New River Specials
The New River Train 98 |
- New River Gorge Specials 1998 by Don Mills
Courtesy of the Collis P Huntington NRHS
Huntington West Virginia
for so many years our Chapter has hosted the New River Train, where we
have heard the great songs that pertain to Riding that New River
Train. My
guess is that many who ride-
haven't the foggiest ideal of what it takes to make the NRT go off
without
a visible hitch. The CPH chapter members many from as far
away as
Lexington KY, Massillon OH, Danville, IL, Cincinnati, OH, Columbus
OH,
Pikeville, KY, (and Harold KY) plus points on the map that range from
200
miles in all directions come together for the highlight of our
Chapter
year. The hotels in town start gearing up as well as many
chapter members
open up their homes to receive workers, (who seem like an extended
family)
many of whom we see only once a year. JoAnne Rife and those
folks in the
premium food service have been looking for prime caterers to make
premium
service patrons on both weekends have a dinner that many nationally
known
dinner trains envy. This year she had 740 Premium meals that
were made.
She also starts lining up her select crew who end up working like
slaves on
a plantation but never betray the slightest signs of fatigue.
Steve
Ferrell and Bill Conley get together a mechanical crew as they pray
(even
Steve Ferrell as gnarly as he is) that nothing happens to force a car
to be
pulled from the train. Although some minor electrical problems had to
be
taken care of prior to the first trip. Ramona Webb, Betty
Weaver and
Betty Clay all have been selling chapter tickets with the Don Maxwell
Gandhi theory of excursion riding in mind, singing "OH; WE Love
The Old
ONE." And all three of them praying (plus Don
Maxwell who has been known
to pray on occasion) that the outlets where tickets have been sold,
have no
suprises in store for loading Supervisors, David Webb, & Dale
Smith along
with section supervisors Bill Gillespie, Patty Mills and Cleo Midkiff
whom
they know will have to pray hard that all riders get a satisfactory
seat,
with as many as possible getting to sit together and-- that no real
brawls
break out when this is not always possible-(even in the make-shift
concession car, which had to be used as a coach the last Sunday).
Dan
Hayne, Mike Hollister and others get up very early and see that
supplies
and continental breakfasts' are delivered to the Coach section.
Susan
and Roger Young get together a crew of folks after she has ventured
around
town to get the most important parts of the trips for many riders
-food.
Her crew smiles (knowing that long days are in store) and sings the
song
-"Hold the Pickle, Hold the Lettuce, special Orders Don't Upset
us, all we
ask is that you let us have it your way". (I did hear one
crew person say
that they would like to let them have it --but I won't go there)
Cooper
and all the Medics gear up for falls, bruises and bee stings plus
exhaustion from climbing the hill into Hinton. General
Gophers Zac
Mcginnes and Shannon Hayne (a.k.a. Wednesday) are dispersed
throughout the
train from making sandwiches, to working in Concessions and helping
yours
truly with Operation Lifesaver. Lest I forget there's
Karol Cavender and
her crew in souvenirs who have chosen mementos that set this years
New
River Train apart from all the others. They spend many
hours folding and
refolding NRT shirts, finding the chosen pins and buttons and smiling
when
someone looks through everything and chooses nothing. Chris,
Walt, & Brian
Cavender are keeping the Communication lines open with radios
throughout
the train and hearing all the problems first hand and seeing that the
proper person in charge is notified. We
come to my favorite area and
one in which I feel cannot be described in a way other than
miraculous,
long suffering and in many cases humiliating, and one in which I feel
gets
overlooked far too often. This is the general car hosts.
These are the
people who show up every morning some carrying buckets, mops, vacuum
cleaners, garbage bags and smiles. They are the main link with
the
patrons. They are the ones who clean smelly rest rooms,
clean up the
umpteenth spills and slip on the M&M's, bag and carry garbage,
answer the
question, where is the souvenir car- more times than can be counted.
Direct people to the areas of safety, Keep all there patrons as happy
as
possible. Listen to complaints of why are we stopping here? and
how come
they can get on the train here but I can't? Smile when little
Johnny
thinks it is funny that the chips didn't make it to his mouth only to
wind
up in the seats and on the floors. Here the stories and see
Patrons, those
who seem normal as well as the eccentric and the outlandish.
(I heard one
car host say that Elvis and Moses were on his car, one kid even
started
giving his Christmas list to a person he thought was Santa Claus.)
Stay
after the train is off loaded and clean the car only to return the
next day
and do it all again. These folks are so special
that they get two theme
songs. "Working on the Chain Gang" or
"Heigh HO! Heigh HO! Its off to
work we go." (The car host choice)
This year we were fortunate in
that we had a good group of chapter Narrators, who let people
know where
they were, plus give some general history of the area in which we
were
traveling, they were Charlie Aurand, Paul Moore (2 times) as well as
Lloyd
Lewis, Ray Bail and Don Maxwell. Every trip utilized at
least 80 to 120
chapter members and friends who filled all the above posts.
Many also
worked all four days at 12-18 hour days plus going home with such
excitement that they didn't sleep due to the expectations of the next
day.
Lots of special people were on board this year.
Richard Cass a chapter
member from Dayton paid to ride one day in Coach and one day in
premium and
having so much fun that he exhausted himself and was rescued by the
Medics.
(First weekend) Peg Chandler who always gives 150% and more
fell and broke
her leg in the Transition Car and had to be taken to the hospital in
Hinton, she was brought back to the train and placed on the CSX car
North
Carolina and given as she says-- the royal treatment.
(THE THINGS SOME
PEOPLE WILL DO TO GET A PRIVATE CAR RIDE just kidding Peg, after all
I
still want some lemon pie.) she was off loaded at
the Charleston depot
and taken by ambulance to CAMC.. (Second weekend)
By the time you read
this she should be on her way to a well earned rest.
The National Park Service was on
board each day presenting in their
usual professional manner and tempting many of our patrons into
future
white water rafting trips. We had folks from 20 states and San
Juan Puerto
Rico, as well as persons from Russia, Japan, Germany, England and
Australia. The folks at the Ohio Railway Historical
Society who came
and performed magnificently, as CPH members. WV
Operation Lifesaver
People such as Ron Perry, Ira Baldwin, Tonya Stowers, CSX yard master
from
Huntington and Roger Lipscomb of Trak-Spec Corp plus Don Maxwell,
myself,
and (Wes Ross of KY operation lifesaver) each of whom happily tried
to
cover the whole train all four days. Folks from White Oak
Chapter as well
as our sister group the O & LK chapter in Belpre, OH. And the
Scioto
Chapter in Portsmouth OH.
Never forget those who do not ride
the train but still work hard for us behind the scenes, those hobby
shops
who willingly sell tickets such as Fountain Hobby, AAA in Portsmouth &
Ironton & Gallipolis with chapter member Lenzie Hedrick as
one of our best
spokesmen, CSX, the Fire department in St., Albans, who saw to it
that
light was available for detraining at the depot all four trips, those
folks
in Hurricane who during the last Weekend manned a makeshift depot at
their
gazebo for patrons, and who graciously invited the train as a guest
as part
of their 110th anniversary as a town. All the folks on the
Hinton end who
graciously ran shuttle services up the hill, kept emergency equipment
ready
for use at the depot as well as those who were called in Charleston
for
Peg, (as a chapter family we appreciate this and more) Those
persons such
as chapter member Jim Wall who came to see if anything was needed as
we
were on the road, and some patrons who helped load the train the
first
weekend picking up the excitement of the trip itself. Our
membership
chairperson is expecting many new members who picked up on this
excitement.
I even want to thank those railfans (both
travelers and foamers) who
take pictures of the train as it moves down the tracks, Whether you
want to
or not, you are doing your part to immortalize the World Famous
New River
Train. All trips found us leaving on time with
everyone working in their
respective places. No run-by at
Sewell this year, but a great 45
minutes at the newly restored Thurmond Depot with the folks coming
back
onboard talking about how great it looks. Their only complaint
is that
someone missed an opportunity to sell coffee and pie at the depot or
over
at the Thurmond General Store. (NBC's fleecing of America
can take their
comments and put them where the sun don't shine as the 4,254 patrons
and
staff who visited enjoyed themselves thoroughly and seemingly thought
the
money spent was well worth it.), The Street fair in Hinton was great
as
usual with the entertainment fantastic. The Pocahontas Chapter as
well as
the Greenbrier Valley Model RR Club had excellent models set up above
the
Hinton Museum. All trips saw us returning around 8 to
9:15 each night.
The first Saturday was also bridge day and several crazies were
hanging out
(rappelling) over the side providing exciting patrons an additional
view
not normally seen from this bridge. When we
came back to Huntington the
last night of NRT we had a welcome present from the folks at
the
Estep-Ramey Boys Home in Ashland, KY as all 14 of them helped unload
premium, and the concession cars and were eager for more, actually
they had
been helping all along as they put together some 2,500 continental
breakfasts for our coach patrons, that covered all four trips.
For future
reference the cars on board the New River Train this year were as
follows
eight Amtrak Superliners, a Superliner Diner, a Transition Car, The
Wautoga
Valley car called the Pocahontas, The Pinetree State, another Amtrak
diner,
I&O Vista Dome, J. Pickney Henderson, CSX office Car- the North
Carolina
(along with Bobby Warf) and the NYC #3 Private Car came complete
with a
long time chapter friend Mike Mankin (a.k.a. Bubba) from
Birmingham Ala.
Last but not the least by any stretch of the imagination,
was the Ceredo
Vol. Fire Department who performed a feat that will go down in New
River
Train history as well as in the minds of many of our chapter members.
One
of our chapter members who is suffering from a horrible illness was
asked
by our president if she wanted to ride. Her husband George was
understandably a little leery due to her inability to sit up for long
periods of time, he did consent eventually and Pat Banghart was put
onboard
the Pine Tree State. By all accounts she had a wonderful time
and her
night nurse even told JoAnn that she slept all the way throughout the
night
without waking for the first time since her illness
The Ceredo fire
department wrapped her body up in blankets and duct taped her whole
body
like a mummy in order to get her through the hallways and the
turns of the
rail cars without hurting herself finally getting her off.
Pat told
George that she had such a great time that she hoped that we would
let her
ride again next year. All I can say to that
comment is. If you want
to come back I know of no one in the chapter who would in his/her
right
mind say no. All I can say to Pat personally is that I have
been where you
are and I hope that the same blessing I received you receive, and you
come
back on board a little better each time until you are the best you
can be.
To all those chapter members who couldn't come for one reason or
another we
missed you. Phil York I personally missed seeing you in
your conductor's
uniform telling patrons the sights of the New River. If I
have left
anyone out please forgive my memory lapse. For those who
feel
this article is too long it is too long overdue that each and
everyone who
did anything to keep our chapter a success and the New River Train on
line
we want to say Thank You for the bottom of our hearts. Monday
morning Bob
Shrewsbury watched as the NRT Amtrak consist was backed through
Kenova
around New River Train Cont: 8:30AM so that it would face the correct
way
to go down the Big Sandy line to its next destination in NC with the
Piedmont Chapter who is sponsoring an excursion using that Amtrak
equipment. Steve
Ferrell watched Wednesday as the NYC#3 was put behind the Cardinal
for a
trip to Washington and on to CT. and to its home officially ending
the NRT
for 98.
The New River Excursion Train 1997 by Dr David L
Goodall
courtesy Collis P. Huntington Chapter N.R.H.S.
Huntington, West Virginia
The New River Excursion Train by Dr. David L. Goodall, member of the
Houston, TX area "G" Gaugers Model RR Club.
On Oct. 18, 1997 my wife
and I rode the Annual New River Excursion Train from Huntington to
Hinton,
WV. This route is part of the old C&O's George
Washington route from
Washington, DCC. To Cincinnati, OH. The excursion train
runs from
Huntington past Barboursville on over to the Kanawha Valley, through
St.
Albans, South Charleston, and Montgomery, past Gauley Bridge and into
the
New River Valley past Thrumond into Hinton. I
was born across the Ohio
River from Huntington. I had relatives who worked for the C&O.
I had
ridden the George Washington between D.C and Huntington several
times. And
I had served as pastor of a Presbyterian Church in Nitro, across from
St.
Albans; therefore, this train ride seemed a natural. How
could I have
overlooked it for so long? The scenery along the
Kanawha and New Rivers
is awesome, especially with the trees adorned in their full brilliant
autumn colors. How clean the environment was around the tracks.
Some
houses had what Frolin Marek calls a 1:1 scale garden railroad, i.e.,
the
full sized prototypical C&O trains running through their
backyards. I was
impressed with how neat and clean these yards were. As we
passed South
Charleston, we got a beautiful
Golden view of the state capitol dome in Charleston.
Further upriver, we
enjoyed the scenic towns of Montgomery and Gauley Bridge (where the
Gauley
and New Rivers join to form the Kanawha River). Then came
the spectular
scenes along the New River: the Falls of the Kanawha, rapids, kayaks,
rafters and the breathtaking New River Gorge and the Bridge over the
Gorge.
That bridge is one of the highest in the U.S.
Passengers have a
choice between Amtrak coaches, premium lounge cars or a private car
on the
rear of the train. June and I opted for a private car.
The private car
only held 10 passengers and is served by a chef and a steward.
Passengers
in the private car get to know each other well before the trip is
over.
June sits outside on the observation deck almost the whole trip.
Whenever,
June saw someone waving at her, she waved and sounded the
high-pitched
steam whistle available on the observation deck. Inside,
the private car
provided large picture windows. The car was paneled in
beautiful wood.
The car was appointed with regular stuffed furniture, wooden tables,
etc.
like you would have in your living room.
A planter separates the
lounge area from the dining area. The first meal was a
breakfast buffet
served with real china and silver. The food was top
quality. Lunch was
simple but good quality--a buffet with fruits, nice cuts of meat for
sandwiches, tomatoes, lettuce, etc. Diner was served on the
trip back to
Huntington and consisted of Prime rib beef and vegetables not
overcooked
and flavored with herbs and spices. The bad news was they
provided no
steak knives. The good news was that the meat was so
tender, you could
cut it with your silver table knife. (No serrated edge).
Fine wines were
also provided. Next
to the dining area was the galley where the
Chef, Leo, stayed most of the trip. Beyond the galley was the master
bedroom (MBR) with a queen-sized bed complete with brass headboard.
The
MBR sported plenty of storage cabinets all in beautiful wood.
Across
from the MBR was a large wardrobe room. Next to the MBR
was a roomy bath
complete with porcelain sink and toilet (not stainless steel).
The
bathroom also contained a roomy shower. Along the length of the
rest of
the car were three Pullman type sleeper rooms and a baggage area.
My
words fail to do justice to the full experience. I
commend it to you.
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