Celebrating 20 Years
of Mountain Rail Adventures
T he Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad in West Virginia is
wilderness to experience history, beautiful mountains and great
celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. For two decades,
people,” he added.

tourist trains have hauled passengers through some of West
Virginia’s most remote terrain with on-board hospitality, good food
and mountain camaraderie.

And the railroad strives to do just that. Each April through
December, it operates a wide assortment of different tourist trains
from its four depots. The Cass Scenic Railroad features steam
Located less than four hours from Washington, D.C. and the suburbs
trains and is a great way to see parts of West Virginia that are only
of Northern Virginia, the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad
accessible by rail, while in nearby Durbin, kids can ride along the
and its portfolio of Mountain Rail Adventures take passengers
Greenbrier River and feel as if they are part of the train crew.

on fun-filled train rides from the towns of Elkins, Cass, Durbin or
Cheat Bridge. The company’s philosophy of “leave the city behind
and relax in the mountains” has drawn out-of-state tourists to West
Virginia for the last several years.

In 2015, the railroad expanded its operations to include the Cass
Scenic Railroad, a former logging railroad that contains the largest
collection of geared ‘Shay’ locomotives in the country. Each year,
thousands of families visit Cass to enjoy the sights and sounds of
these historic pieces of machinery. The addition of the Cass Scenic
Railroad has also created opportunities to transition the railroad and
its train rides from a day trip to a weekend destination.

“When families visit one of our Mountain Rail Adventure
In Elkins, the New Tygart Flyer takes passengers to a beautiful
waterfall where they can de-train, take pictures and return to
Elkins. Visitors can also tour the entire rail line on board the Cheat
Mountain Salamander. Both the New Tygart Flyer and Cheat
Mountain Salamander include lunch and entertainment.

During Christmastime, the railroad offers the officially licensed
Polar Express™ train ride – a holiday train inspired by the children’s
book and movie. The Polar Express ™ is headquarters in Elkins and
includes a trip to the North Pole to meet with Santa. On the Cass
Scenic Railroad, a separate holiday train known as the “Elf Limited”
training school lets children experience what it’s like to become one
of Santa’s helpers.

destinations for the first time, they fall in love with the surrounding
If you are looking to get away from the city for a few days and
area – the scenery, the people – and it becomes a memorable
create lifelong memories with your family, the Durbin & Greenbrier
experience,” said Chase Gunnoe, external affairs manager at the
Valley Railroad invites you to come to West Virginia and be a part
railroad. “It’s not about taking a day trip to ride a train – it’s about
of its Mountain Rail Adventure Family. For more information, visit
leaving the chaos of urban culture behind and drifting into the
mountainrail.com or call 800-686-7245.

16 February 2017 washingtonFAMILY.com