Cass Scenic Railroad State Park — Attraction in Marlinton

The day after our $83 Greenbrier Express train ride, we were immediately SPAMed by Mountain Rail West Virginia asking us to take time to leave them feedback on social media. Personally, we find this rather distasteful and at times, it's best not to ask customers you've [possibly] angered to tell the world about it? You asked.

As for our trip to West Virginia, 99% of the people we met, talked to and interacted with were simply delightful, exceptionally friendly, warm and welcoming. Whether it was the kid at the gas station, our waiter / waitress, hotel clerk, the tour guide at the observatory - everyone was congenial – except one Mountain Rail employee. But more on this in a moment.

As for the residents, shop owners and employees of Cass, WV, we want to thank you for being most hospitable, friendly, welcoming. We will tell many friends about out trip and the wonderful people we met in your valley.

As for our Sunday, June 18th 6-hour train ride: The two female employees in the station [at the ticket windows] were happy, welcoming, exceptionally friendly and efficient! Thank you! As for the 18-year old gentleman (with the long blond hair on the train), you are a remarkable young man – extremely talented, remarkably knowledgeable, friendly, welcoming. Your parents must be truly proud of you! As you ate your lunch on the train, you and I and your older, curly haired female associate (whom the passengers in our car affectionately named “Miss Yacks-A-Lot” LOL!) all talked. It was more like visiting with best friends than talking with people who were “at work.” I believe everyone on the train was enlightened, informed and entertained by both of you - - to and from Durbin. It would have become a long, boring 5-hour round trip without the updates, information and humor both of you injected in to the adventure. I think everyone on the train appreciated your personalities, humor, friendliness. Thank you.

Now for the negative. While in the station and waiting to board, I was curious about what appeared to be a large diesel generator / engine that was in the railway mail car. Inasmuch, I waited then politely asked one of the train's employees, a white / Asian? gentleman (maybe 30-years old) standing outside of the engine if he could answer a question. He snapped at me in a condescending tone and told me I'd have to wait. Whoa there Nellie! Inasmuch, I patiently waited, thinking maybe I had interrupted him (in that he would talk to me in such a condescending tone). When he did eventually respond, I politely asked him if that was a diesel generator and if so, what was it used for? His response was something along the lines of “Well you know what such-and-such is on an Amtrak train, well that does the same thing.” I thought “If I knew what that thing did on one train, I've have a general idea of what it likely did on another.” Sort of along the lines of “If I knew what a microwave oven did in California, I'd have a general idea of what one did in New York.” What a nasty disposition this guy had!

This same individual was the person responsible for climbing off of the train and throwing the switches during our trip. It appears the railroad found a great position for this particular individual: Off of the train, behind it, away from the paying passengers.

During out trip, we met 100 warm, welcoming, friendly people in West Virginia. Only one of them was...

I had trouble writing this review because there are so many wonderful things about visiting here and a few changes that I was so disappointed to see. First of all we stayed in one of the company houses in Cass #234 to be exact and found it charming, rustic and the perfect place to stay with teens that needed time to wander. We were even greeted by a lovely "welcome wagon dog" that ran up to us and said hello! The house we stayed in came fully furnished, plenty of towels for all 3 bedrooms and clean sheets on the bed. The cabin has NO air conditioning even though it says it does on the website. You do get screens and box fans for each room and a ceiling fan in the living room. The weather was great and we didn't really miss the AC even in June. The Kitchen was fully furnished with everything you would need, coffeemaker and microwave as well. We felt able to let our teens wander through the town, go and visit the Company store and just be on their own. We even found out the store is a Poke Gym and were able to grab it for a couple of day, lots of Poke Stops as well if you play Pokemon' Go! Even though the area is a quiet zone and we had no cell service we had great wifi in the house and were able to make phone calls on our cell phones within the house as well. I really cannot complain about the company house, just be prepared for the rustic part. Each morning and evening we had visits from wildlife and the rockers on the front porch were a place to gather and enjoy the quiet. Our cabin was located on the "main drag" of Cass so traffic could be loud at times but in the evenings things settled down and there was no trouble sleeping at all. We were right across from the Greenbriar Walking trail and checked that out as well (make sure to use bug spray). Now my biggest concern really resides within the Scenic Railroad itself, this is something we have enjoyed doing for years but this year it came as a great surprise at how the ticket price has almost tripled. The ride is great and we have been to both Whitaker station (2.5 hours) and the Bald Knob trip (4.5) hours in the past but tickets were around 12 to 20 bucks a pop. There is so much beauty to be seen on both, but we learned during our visit that the train is now being run by another company and not the park service anymore hence the upping of the price. We took 4 people on the trip and it was over 160.00, that is shocking and I can see why the train is not running the capacity I have seen it in the past. We even talked to locals that say they can't afford to ride or take friends and family when they come to visit. That really makes me sad for the local economy which depends on the income from tourists. The people that live in and around this community are some of the best ones I have ever met. I don't want this review to change your mind about taking the train because it is worth it to see the beauty and support this community. Also the kids love it and getting to experience a steam locomotive trip is something not forgotten. In conclusion, I highly recommend staying in Cass, riding the train and eating at the local cafe. Being there is a throw back to a lifetime that in now gone but that you can relive even for just a couple of days in this...

We visited Cass for the weekend, rode the train to Whittaker Station (the longer ride was booked) and stayed overnight. We really enjoyed the beautiful mountains and the cool, fall weather. The employees were helpful and friendly. The train ride was enjoyable, and the highlight of the day was the movie about the history of Cass and an explanation of a diorama of the original town by an older employee who obviously had thoroughly researched the subject and was passionate about it. In fact, we could have listened to him for hours and he really made the place come alive for us. As we were staying in the park (the cottage with the loft—not one of the original company houses) we walked around that evening and could get a sense of what life must have been like for the people who had lived there. We hope the park will eventually have the funds to restore the doctor’s house, Luke House and the rest of the company houses as they are definitely worth saving! The accommodations were nice—very cute and a bit rustic, but with a/c, WiFi and generally all the comforts of home. The cottage was right on the river with a wrap-around deck where we sat and listened to the river and watched deer come out of the woods to graze. The little town is beautifully quiet and peaceful in the evenings after the trains are done for the day. Another highlight is the Greenbrier River Trail, a short walking path which ran right in front of our cottage and is a lovely spot for a quiet morning or evening walk. ||A few cons: It was pretty surprising that hardly any employees or guests wore masks, even inside the store and restaurant. Particularly unnerving was the train ride where a young child, unmasked and coughing incessantly, roamed about the car. No social distancing was attempted on the train, not even in the car with two long benches where people were jammed, end-to-end. I wouldn’t recommend Cass for anyone right now who is unvaccinated or immune compromised as they aren’t taking even the most basic COVID precautions and it’s just not safe. ||The restaurant is so-so, but we didn’t expect gourmet. Just be prepared for basic, country-style food and bring your own if you want fresh fruit or vegetables. We did get a good panini with fresh tomato and could purchase juice at the restaurant across the river (not part of the park). The ice cream and milkshakes at the company store are great and a real bargain, though.||There is no cell service, but you can access WiFi in the store and cabins. I could not call out on my phone, and did wonder what would happen if an overnight guest experienced an emergency. There was no after-hours contact information provided and the store closes at 8. In fact, we realized we needed an item and went to the store about 7:30, but the store employee couldn’t help us (she was very apologetic) and no one else was there to assist overnight guests. I don’t think I’ve ever encountered this at a state park before, but apparently guests are “on their own” in this pretty isolated location once the office closes, so be prepared.||In summary: If you’re looking for a peaceful place to visit with loads of history and simple, clean accommodations, you’ll enjoy Cass. Make sure you book your train tickets...