Elkins, WV – There is no better way to begin a Mountain Rail Adventure season than from a warm, climate controlled seat on the New Tygart Flyer, one of several excursions that explore the more remote regions of the mountains where even automobiles cannot access.
Trips range from day-long trips into the Monongahela National Forest to shorter sight-seeing journeys along the banks of the Tygarts Valley and Shaver’s Fork rivers. Many Mountain Rail excursions include on-board food service options.
Durbin Rocket Opens April 25-26
The Durbin Rocket in Durbin is the signature steam-driven locomotive just perfect for kids. It departs the Durbin Depot beginning the weekend of April 25-26 and chugs alongside the Greenbrier River on a two-hour round trip.
New for 2015 – Cass Scenic Railroad
The Cass Scenic Railroad, located in Cass, W.Va., will be operated by the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad, (DGVR), this coming season. According to officials at the railroad, operations at Cass will remain very much the same as in past years, offering the Whittaker and Bald Knob excursions, plus several of the well-attended special events. Home to the world’s largest fleet of geared logging Shay locomotives, the Cass Scenic Railroad opens to the public on Tuesday, May 19 offering trips to Whittaker Station. The popular Bald Knob trip that carries passengers to the top of the state’s third highest mountain opens May 22.
New for the 2015 Cass Scenic Railroad season, a “King of the Road” hobo lunch will be part of the Bald Knob ticket price. Passengers on all Bald Knob excursions will receive their lunch just after the Old Spruce juncture en route to Bald Knob. A new reservations system will allow the opportunity for reserved seating on all trains to prevent overcrowding.
Wild Heart of West Virginia Adventure Package
The new DGVR/CASS partnership opens added opportunity to connect the rail line from Elkins to Cass, not only opening a brand new excursion for 2015, but creating the opportunity to feature new special events and new overnight options. According to DGVR Group packaging specialist, Matt Scott, this new connection opens an array of opportunity for group sales and consumer packaging that will ultimately increase overnight stays in the regional areas of both Elkins and Cass.
“With the ability to connect rail lines, we can now offer a brand new product to the group tour market,” Scott explained. “Tour operators are always looking for something new and different, and this year, we have it. We’re calling it the Wild Heart of West Virginia Adventure Package.”
The new package concept offers a combined ride on two trains – the Cass Scenic Railroad and the Cheat Mountain Salamander – with overnight options in Elkins or in Cass. Both groups and individual visitors have the opportunity to ride the steam-driven early 1900s Cass Shays to Old Spruce, change over to the 1940s vintage diesel-powered Cheat Mountain Salamander, be served lunch onboard, ride into Elkins to enjoy a theatre show, then return by the same route to Cass.
On the other side of the coin, passengers can board in Elkins or Cheat Bridge, ride to Old Spruce, board the Cass Scenic Railroad, ride to Bald Knob and back down to Cass to stay in the historic company houses at the Park, or, as a group, stay at Snowshoe Resort.
“The options to this package is as diverse as the trains and attractions within Randolph and Pocahontas counties,” Scott added. “It can be a mix and match of choices, custom-tailored to the needs of the traveler.”
Train Information and Reservations: 877-686-7245 or Online Information & Train Reservations: Mtn-Rail.com.
