STAUNTON — Those who regularly visit the Queen City and have a keen ear may be familiar with the low rumbling and piercing horn blows that signal the arrival of the Virginia Scenic Railway, but for visitors to the area, it’s the sound of a new adventure calling.
The railway, operated by the Buckingham Branch Railroad, takes passengers on two scenic trips throughout the Shenandoah Valley, both departing from Staunton. One, called the Alleghany Special, takes riders west through the countryside before turning around in Goshen. The other, the Blue Ridge Flyer, brings riders east through Staunton, Fishersville and Waynesboro before journeying through the mile-long Blue Ridge Tunnel.
Both round trips return to Staunton in about four hours. The Alleghany Special usually runs in the morning, while the Blue Ridge Flyer departs in the afternoon. Both trips also include meal options.
With a newly added dome car offering a unique view of the route, the railway helps riders find a part of the valley they might never have seen otherwise. As the train passes sights like old Waynesboro, the Blue Ridge Tunnel, and local farms, a narration plays on loudspeakers throughout the passenger cars, giving riders more info on what they can see out the window.
The scenic railway shares Buckingham Branch’s tracks with trains from three other organizations. Along with Buckingham Branch’s day-to-day freight operations, Amtrak’s Cardinal passenger service traveling between New York and Chicago and CSX freight trains carrying empty freight cars also use the line.
Passengers travel from all across Virginia and beyond to ride the rails. Joshua Wignall, 43, of Richmond, brought his mother, Carol, to ride the Alleghany Special for her 78th birthday.
“She wanted to come on a scenic ride, so I got it for her birthday,” Joshua Wignall said. “First time I’ve ever been on a train. It’s cool. Very relaxing.”
Carol Wignall said railroading was in her blood after her grandfather spent his life working as a railroad conductor.
Debbie Carseldine, 50, took a Thursday morning trip with her husband Lee, 54. The couple were visiting from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, taking a tour of the United States to ride as many scenic railways as they could in six weeks.
“This is our third train trip in the last 10 days, actually,” said Debbie Carseldine. “This is one of the good ones that came up. We’re doing a road trip, so being on the train is a relaxing change from, you know, driving around and navigating for ourselves.”
The Carseldines both said they would happily ride the Virginia Scenic again if given the chance.
Monica Soebbing, of Verona, said the Thursday morning trip she took with her husband, Joe, was their third time riding the Virginia Scenic since they retired. After riding each route once, the recent addition of the dome car brought them back.
“We had to come back,” Monica Soebbing said. “We had to see it. This is incredible. It’s so different, and you get to really see what’s along the railroad tracks, and the old architecture along the tracks. It gives you a different sense of what it was.”
Avery Mitchem, an excursions coordinator for the railway, has been working on the train for two months. She said she would much rather be working on rails than in an office.
“I really love it,” Mitchem said. “It’s a very unique position. I love just how much people enjoy the views and the experience we offer.”
In addition to the Alleghany Special and Blue Ridge Flyer, the railway runs special trains at different times of the year. During the winter holiday season, families can enjoy Santa’s Scenic Railway, which features visits from Santa himself.
The railway partners with other organizations to run the Shenandoah Valley Limited when available. In fall 2023, the railway partnered with the Virginia Museum of Transportation to have the historic Norfolk and Western 611 steam locomotive pull the train from Goshen to Staunton.
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