What is the Durbin Rocket?
Some of you are saying, “Oh, that is simple. It is a rocket called Durbin that astronauts boarded and rode into outer space.”
Well, that is not the correct answer. It is not an actual rocket that is launched into outer space. It is a name of a train that departed from the small town of Durbin, West Virginia, and it ran along the Greenbrier River ended at a picnic area before returning to the town of Durbin. A ride on the Durbin Rocket departed from a vintage train depot that housed a small museum and gave you great views of the river.
In 2021, the town of Durbin, West Virginia lost the rocket. What happened?
The Durbin Rocket departs from the depot at Cass, West Virginia, the home of the Cass Scenic Railroad making its way along the Greenbrier River. It gives you another reason to visit the historic town of Cass. The same vintage train that pumped steam into the air in Durbin is now pumping steam next to a train that has pumped steam for a century, but the Durbin Rocket will not be climbing up to Bald Knob, but it will be taking riders along the Greenbrier River north of Cass. The truth is that only the location has changed, but the beauty of West Virginia and the Greenbrier River remains.
The Durbin Rocket is part of the Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad. The Durbin Rocket also has ‘Castaway Caboose’ where you ride in a caboose and is taken to a remote location where you spend a night in the caboose itself. Reservations are required. Please note that the cars are not wheelchair accessible. You can get more information at https://mountainrailwv.com/#/.
Take a ride on the Durbin Rocket. It may not take you to outer space, but you will see amazing scenery. Astronaut training is not required to ride the train.
John Cowgill: Stories of the Railroad 
Reblogged this on John Cowgill's Literature Site.
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