Mountain Rail Adventures – Pocahontas County Excursions

Mountain Rail Adventures – Pocahontas County Excursions:

Cass Scenic Railroad:

The Cass Scenic Railroad features the world’s largest collection of operational coal-fired geared locomotives. These more-than-a-century-old steam locomotives used to be the “titans of the timber”, hauling timber on and off the Appalachians in the early 20th century. Today, the equipment is preserved and rail trips from the historic town of Cass offer some of the most beautiful mountain views as the train ascends to Whittaker Station and onto Bald Knob. The 2-hour round trip to Whittaker Station departs the Cass Deport twice daily from Friday-Sunday throughout the summer and early fall. The ride climbs the lower slopes of Cheat Mountain along Leatherbark Creek to a stop at Whittaker Station, surrounded by green meadows and scenic countryside.

The long haul of 11 miles to Bald Knob takes about four and a half hours for the 22-mile round trip. Panorama vistas of the lofty Appalachians become more beautiful as the train climbs higher and higher. By climbing the 2,390 feet from Cass to Bald Knob (Elev. 4842-feet) on Back Allegheny Mountain and third highest point in West Virginia, passengers have made the equivalent to an 800 mile trip to Canada in climate because of the higher altitude.  The rustic overlook affords one of the most awesome, overwhelming views of the valleys below.

Greenbrier Express:

The Greenbrier Express departs the town of Cass and closely follows the free-flowing Greenbrier River to the small mountain village of Durbin. The ride upriver to Durbin passes through a secluded wilderness portion of the 950,000-acre Monongahela National Forest featuring beautiful scenes of forested mountains at each turn of the river. Sightings of Deer, River Otters, and Black Bear along with a wide variety of Eagles, Hawks, Ospreys, and other different species of birds are common.

The original 95-mile section of this railroad was first constructed in 1902 by the old Chesapeake and Ohio Railway with an eye toward timber resource development. It continued serving that purpose until rail traffic declined and most of the line was abandoned in 1978. Today’s trip takes you on the northern 15-mile portion that was purchased by the West Virginia State Rail Authority. Unfortunately, a catastrophic flood in 1985 washed out major portions of this line. Thanks to a private/public initiative between the WV State Rail Authority and Durbin & Greenbrier Valley RR, the track has been reconstructed and now offers a new and different option to visitors at the iconic Cass Scenic Railroad State Park.

Lunch is included on Greenbrier Express and Bald Knob train rides.

Trains run Wednesday through Sunday. Check schedule for details. https://mountainrailwv.com/calendar/