CASS, WV (LOOTPRESS) – West Virginia’s newest steam excursion takes passengers along a route that hasn’t seen a train since 1985.
The new excursion train has been dubbed the Greenbrier Express.
LOOTPRESS was at Cass on Saturday to catch a glimpse of the new excursion. Above are photos of the Greenbrier Express making its journey from Cass to Durbin.
The Greenbrier Express (GBX) train departs from the restored, historically important town of Cass and closely follows the clear, free-flowing Greenbrier River to the small mountain village of Durbin.
On arrival in Durbin, all ticket holders will be served lunch at a pre-determined location either on your train car, in the depot, or at one of the restaurants on Main Street adjacent to the depot.
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 species of aquatic birds are common.
The excursion is 30 miles and approximately five hours round trip.
Below is a video of the Greenbrier Express departing Cass and arriving in Durbin:
The original 95-mile section of this railroad was first constructed in 1902 by the 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 northernmost 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.
Cass is the home to the world’s largest fleet of geared Shay locomotives. Five Shays, one Heisler, and one Climax reside in the historic town.
Regular adult tickets for the GBX are $79 which includes lunch at Durbin. To purchase tickets, click here.
