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Railroad honored with state award

CHARLESTON – The Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad was honored by the state this week with a major tourism industry award.

This year’s Stars of the Industry and Gold Star award recipients were recognized Tuesday during the 2015 Governor’s Conference on Tourism: Real. Wild, Wonderful West Virginia at Oglebay Resort & Conference Center in Wheeling.

The awards recognize standout organizations and individuals who have promoted the many wild and wonderful destinations throughout the state and whose hard work has encouraged development of the tourism industry in West Virginia.

“As we plan for another great year in the travel and tourism industry in Wild, Wonderful West Virginia, I’d like to express my continued gratitude to our partners for their hard work, creativity and dedication in helping to make the Mountain State a world-class destination,” Commissioner of Tourism Amy Shuler Goodwin said.

The 2015 Stars of the Industry award recipients included the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad, honored with the Mountain State Award.

The Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad is a heritage and freight railroad. It operates the West Virginia State Rail Authority-owned Durbin Railroad and West Virginia Central Railroad.

The D&GV agreed to take over operations for the historic geared steam-powered Cass Scenic Railroad, which was previously operated by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources as part of Cass Scenic Railroad State Park.

Beginning with the 2015 season, the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad added the Cass Scenic Railroad to its portfolio of Mountain Rail Adventures, operating the largest fleet of historic steam-powered geared “Shay” locomotives in the world.

Mountain Rail Adventures, offered by the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad, bridge two counties – Randolph and Pocahontas. The rail excursion company operates many more historic steam-driven locomotives and vintage diesel-powered passenger trains that depart Elkins, Durbin, Cheat Bridge and Cass each March through December.

The Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad has brought the officially licensed The Polar Express holiday train ride event to Elkins for each holiday season since 2011. The rides are based on the holiday feature film from Warner Bros. and the beloved children’s book by Chris Van Allsburg, about a doubting young boy who takes an extraordinary train ride to the North Pole on Christmas Eve.

Set to the sounds of the motion picture soundtrack, pajama clad passengers relive the magic of the story as this nighttime train whisks families away for an unforgettable ride to the North Pole. During the journey, the conductor punches tickets and dancing chefs serve hot chocolate, followed by a reading of Van Allsburg’s classic. At the North Pole, Santa boards the train and greets the children and offers a gift for those who truly believe – a silver sleigh bell.

Entries for the Stars of the Industry awards were judged by an industry panel.

Wild, Wonderful West Virginia, in collaboration with the West Virginia Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus and the West Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association, hosted the 2015 Governor’s Conference on Tourism: Real. Wild, Wonderful West Virginia in Wheeling Sunday through Wednesday at Oglebay Resort and Conference Center.

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