West Virginia an ideal place for railroad tourism

CASS, W.Va. — Moments after it pulls out of the station, chugging into the dense cover of the Monongahela National Forest, the Shay locomotive begins its climb.

The baking sun vanishes, the temperature drops and riders grow captivated by wildflowers, butterflies and a fearless fawn that stands on the track, staring until the last possible moment before scampering off.

When the whistle blows, white steam shoots skyward. And from time to time, a cloud of acrid black smoke wafts over the cars, the necessary result of burning 4 1/2 tons of coal for fuel. It stings the throat, but for John Grencik, it only adds to the authenticity of the Cass Scenic Railroad.

"I love coal smoke. I get it natural," says Grencik, a model train builder and the descendant of railroad workers on both sides of his family.

Grencik, 76, traveled from Bakersfield, Calif., to ride a railroad that draws 40,000-70,000 tourists between May and October, opting for the five-hour journey to Bald Knob, West Virginia's third-highest peak.

The personal attention of the crew, including an invitation to visit the maintenance shop, made the experience better than he'd hoped.

"If you want to see the scenery and see nature as it is — and you don't want to do it fast — I'd give 'em four stars," Grencik says. "It's gorgeous. You picture yourself 40 or 50 years ago, the way things used to be."

Cass Scenic Railroad actually comprises its own unique state park, 11 miles long and just 50 feet wide. At 7 mph, the ride is slow but steady. For every 100 feet the train rolls forward, it rises 9 feet. As it does, a spectacular panorama unfolds, with vistas across the Alleghenies, deep into Virginia.

"The views are breathtaking," says Dot Frank of Woodsfield, Ohio.

As she and other tourists gape and snap photos, conductor Bob Starke chuckles.

"I hear it every day, 'I had no idea we had this right here in West Virginia!"'

But West Virginia, with an abundance of log-, poultry- and coal-hauling routes, is an ideal place for railroad tourism. There are five scenic railroads, one offering three trains and routes.

Though Cass is popular all summer, crowds grow in the fall when the mountains turn gold, orange and red. Starke's crew runs five cars with 130 people on a typical summer day, and nine cars with 500 people in October.