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The West Virginia scenic railroad has a family feel to it as passengers watch for birds, buildings and scenery.
It’s the last day of the fall season on “The Trough Trip.” And hundreds are eagerly awaiting eagles in the Potomac Highlands of West Virginia.
Jean Shoemaker smiles from her perch, sitting behind a microphone on the Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad. Since 1991, she’s been a mainstay of this rolling bird show, sharing history lessons on this must-ride rail at Romney, West Virginia.
“Just being on that train and sitting back, it’s very relaxing,” says Shoemaker. “You’re out in the nature where everything is calm and peaceful.”
Happy as a songbird, this retired schoolteacher remains ever-youthful in her 70s.
“I am the announcer. I load passengers. I am also the EMT of the train,” Shoemaker says. “I do whatever needs to be done. If they need me to help fill in serving meals, I’ll do that. If we don’t work together, the train doesn’t succeed.”
Success on this train may be relative—in more ways than one.
“We’re not just co-workers; we’re almost like a family,” Shoemaker says. “I almost feel like a mother to some of them.”
‘ALMOST LIKE SHOW BUSINESS’
Greg Kesner recently rose in the ranks on this railroad. And, says Shoemaker, “He’s been a big asset for us.”
In his own words: “This started out as a hobby for me, four years ago, just cleaning the trains. Then it goes from cleaning the trains to working the parking lot. From that, I went to working the gondola and helping the conductor do a few things.”
Now, as a licensed conductor, this 55-year-old deputy sheriff for Hampshire County, West Virginia, serves much like, well, a deputy sheriff.
“You’re making sure the people are safe. You’re making sure the operation is safe. You’re collecting the tickets,” Kesner says.
“This train is almost like show business,” Kesner adds. “You have to keep people entertained.”
He makes jokes.
“Going through the train, when I punch the tickets, I have so many say, ‘Do you do like the Polar Express?’” Kesner says. “And I joke with them and say, ‘No, I tried that one time and the movie company sent me a bill for doing that.’”
‘WE SEE EAGLES’
Shoemaker credits her 25 years as an elementary school teacher—“and speaking in a tone that people can understand”—as the reason for her popularity as an announcer.
“Give good directions,” she says. “It’s almost like teaching a class.”
Rolling on a sunny Sunday on a “Trough Trip,” the train passes a stone house built in 1789—an amazingly early year for any structure still standing west of the Blue Ridge. Immediately, Shoemaker dispatches details of that building’s history, saying, “German and Dutch, they were well-known for their stonemasonry. So that’s an excellent example of their workmanship.”
“The Trough Trip” spans a roundtrip ride of 34 miles.
And it’s, oh, so slow.
Translation in time: It’s a three-hour tour.
“We run slow enough that people can see what we want them to see,” Shoemaker says. “We could run faster but then people would miss a lot.”
You’ll see eagles in flight or even dipping into the South Branch of the Potomac River—quite the feathery fishermen—inside the giant, natural ravine dubbed “The Trough.”
“Our slow time is in that trough because of the eagles’ nest and the possibility of seeing birds,” Shoemaker says. “We see eagles. It’s very, very rare that we don’t see at least one.”
END OF PREVIEW
The excerpt above is a preview from our March/April 2019 issue. For the rest, subscribe today or log in to the digital edition with your active digital subscription.
