West Virginia Bridge Being Rebuilt along Tourism Train Route

November 30, 2022

News Release | AP

Scenic West Virginia

CASS, WV - A West Virginia railroad bridge destroyed by floodwaters 37 years ago is being replaced to enable a tourism train to resume trips through the area, officials said.

Braving harsh conditions and long commutes, Department of Transportation workers are rebuilding the Trout Run bridge in remote Pocahontas County. It was part of the Cass Scenic Railroad since it opened in 1963, and the rail line itself dates back to the early 1900s.

Floodwaters destroyed the tracks on the stone railroad bridge in 1985.

The project would reopen the rail line between Cass and Durbin.

“I think we owe it to the state and to the nation to open this back up so people can see the beauty of the river and this valley,” Cass project engineer Greg Pennington said in a statement.

Construction materials and heavy equipment had to be brought in by rail, a 30-minute ride each way for workers, the statement said.

“When it’s 25 degrees at Cass, it’s 15 degrees here,” Pennington said. “We actually plowed ourselves in — our pickups have plows on them — we’d plow our way in to get to work.”