STAUNTON — The newest member of the Virginia Scenic Railway fleet is the Shenandoah, a vista dome train car built by the Budd Company in 1948.
Once owned by Country Music legend Merle Haggard, the refurbished car operated by the Buckingham Branch Railroad is part of two different excursions that the company offers, both three-hour round trips that depart from Staunton.
“The thing that is particularly new and interesting about a dome car is your view,” said Steve Powell, president of Buckingham Branch. “You’ve got kind of a glass bubble up top … you’ve got a full 360-degree view around you.”
The upper level of the Shenandoah — originally named the Silver Palace — has 24 seats. Those are the passengers that get to take advantage of the panoramic view in the upper observation area.
Powell has ridden in the upper level four times now.
“I’ve ridden a lot of trains and this perspective is just so unique,” he said. “It’s just such an open view. You’re actually up higher than the locomotive. You can actually see what’s over the locomotive and see what’s coming up so you don’t have to just look out the sides of the train, you can look in front of the train or behind the train. It’s just a really cool view.”
On the main level of the Shenandoah, the car will have both a walk-up bar with a lounge/banquet seating area plus cafe class seating with a table.
The car is designed to be a premium adults-only car with multiple classes of service. Box meals will be available for purchase during the booking process. Virginia wine and beer will be available for purchase on the train.
In surveys from riders, Powell said a lot of passengers expressed a desire to have a car that was only for adults. This new vista dome will be for passengers 21 years and older.
The car is added to the excursions already in place and will be part of the trips starting Thursday, April 3.
The Alleghany Special heads west through the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, eventually stopping in Goshen for the return trip. It operates Thursday through Sunday throughout the year departing Staunton at 10:30 a.m. The train stops for about 20 minutes in Goshen so the engine can turn around.
Country music legend Merle Haggard, shown playing in Redding, Calif., in 2013, once owned the Shenandoah, a vista dome train car which is now part of the Virginia Scenic Railway fleet.
The Blue Ridge Flyer also operates four days a week, Thursday through Sunday, leaving at 3:30 p.m. and heading east through Fishersville and Waynesboro before entering the nearly mile-long Blue Ridge Tunnel. The train travels to Ivy before returning to Staunton.
The vista dome car originally ran on the Western Pacific Railroad’s California Zephyr passenger route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Oakland, California.
After leaving Western Pacific, the car passed through several owners, including Haggard. According to Powell, when Haggard acquired the car he wanted to live in it. The country music singer had a shower and Murphy bed installed in the lower part of the car.
Haggard had a fascination with trains and even released a 1976 album titled, “My Love Affair with Trains.”
Later it was leased to tourist trains including Branson Scenic Railroad and White River Scenic Railroad. In 1998, the car was sold to the Wisconsin Central Railway and assigned to the Algoma Central Railway. Around 2014, it went back to private ownership.
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Most recently, the car appeared briefly on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. This winter, the Virginia Scenic Railway fully refurbished and modernized the car for premium service. Powell said the refurbishment included replacing windows, painting the inside, recovering seats and new shades and trim work for the windows.
It is now part of the state’s only regularly scheduled passenger excursion service.
Ticket prices range from $90 to $120 and can be booked on the Virginia Scenic Railway website.
— Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Connect with Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and on Instagram @hitepatrick. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Virginia Scenic Railways adds train car once owned by Merle Haggard
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