![]() ![]() The company’s website boasts that guests spot eagles more than 90% of the time. The Potomac Eagle’s 4-hour narrated train ride is your best bet for spotting a bald eagle, or 2, or 3, or 4. Journey into the sacred home of the American Bald Eagle Most days, the possibility of coming across a bear or bald eagle is higher than seeing a person. Due to the uncompromising terrain, this town was only accessible by train. This 128-mile, 9-hour ride transports guests from Elkins through areas that few have seen, including the short-lived logging town of Spruce, once the highest and coldest incorporated towns east of the Mississippi. Many view this area as impassable- but not the Cheat Mountain Salamander, a 1920s vintage train that powerfully charges through the untouched mountain wilderness. ![]() It’s steep peaks rise above 4,800 feet and support the most expansive spruce forests south of the Adirondacks. An atypical 300 inches of snow have fallen there in a single winter. Pass through terrain very few have the opportunity to seeĬheat Mountain is known as one of the most rugged, remote regions in Appalachia. When it’s time for the 2-hour ride back to Elkins, redefine relaxation as you descend through an impenetrable forest with dessert and a glass of wine in hand.ĥ. ![]() Guests face one another at traditional tables of 4, just like in the movies. As passengers roar past mountain towns, campgrounds and frolicking wildlife, they are served nostalgic menu items from mid-century cross-country train rides. The 4-hour train ride departs from Elkins and glides through the Monongahela National Forest to its final destination at the scenic High Falls of the Cheat River. This scenic dinner train will take you to the 1950sįor those lucky enough to remember a time when train travel was common, a ride on the Mountain Explorer Dinner Train is sure to evoke fond memories. You won’t see or hear from the outside world until the conductor rolls up the next day (or later if you choose) to pull your caboose back into reality. The caboose will serve as your own private riverside home, complete with refrigerator, range, heat, linens, towels, utensils, a DVD player, full-size shower and restroom. Once there, he’ll unhook the car and leave you with it. A conductor will pull you, your caboose and up to five companions to a remote site (sans cell phone service) nestled along the Greenbrier River. The Durbin Rocket, an early 1900s 55-ton steam locomotive in Durbin, pulls refurbished Wabash Railroad cabooses along the Greenbrier River to Hevener Station. 3.This train will kick your caboose to the curb… in the middle of the woods. The magic lasts about 1 hour, and you should make your reservations early. Once there, Santa will hop aboard to say hi to all the wide-eyed passengers who truly believe. A professional touring theatre from Elkins, Old Brick Playhouse, entertains riders with a musical and a reading of the “The Polar Express” book as the train bolts through the night toward Santa’s headquarters. The Polar Expressbrings the popular children’s-book-turned-movie to life for children- and big kids- of all ages. Imagine the sparkle in your little one’s eyes as they are whisked away on a magical ride to the North Pole. 2. A classic children’s book comes to life on this holiday train rideĪll aboard! Just make sure you’re sporting your best pajamas. The train will stop at Whittaker Station, 4 miles from Cass, where adventurers will be able to leave the train to eat lunch, tour a logging camp and take in a breathtaking ridgetop view before returning back to Cass. On your journey, the train will gain 11 feet in altitude for each 100 feet of track- in railroad terms, that’s insanely steep. Guests ride in a refurbished Shay logging locomotive, which was designed to carry extremely heavy loads, climb steep grades, swing around hairpin curves and traverse frail, temporary tracks. Hop aboard an old-timey steam-powered locomotive in the small town of Cass, which remains relatively unchanged since its days as a turn-of-the-century logging town. Travel back in time on the winding rails of the Cass Scenic Railroad. Navigate hairpin curves in this steam-powered locomotive While many old rail lines in West Virginia have been re-purposed into rail trails, a few of the vintage cars are still steaming down the tracks.Įach train and each rail line are a little different, but they’ll all whisk you through the scenic mountains for a peek at the untouched wilderness, and leave you with a new appreciation for this quaint mode of travel. These 7 near-forgotten modes of transportation will whisk you away on a wondrous journey ![]()
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