Coming this fall apparently.mwhttp://www.newsleader.com/apps/pbcs.d ... 50305/1002

I thought that was Chesapeake and Western (later N&W), not B&O trackage as stated in the article.

That particular stretch of RR was originally built by the Valley RR of Virginia in the 1870's. (B&O was a financial backer). It extended all the way to Lexington, Va. The Chesapeake Western aquired the line after the B&O abandoned it during WWII, and kept the Harrisonburg-Staunton stretch in operation. The line was never "N&W" trackage, although the N&W purchased the CW in the early 1950's. The line was spun off to the SVRR when NS reorganized CW operations in the late 1980's. The Roanoke Chapter NRHS's Alco T-6 N&W 41, was CW #11 from 1964 until 1985 and traversed the line countless times. Back in the "good old days" in the late 70's and early 80's, one could sign a release at the CW offices and ride the Staunton local, a trip I took many times on #11. This is a gorgeous little railroad in a great location (2 miles off I-81). Let's everyone give them all the support we can and come out and ride!!!

We did a feasibility study on the north end of the line (Strasburg-Newmarket) a few years ago. At that time NS was willing to discuss selling Shenandoah Caverns to Strasburg; since then they have retained the line. The local political support for a purchase/excursion on that end was relatively soft, even if the market was certainly there for a better-quality operation. I think it has better than an average chance of succeeding, though getting directly into Staunton and the tourism/shopping/historic district has been a goal just out of reach.

The area in Verona that will be used for boarding has convenient parking and good footing. The SV runs into downtown Staunton and ends about 3 blocks from the downtown area. Unfortunately, the "yard" area has poor footing and no parking, as it is being used temporaily as a staging area for the construction crews renovating the Stonewall Jackson Hotel two blocks away. If this operation suceeds, it would be possible to develop facilities in Staunton, although the usual "cubic dollars" would be needed.