Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad
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The Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad is a tourist railroad based in Romney, West Virginia. It operates over the old Baltimore and Ohio Railroad line that runs from Green Spring to Petersburg, West Virginia. The West Virginia State Rail Authority (SRA) now owns and operates the line which is currently known as the South Branch Valley Railroad. The "Eagle" runs from Romney, West Virginia to Moorefield with occasional all day trips to Petersburg using diesel power. The highlight of the trip is passage along the South Branch of the Potomac River through "The Trough", an area noted for bald eagle sightings.
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[edit] History
The PESR runs on the track of the South Branch Valley Railroad, which was established by the state of West Virginia in 1978 to operate a line abandoned by the B&O. Freight service on this line operates on weekdays and occasionally on weekends, so the line is free for excursions on most weekends.
In 1989 efforts began to attract an excursion operator, and service began in 1991.
[edit] Equipment
The PESR operates a mixture of cars behind four early model diesels:
- F7A #722 (ex-Bessemer and Lake Erie), the only locomotive painted in PESR colors
- FP7A #8016 (ex-Clinchfield, ex-CSXT) in Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad livery
- GP9 #6604 (ex-B&O), one of the distinctive "torpedo boat" units built for passenger service and restored to its original livery
- GP9 #6240 (ex C&O) in Chessie System livery
Also of interest is the station, just south of Romney. It is B&O caboose #C2507, one of the seven prototype "wagon top" cabooses built by the railroad in 1940.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad website
