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The Grateful Dead had it right in Might as Well, when they speak of trains being the elegant way of traveling. No security strip down, no getting to the airport 2 hours before departure, wide, comfortable seats even in coach, and no cold air blowing on the top of your head. This weekend I took the word "Elegant" to a new level, though, in Roanoke, Virginia.
If it weren't for the railroad, Roanoke, named for the Roanoke River, wouldn't have the same name today. In fact, the original name was Big Lick, which always gets a chuckle when you tell someone. It wasn't until the 1880's when the town became a major railroad hub that the local government elected to change the town's name to Roanoke. The railroad built Roanoke and the surrounding region. The Norfolk and Western Railroad constructed huge, monolithic steam engines in the Roanoke Shops well into the 20th Century and the town's name was synonymous with railroading.
It was a sad day, then, when Amtrak ceased all passenger train service to Roanoke in 1979, and a sadder day even still when Norfolk Southern (the descendent of Norfolk & Western) closed its popular steam program in 1994. Today, both Roanoke train stations see no passenger service, although locals hold out hope that change may be coming with a new Amtrak Regional train now serving nearby Lynchburg.
This past weekend, however, there was an anomaly outside of the Norfolk & Western passenger train station in downtown Roanoke (now the O Winston Link museum): an Amtrak train, complete with 3 Amtrak Diesel engines, 11 Amtrak Amfleet cars, and 6 fully restored vintage rail cars boarded close to 1,000 passengers early Saturday and Sunday mornings. To an unsuspecting Joe walking by, the sight must have warranted a double-take, but there it was: a huge train with a sea of people in downtown Roanoke.
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It was what many hope to be an annual set of excursion trips into the Roanoke countryside--the first of its kind in 13 years in the area, and I took the opportunity to ride along on both days.
First, the train was absolutely enormous: the second-largest passenger train I've ever been on (first place goes to the Union Pacific business train I toured at the Democratic National Convention in Denver last year, which numbered 36 cars), it took a good ten minutes to walk from end to end while the train was in motion.
Second, the train was PACKED to the gills. The coach cars (all standard Amtrak Amfleets) were primarily filled with families; the lounge cars and dome cars were primarily occupied by couples and single travelers, given the higher price.
Third, the scenery was just spectacular. The ride out to Bluefield, West Virginia on Saturday was full of mountain cuts and wilderness; it reminded me of the route of Amtrak's Cardinal. The ride to Shenandoah, Virginia on Sunday, in my opinion was even more impressive, however; the track, built in the 1880s, wound its way through the Shenandoah foothills. Horses galloped alongside the shiny, silver cars, long-horned buck, grazing on grass inbetween the tracks, leapt out of the way of the engines at the last moment. It was a four hour ride each way, but it felt like a fraction of the time.
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And fourth, and perhaps most importantly, the towns of Shenandoah and Bluefield were so beside themselves with excitement and anticipation that one couldn't help but feel like absolute royalty when you stepped off the train. These towns were born on the railroad, and this excursion and influx of visitors meant so much to them that they quite literally shut down the entire town in preparation for the train's arrival. Arts and Crafts were out for display and sale, balladeers were singing on stage, food was plentiful, maps of the downtowns were handed out, and the townspeople were there waving, smiling, and cheering as the trains arrived and departed. I swear, it was like something out of a book: completely surreal. It's what made the trip worth it, in the end.
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This sort of excursion doesn't happen often, especially in this area. Everyone knew it was special, and the sheer number of passengers and townspeople was testament to that fact. For many, it was their first time riding a train. For others, it was remembering what once was. For the rest of us, it was tasting a bit of what we hope is to come in the future. This area of the country is ripe for passenger travel. Here's hoping the state of Virginia sees the potential and extends that Lynchburg regional train over to Roanoke.
In the meantime, the excursions will have to suffice, and boy do they ever satisfy. Highly, highly recommended.
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