![]() They house a large collection of different gauges from O and G to HO, as well as operating layout to see. This toy train museum is based in another historic West Virginia city, Wheeling, once an important terminal for the B&O. The little railroad is working hard to reestablish a connection with the nearby Cass Scenic Railroad. Section of the Chesapeake & Ohio's former Greenbrier Branch to host train rides south of Durbin (where the railroad once connected with the Westernįrom the town's restored C&O depot, the D&GV operates a The little Durbin & Greenbrier Valley, sometimes forgottenīecause of its small size and out-of-the-way location, uses a short While there be sure and check out the live railroad action of passing CSX, Amtrak, and MARC commuter trains. They also offer a popular miniature train ride on the grounds. Located in the historic town of Harpers Ferry at 937 Bakerton Road this museum is well-known for its large collection of classic toy trains that date back to the 1930's, and some even earlier. Harpers Ferry Toy Train Museum & Joy Line Railroad Today, the railroad operates a fleet of geared steam locomotives and has rebuilt more than a dozen miles of track reaching Bald Knob and the former town of Spruce where it connects with the West Virginia Central. It officially debuted on Jvia a few miles of former Mower Lumber Company logging trackage in Pocahontas County. ![]() Without question, Cass Scenic is the most popular train ride experience in the Mountain State. To learn more about all West Virginia's scenic train rides please read on below.įinally, if you are interested in excursions that pertain to specific events, such as "The Polar Express," Halloween, Thomas the Tank Engine excursions, or fall foliage events please visit the main tourist trains section of this website. Today, the state is home to four excursions and all offer something a little different, from dining aboard the West Virginia Central and Potomac Eagle Scenic to open-air cars on the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley. The new Cass Scenic Railroad, which began as just a novelty, launched service on June 15, 1963. It took a few years but he was eventually successful in convincing the state to acquire the property as a state park. ![]() He had a longtime interest in the old logging operation and wished to see it preserved for future generations. The seeds of which became Cass Scenic were planted by Russell Baum in 1960, a local railfan from Sunbury, Pennsylvania. West Virginia's history with modern-day tourist railroads began in the early 1960's when the Cass Scenic Railroad opened to the public over tracks that had long been used for logging purposes. Today, the Association of American Railroads lists only 2,214 miles remaining, following the abandonment of coal branches and components of other through routes. Historian John Stover's book, " The Routledge Historical Atlas Of The American Railroads ," notes the state's mileage peaked at 3,996 in 1920. There was also the C&O, Virginian, and N&W serving rich coal seams in the state's southern periphery. It was joined by the Western Maryland Railway (WM) which headed south from Cumberland to Elkins, a town which blossomed into a major WM coal terminus. Louis via Parkersburg and operated hundreds of miles of secondary coal branches throughout the region. Finally, Wheeling was reached in 1852.īy the 20th century, the B&O dominated northern West Virginia it would open a main line to St. Under the new direction of Thomas Swann, the railroad headed southwestward from Cumberland until reaching the small community of Bridge Valley (later Grafton).įrom there, the route turned slightly northwesterly along the Tygart Valley River to Fairmont. The railroad's attempt to complete its charter proved agonizingly slow due to funding issues and engineers' struggle to locate a suitable grade through the rugged Appalachian Mountains. ![]() Louis, Missouri in 1837, a distance of 620 miles.Īs the 1830's progressed the B&O continued west, reaching Frederick in 1831 (via a branch) and Harpers Ferry, Virginia in January, 1837 (following a completion of a bridge spanning the Potomac River). This growing western frontier community sat along an important waterway, the Ohio River, and the National Road, America's first major highway that was completed from Cumberland to St. The first system to penetrate the border of what is today West Virginia was the venerable Baltimore & Ohio, our nation's first common-carrier.Īfter the B&O launched service over its initial 1.5 miles from a small station in Baltimore at Pratt Street during January, 1830, the railroad set out westward for Wheeling, Virginia to complete its original charter. This pioneer road was chartered in 1830 to connect its home city, near the Atlantic coast, with southern points. As such, its rail history is somewhat tied to the Cavalier State whose first was the Petersburg Railroad. Before JWest Virginia was a component of Virginia.
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