All Aboard! train ride New River Gorge NP

[jpdevol]

Boarded a train today for a ride from Huntington,WV to Hinton,WV via America's newest National Park: New River Gorge.

All Aboard!

Huntington is one of CSX's largest repair shops (countless locomotives parked here)

It was intended as a "fall foliage tour", but as you can see, the cool weather lately has us a little past peak. A coal tipple across the Kanawha River outside Charleston:

Passing Kanawha Falls with Glen Ferris, WV in the background , next up the mouth of the New River and on up the Gorge:

 

[jpdevol]

Near Ansted, WV and Hawks Nest Hydroelectric power
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawks_Nest_Tunnel_disaster

The famous New River Gorge Bridge carries US Rt19 over the Gorge
https://officialbridgeday.com/

 

[jpdevol]

And one of a couple of dozen rapids on the lower New, ranging from class II-V.

And pulled into Hinton for the Railroad Days Festival https://www.greatamericanstations.com/stations/hinton-wv-hin/

 

[xjwmx]

Trains are the best. The last time I was a rich motherfucker I took a train from Chicago to NYC at Christmas for the heck of it. I bought clothes at Saks in Chicago and returned them at Saks in Manhattan. The train went through all the small towns in NY that I'd heard of. Lots of good memories. And amazing food and service in the dining car. Good comradery in the smoking car (smoking cars no longer a thing). I don't remember the exact date, but it was the date of a record snowfall in Buffalo. The cars are pretty leaky where they join together.

 

[jpdevol]

Mrs JP

Conductor Claytor

And headed home after a full day....

 

[azman857]

Thanks for taking us along! It looked like a great ride.

 

[Wingedwheel]

I was working in WV a few years back and one of the locals took me to Bridge Day. Reminded me of our Jobbie Nooner.

 

[atom4488]

And one of a couple of dozen rapids on the lower New, ranging from class II-V.
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And pulled into Hinton for the Railroad Days Festival https://www.greatamericanstations.com/stations/hinton-wv-hin/
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Lovely country! Small rivers in hilly areas like this do it for me.

 

[Mailman]

Well how did I miss seeing this? That looks like it was tons of fun! I’ve never had the opportunity to take a train ride, I must add that to my bucket list. Thanks for the photos!

 

[Jim]

I must add that to my bucket list.

You absolutely must. Been all over Europe by train. Wife and I rode the Amtrak Cascades a few yrs back. Just south of Vancouver down to Eugene Or. My smartphone GPS Speed app was "tickling" triple digits on some of the straights. It's by far the most relaxing way to travel there is. You're not packed in like on an airliner. In our new covid reality world, I'll prolly never fly another airliner. I will get on another train though.

Awesome pic JP!!

 

[jetmechmarty]

I've done quite a few motorcycle trips to WV. It's really awesome and I'll do it again, given a chance.

 

[Mikey]

I've been on a few short train excursions like that if fact once I splurged to be in an air-conditioned car, and I swear the air conditioner was run off diesel
It had to be as the train was pretty old