We boarded Virginia Scenic Railway’s former Western Pacific California Zephyr Budd Vista-Dome at Staunton. Kris had booked us tickets for Adults-Only Dining, so we were seated at a table in the lower level of the art deco–style classic passenger car.

This trip was aboard VSRy’s “Alleghany Special,” which operates west over the former Chesapeake & Ohio. We departed as advertised and made a reverse move up to the C&O station before heading west.

Our car-hosts, Mike and Liz, took great care of us. I sampled some of the local craft beer, including The 6th Lord from Basic City Beer Company, as I made notes on lineside locations.

This journey was completed in just three hours.

I noted portions of the former right-of-way before the railroad was relocated in the 1950s to improve curvature and gradient.

Our meals were served on the westward leg of the trip.

At Goshen, Virginia the locomotive ran around the train, and we reversed direction on the main line.

Among the scenic highlights was an 1890-vintage truss bridge along a parallel road. A couple of days later, we returned by road to inspect the bridge.

Upon arrival back in Staunton, we spent a couple of hours wandering around town.

What a neat way to experience Virginia! We were so impressed that we booked tickets for another VSRy journey while still on the train. More on our second trip in an upcoming Tracking the Light post.

Tracking the Light posts Daily!