Change Comes to West Virginia’s
Remarkable Durbin Rocket

We’re driving north from Cass, West Virginia, after another epic day aboard the train to Bald Knob. A typical late spring dew-drenched morning, State Highway 92 unspools before us, taking us into a different West Virginia, one of farms and rolling fields, a divergent kind of rugged, the Mountain State gone pastoral. Yet the highest mountains in West Virginia are close by, looming and imposing, never far away.

Our short drive takes us to the tiny town of Durbin, a one-time timber town at the confluence of the East and West Forks of the Greenbrier River, and a once busy interchange between the Chesapeake & Ohio and Western Maryland Railways. We enjoy hearty breakfasts at the firefighting-themed Station 2 Restaurant, and we’re ready for a big time on a little railroad. Little, but distinctive—there’s nothing like this anywhere.

Outside the restaurant, there’s the soft scent of coal smoke wafting on the breeze as the sun finally begins to break through the mist and fog. Birdsong is mixed with the gentle sighing of a steam locomotive at rest. Though there are hints of the late spring cold snap known in Appalachia as “Britches Winter,” this day promises to be a hot one, a preview of the sweltering, humid days of the fast-approaching summer.

Across the street, between the standard C&O depot and a rustic one-stall enginehouse, a Heisler geared logging locomotive simmers as it is readied for the day. Opening weekend for the Durbin Rocket has arrived, with anticipation and excitement for another season of old timey railroad fun along the Greenbrier River. But there’s also, for the perceptive, perhaps a sense of melancholy, of transition and transformation. The Durbin Rocket, as it has been known and loved for twenty-five years, is about to change. Forever.

Established in 1997 and operated by the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad,the Durbin Rocket is a 2 hour, 5.5 mile out-and-back steam excursion from Durbin to Hevener, an inaccessible spot deep in the lush Monongahela National Forest. Currently powered by a 1929-built 3 truck Heisler, the Durbin Rocket is a hidden treasure, a true gem in the wilderness, too often eclipsed by the overly famous Cass Scenic Railroad just twenty-odd miles to the southwest. (Cass Scenic Railroad, along with the diesel-powered New Tygart Flyer out of Elkins, West Virginia, are also operated by the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley.)

The long-awaited reopening of the Chesapeake & Ohio Greenbrier Subdivision between Durbin and Cass, abandoned since 1985, is expected to be later this year, and with it, the operation of the Durbin Rocket will be recast. No longer will this pocket-sized excursion train originate at Durbin; future plans call for all steam operations to be concentrated at Cass, with the Durbin Rocket becoming a Cass-Durbin roundtrip, laying over briefly at Durbin.

But for now, the Durbin Rocket runs as it always has, leaving town caboose-first, the Heisler clanking and chuffing, shrouded in steam and smoke. The trip is leisurely, a relaxed meander that harkens back to easier, simpler times. The higher elevation here means cooler mountain air which, coupled with the unhurried saunter of the train, makes oppressively hot summer days a bit more bearable.

Arriving at Hevener, our train’s first order of business is to pick up the Castaway Caboose, a distinctive offering of the Durbin Rocket, wherein up to six people aboard restored Wabash cabooses, equipped with all the comforts of home, are “cast away” for one or more overnights. This bit of switching done, all the passengers detrain for a leg stretch and a few moments of idyllic tranquility in the wilds of backwoods West Virginia. The train crew lubricates and checks the locomotive whilst chatting with the excursionists. Then, engineer, fireman and conductor match dials in the grand old tradition, and taking note of the time, the passengers are whistled back aboard, and the return trip begins .

Now, the Heisler is in the lead, its staccato exhaust belying the slow-motion amble of the diminutive train. The rhythm of the rails, the stack talk from the locomotive, and the clickety-clack of vintage equipment on jointed track are an appropriate accompaniment for the cold, clear Greenbrier, tumbling down out of the mountains, singing its ancient song of babbles and burbles.

Back in Durbin, the crew takes a well deserved break, getting lunch from the Simply Sweet Cafe across from the depot before making some preparations for the afternoon trip. Appetites are strong, and iced tea tastes especially good after hard work in the stifling cab of the Heisler on an increasingly hot day.

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Summer is a fleeting thing . . .

Fast Forward: The summer solstice has come and gone now, and the longest day of the year is behind us. July and August are wearing on, sun soaked and sultry. Butterflies are making their erratic flights on sweet breezes, and there’s endless blue skies accented by lazy, puffy clouds. Many cool, soft drinks are appreciated. Families share smiles and laughter. Countless times well-worn bandanas wipe away the sweat and soot from the brows of the hard working crew. Along the Greenbrier, the Durbin Rocket trundles on, for one last summer.

“Do you remember our Durbin Rocket ride last summer? Those memories now like dreams…”

Summer is a fleeting thing, a mere moment, and then the moment is gone. And so soon is the Durbin Rocket.

Eric Miller – Photographs and text Copyright 2022

For more information about the Durbin Rocket and the other rail adventures operated by the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad, please visit https://mountainrailwv.com/.