCampers—one of them being my best friend of six years, Logan Dahir. I was ecstatic to see him! Some volunteers from Strasburg also introduced themselves and talked about what we would get to do later in the week. That really built up the excitement.
Monday, June 23rd, was packed with adventure. We piled into the vans and met up with an Amtrak official who was with us on the way to New York City. He was super knowledgeable and engaging. If you had told me the week before that I would be riding in Amtrak’s American View railcar, I would not have believed you! We learned how the railcar works and its purpose and toured the Catenary Measurement Car right in front of it.
Once in New York City, a place I had not visited in eight years, we toured Penn Station, visited the dispatcher control room, watched a bomb-sniffing dog being trained, toured the Moynihan Train Hall, and ended the day with a pizza party! After that, we hopped back on the train to Wilmington and were briefed about what to expect on Tuesday. On Tuesday, June 24th, we visited the Amtrak maintenance shops and Training Center in Wilmington. We saw all sorts of equipment, both old and new—and learned about the ALC-42 locomotives. One of the highlights was getting to use the simulators, which was honestly my favorite part of the day. I got to test my train-handling skills and had a blast the entire time. Later, we got to try our hand at being dispatchers, something I found enjoyable and surprisingly natural. It might even be something I pursue as a career!
Wednesday, June 25th, took us to one of the places I have always wanted to visit but never had the chance to—Strasburg, Pennsylvania! We saw the recently moved Chesapeake & Ohio #614 and learned how to couple and uncouple railcars with a real conductor. That was, without a doubt, my favorite hands-on activity of the week. We also toured the Strasburg Railroad maintenance shops and rode in a caboose behind Strasburg #89. Even though the heat was intense, blowing the horn on #8618 made up for it!On Thursday, June 26th, we toured the locomotive shops at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania (RRMPA), learned about restoration projects, and began preparing for our group presentations. I took plenty of photos and really enjoyed learning about the history of the equipment.
Friday, June 27th, was our final full day, and it was packed with memorable moments. We had breakfast at Casey’s Diner and saw Strasburg #8618 roll by. Later, we returned to the RRMPA to present our group projects. My group (Group 2) presented on PRR #5403, a Railway Post Office (RPO) car used by the Pennsylvania Railroad. We explained how it worked, its purpose, when it arrived at Strasburg, and how it eventually became part of the RRMPA collection.
After that, we boarded the lunch train at Strasburg Railroad, pulled by #90, and rode to Paradise and back. We ate lunch onboard and had a wonderful time. I do want to apologize to the railroad staff for how loud some of us were—and for the incident involving a window that came off its track. Thankfully, the glass did not break. After the ride, a few of us decided to go railfanning. We chased the next train out to Paradise and back, capturing some amazing shots!
Saturday was the hardest part—saying goodbye. We hugged, shared how much we wished we could stay longer, and then headed home. Som of us to the airport, some to the train station, and others with their parents. And just like that, our incredible week ended.I truly wish this camp lasted more than just one week. I thank God for the opportunity to have this much fun, meet new people, and visit new places. Thank you to the DC Chapter for selecting me as your scholarship winner—I am forever grateful.
Below are two photos I took during my time at the Strasburg Railroad.
