Continuing a tradition in the New River Gorge: The New River Train

HINTON, W.VA. — Celebrating its 47^th consecutive year of New River Train excursions, the Collis P. Huntington Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society runs this Amtrak-sponsored consist on CSX rails between Huntington, W.Va., and Hinton, W.Va. The annual “leaf special” traverses some of West Virginia’s most scenic mainline trackage through the majestic New River Gorge.

Tracing the route of famous Chesapeake & Ohio long distance passenger trains such as the George Washington or Fast Flying Virginian, the New River Train represents the only mainline excursion train in operation across CSX’s system and the longest excursion train in terms of total passenger cars in the United States. Operating a total of four excursions on the third and fourth weekends of each October, the excursion gives a total of approximately 4,000 passengers a unique perspective of the New River Gorge, as it passes through communities so famously tied to C&O mystique of Thurmond, Prince, and Quinnimont.

Rolling downgrade through the interlocking at Cotton Hill, the westbound New River Train and its diverse consist of privately owned premium cars duck under the Route 16 overpass on the return trip to Huntington on Saturday, October 19^th, 2013. New signals are in place, evident of a pending signal suspension project on CSX's New River Subdivision.

Beyond the statistics of ridership and the detailed operating consists are the on-train stories and traditions. I rode on board an Iowa Pacific full- dome car during the second Saturday of the 2013 excursions. Provided with an all-access media ticket, I decided that rather than focusing exclusively on capturing photos throughout our daytime journey east from Huntington, I would casually browse through the passenger cars, observing the scenery and atmosphere in each car.

On board the sold out train consisting of almost 1,100 passengers and totaling an impressive 29 car consist, there was no shortage of smiling faces, amateur photographers capturing the passing scenery, and children with their hands and faces pushed against the dome glass windows.

Framed by the dome glass of the Northern Pacific Observatory, the New River Train slithers along the south banks of the New River Gorge near Ansted, W.Va during an October 2011 excursion. 

Many of the passengers, my girlfriend Madison Noble included, had never ridden a train before. The concept of walking between moving railcars and their vestibules was unimaginable and terrifying. The comprehension of having to prepare and serve several hundred dinner meals to premium guests, all while moving at 79 mph through downtown Charleston was intimidating to the on board culinary students of nearby schools. The new experiences generated life long memories, undoubtedly.

Historical society car hosts narrated the passing terrain, educating passengers on the towns and communities that once dotted the C&O mainline throughout the entire gorge. Entire towns and mining facilities have been reclaimed by Mother Nature and camouflaged by vegetation. It’s difficult to envision life and residential and commercial development in such inaccessible regions of the Mountain State. Each community and its residents were entirely dependent on passenger rail travel in the peak of C&O’s New River Coal market. In many cases, long distance passenger trains enabled miners and their families the only access to the outside world.

Today, those communities and the ostentatious passenger trains that once served them are extinct. The days of dome cars, diners, and rear end observation platform business cars are found only in history books.

Crossing from the north to the south side of the Gorge at Hawks Nest, the head end of our 29 car consist observes a permanent 10MPH slow order as we cross the New River to re-join the south main at C&O’s former MA Cabin. October 26^th, 2013. 

However, for two weeks each autumn, luxurious passenger railcars, glimmering in a variety of paint schemes and representing a plethora of fallen flag railroads return to the New River Gorge, packed with excited passengers enjoying some of West Virginia’s most unique stretch of mainline railroad. And for that, I’d like to thank each and every volunteer, employee, and the organizations involved that work together to provide West Virginia and its people with a glimpse into this history. 

Thank you to the staff at Trains Magazine for allowing me to share my experiences and images of West Virginia’s passenger railroad traditions.