Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad facts for kids
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An EMD F3 leads an excursion over Route 28 north of Springfield, West Virginia.
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The Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad is a special train ride in Romney, West Virginia. It's known as a heritage railroad because it uses old train tracks and classic locomotives. This gives people a fun trip back in time.
The railroad runs exciting train trips on tracks that used to belong to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. These tracks go between Green Spring and Petersburg. The West Virginia State Rail Authority owns these tracks. Freight trains still use them on weekdays.
The Potomac Eagle's special trains usually travel from Romney to Moorefield. Sometimes, they even go on longer trips to Petersburg. All these trips use powerful diesel locomotives.
A Special Journey: The Trough
One of the most exciting parts of the train ride is when it goes along the South Branch Potomac River. This area is called "The Trough". It's a beautiful, wild place.
"The Trough" is famous for something amazing: you can often spot bald eagles flying high above! It's a truly special sight.
How the Railroad Started
The Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad uses the tracks of the South Branch Valley Railroad. The state of West Virginia started this railroad in 1978. They took over the line after the B&O railroad stopped using it.
Since freight trains use the line mostly on weekdays, the tracks are free for fun trips on most weekends. People started working in 1989 to bring a special train ride here. The first Potomac Eagle trips began in 1991.
Meet the Locomotives
The Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad uses several cool diesel locomotives. They pull a mix of passenger cars. Here are some of the engines you might see:
- F7A #722: This engine used to belong to the Bessemer and Lake Erie railroad. It has been painted to look like an old B&O train, similar to engine 6604.
- GP9 #6604: This engine once worked for the B&O railroad. It's a special "torpedo boat" unit. It was built for carrying passengers and now looks just like it did originally.
- GP9 #6240: This engine used to be with the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway. It wears the classic Chessie System colors.
- [[EMD GP9/GP9U #8250: This locomotive came from the Canadian Pacfic Railway. It still has its Potomac Eagle paint job.
Former Engines
Some engines used to be part of the Potomac Eagle family but have moved on:
- [[EMD F3A/F3AU #8016: This engine was once with the Clinchfield Railroad. It used to be painted in a Chesapeake and Ohio passenger scheme. It was later sold to CSX. Now, it runs on CSX's Santa Train and other railroads in the Northeast United States. It's painted gray and numbered 800.
- [[ALCO FPA4 #6793: This engine came from the Canadian National Railway. It used to wear the Potomac Eagle colors, just like 722 and 8250. Engine 6793 was sold to the Grand Canyon Railway. It now works there and is painted in their passenger colors.
