Plans for a 90-mile excursion train loop proposed

wesp · **Posted:** Thu Mar 05, 2015 1:25 pm

The folks at Cumbres and Toltec have a good model of how to package a long one-way trip into multiple options appealing to varied interests and price points. Hopefully the folks in Elkins can do the same.

Wesley

p51 · **Posted:** Thu Mar 05, 2015 4:20 pm

wesp wrote:

The folks at Cumbres and Toltec have a good model of how to package a long one-way trip into multiple options appealing to varied interests and price points.

We took the trip out of Chama in 2012, stopping for lunch at Osier and taking the opposite train back to Chama.
Worked well, in that the trip was shorter, we got back to the wheels to move on quicker (we were in the middle of a cross-country sightseeing trip from Florida to WA state) and I got to ride behind two different locomotives (484 and 488). Would've been cool to have seen the rest of the line, but there are times when you have to be practical.
Dave called it earlier here, there are times even the most dedicated foamer simply can't spend an entire day on a tourist RR and not offering any other option means you get less people riding.

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Thu Mar 05, 2015 6:22 pm

Becky Morgan wrote:

The observatory! I completely forgot about that. The tour there is impressive and it's not hard to find--could easily be part of the bus route. Incidentally, they can't use microwaves at their science center cafe, so the food is really good and not heated-from-frozen. Last time we were there, we were surprised to find the science center has exhibits every bit as nice as COSI or Carnegie Science Center at a fraction of the cost, plus the tour.
https://public.nrao.edu/tours/visitgbt

Green Bank has recently attracted a "cult" of sorts: People claiming "hypersensitivity" to such things as microwaves, cell phone transmissions, wi-fi, and "smart meter" transmissions. Here's an article on this new group of people; I'm avoiding the very loaded topic of whether there's anything to this, or they're hypochondriacs: http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/p ... out-wi-fi/

Quote:

Snowshoe is close enough that a short ride could be part of one of their summer getaway packages. You're right about the length, too; an hour to an hour and a half is about what a lot of families with young children or older people can handle. You'll all laugh, but one of the major factors is, of course, the proximity of bathrooms. (Young men who laugh at the small bladders of pregnant women and small children will find that karma begins to bite around age 60.)

The Inn at Snowshoe could easily be a partner in this. Bus for morning departure from Cass, then another bus midday to and from the halfway point, then an evening pickup. Snowshoe has/had a wealth of activities for the young and distractable, from mountain biking to pools to hiking. Properly packaged, any number of packages could appeal to folks besides the hard-core "death march" railfans.
I'm pretty sure, however, that the powers that be there thought through all of this a very long time ago. At least I HOPE they have.

wesp · **Posted:** Thu Mar 05, 2015 7:21 pm

At one time wasn't there discussion of Cass operation to the Snowshoe resort on a former logging grade?

Wesley

J3a-614 · **Posted:** Fri Mar 06, 2015 8:22 am

This is also on the "Big West Virginia Steam Announcement" thread, but I thought it also appropriate to have it here as a reference item.

http://www.wboy.com/story/28263917/durb ... locomotive

bigjim4life · **Posted:** Thu Feb 28, 2019 12:31 pm

So, many of us know or are aware of the restoration of the line between Cass and Durbin, which is almost complete. Original "loop" plans, if memory serves me correctly, is that the line from Durbin northward would be restored as well - is that still planned? Or was it a "pipe dream" of sorts?

Robert J · **Joined:** Fri Jun 01, 2018 12:05 pm **Posts:** 92

bigjim4life · **Posted:** Thu Feb 28, 2019 2:31 pm

Robert J wrote:

The link in the original post takes one to 'wvcarfinder.com' which obviously has no railroad content as it shows automobiles for sale in West Virginia.

Try this one: https://www.wvgazettemail.com/outdoors/ ... 2dbb8.html

This too: https://www.alleghenymountainradio.org/ ... p-project/

Robert J · **Joined:** Fri Jun 01, 2018 12:05 pm **Posts:** 92

WVNorthern · **Posted:** Thu Feb 28, 2019 4:28 pm

From what I've heard secondhand "through the grapevine", the full 90-mile loop idea is dead. When this was first proposed somewhere around 2012, the state of West Virginia was still the operator of the Cass tourist line. The state balked at losing a little over a million dollars per year on Cass and decided to let the D&GVRR take over the operation but still own the line and engines. The state still owns and rents the supervisors houses in Cass.

I believe the original projected cost for the last phase which would have relaid track on the abandoned west fork line from Durbin to Cheat Junction was 20 million dollars. Seven years later, I'm sure the cost would be higher not to mention that the tunnel (#2) on that line would need a lot of expensive work.

If anyone wants to check out the former WM west fork line, it is now a hiking/biking trail and here is a link for the curious.

http://www.wvbike.org/west_fork_trail/