Eastern Railroad Discussion > Please help with RBBB and W Va. railfaning?

Having never been to the circus or WVa. I will make my way next week from the Golden State to the Mountain State to see RBBB circus in Charleston W. Va. Either SWA to Chi or BWI and Amtrak from there on--saves about $700 on flying right to Charleston. Any Mountain State fans care to suggest where I might go to get the circus train in some daylight before the Great Show? I plan to rental a car--is there one near Amtrak? I also plan to stay at the Red Roof Inn up the road from Amtrak--is it safe and clean? Any other accommodations you would suggest that would be nearer the things to see? How about a GOOD BBQ joint? Yes, I realize it is not a sure thing when the train will show up. Also, after the circus, where to shoot it leaving--just once and doesn't have to be perfect. Then, are there any interesting tourist railways, RR museums and/or a train stores in the area? Finally, is it worth the 3.5 hours run from Charleston to Cass Scenic Ry. What would be the fastest route to Cass, the safest route to Cass and/or the best train viewing route to Cass? Thanks beforehand!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/27/17 12:16 by railwaybaron.

Considering your desire to photograph the circus train before and after the Charleston shows, you surely would be wiser to fly into and out of Baltimore if you opt for air travel for this trip. I have no advice to offer about rental cars at the Amtrak station in Charleston, but consider also that if you're trying to see the train before and after, Charleston may not be your ideal eastern station; for example, you might want to take the train to/from Charlottesville or even Washington (which gives you more schedule choices). With the University of Virginia nearby, Charlottesville should have decent public transportation and availability of rental cars.

All other things being equal, your best bet for photographing the circus train westbound seems likely to me to be around Roanoke, Virginia, presuming the information about its routing that way is accurate. I don't really know what traffic conditions are like between Charlottesville and Lynchburg and thus can't advise on whether the circus train might be chaseable on the Southern main line, but in the Roanoke area the former N&W main line curves around enough that there ought to be someplace good to shoot it no matter what time of day it shows up there, and based on previous discussion I'd expect its passage through Roanoke to be in daylight. West of Roanoke there also would be plenty of photo ops, but precise locations would vary depending on time of day. And of course, I'm assuming sunshine; if it's cloudy out, then light angles don't matter as much.

I really have no idea what the running times will be like for the portion of the train's run on the branches and ex-Virginian trackage between Williamson and Deepwater. The terrain the railroad goes through is not easy, and neither are the roads. And I suspect this trackage will be mostly covered at night, at least on the Charleston-bound run; the intel from another thread on this subject indicates it might be morning on the 2d before it hits Charleston.

Outbound from Charleston, it sounds like it could be all day just to get to Roanoke late on the 8th.

Others may have more specific advice, but this should give you some guidance at the macro level.



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 04/27/17 17:25 by toledopatch.

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Cass is worth a 3 1/2 drive no matter what else is going on. If you are at all interested in steam, shays, logging railroads with switchbacks, a trip to Cass is a must do. Enjoy your trip.

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Circus train move fairfax to WV move 5/1

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?2,4276716

I also highly recommend Cass if you are into steam at all. As far as getting there, I would take I-64 over to White Sulphur Springs, and then WV 92 up to Cass. This offers the opportunity to catch some CSX action at White Suphur Springs if you are so inclined. If you have some more time and enjoy the scenic route, take US 60 along the river and the railroad all the way to Cotton Hill and Hawks Nest, which offers some great views of the railroad in the New River Gorge. You can then either take 19 back down to 64 near Beckly, or if you are continuing to feel adventurous, continue on 60 over to 64 via Rainelle. If you are extremely lucky you will run into a CSXT mine run on one of the branches around Rainelle. Going 60 the whole way across probably adds 45 minutes or more to the trip, but it's a very pretty drive.

The latest update I've read about Monday's train departure from Baltimore suggests this run could be much slower than I anticipated in my previous report. It might not even depart Baltimore until Monday afternoon. In that case, it might be easier to catch the train in West Virginia on Tuesday.