The past year saw the good news such as purchase of a new rail corridor (Fairmont to Shinnston), the completion of bridge decking on two trails (Thurmond-Minden and North Bend), the designation of two existing National Forest trails, and receipt of the Trails for Tomorrow national award from DuPont and the American Hiking Society for our volunteer efforts on the Thurmond-Minden trail. And late breaking news reveals two more corridor segments we have worked on for years are about to be acquired early in1996.
As an organization, WVRTC reached several important milestones. Membership growth continued in 1995, with paid membership increasing more than ten-fold since the fall of 1994. The increase in membership and the successful sales of the Adventure Guide to WV Rail Trails has put the Council on a firm financial basis. We have paid off all our debts and have been able to establish a small grant program to member associations.
As we go to press with this newsletter, the Greenbrier River Trail and many homes along that river and others are under flood waters. The flood waters are nearly as high as the 1985 flood that caused so much damage to the Greenbrier River Trail and the towns along the Greenbrier and other eastern rivers.
Our hearts go out to the flood victims. We hope the work to clean up after this mess will go quickly. If you have time or money to donate to the cleanup effort, contact your local American Red Cross or Salvation Army chapter.
There is no doubt the recently repaired Greenbrier River Trail has received damage. We will follow up this report in the next newsletter and on our World Wide Web page to keep you informed about the damage.
WVRTC has left the depot, cleared the switch and is pickin' up steam on the mainline....we're rollin'. Extra fuel and boiler water were added at the last stop. We're back to our original purpose with new assignments dispatched. An excited crew is ready to take this Council on the next leg of our journey. I do miss Lynn, our conductor, but fortunately, she didn't go far.
At the half way point in my second term as Chairman, I remain optimistic about fulfilling our stated goals to promote and help create rail-trails in West Virginia, to provide recreational opportunities and to stimulate economic development through rail-trail tourism. The Council carries out programs of:
Our newly elected board showed unanimous support for the agenda set before them at the annual meeting. Funding for grants and a lending library were approved. They approved forming a coalition with the Pocahontas County Tourism Commission for our National Trails Day event, 'Depot Days-1996!!' which could be our 4th out of 40 Trails for Tomorrow Awards. In doing so, we are helping them reunite Durbin with Cass.
Several big right-of-way conversions are in the works between Shinnston and Fairmont, Fairmont and Morgantown, Morgantown to PA state line, Parsons and Elkins, Durbin and Cass, Walker and Parkersburg. Depot renovations are ongoing in Salem, Pennsboro, Clover Lick and Martinsburg. Funding for development of the rail freight station into Charleston's Capitol Market was announced. Phase 7, acquisition and development, of the Wheeling Bike/Ped Path continues.
The grassroots movements around the state are carrying the ball. We step in and help where we can. Whether you're out for an hour of exercise and fun, or taking off on a long distance jaunt, or enjoying the camaraderie on an all day work session, our rail-trails have a spot for you. We're picking' up steam. Hop on for a memorable ride.
With over 500 copies of the Adventure Guide to WV Rail Trails already distributed, sales of the Guide have substantially contributed to the solid financial current status of the WVRTC. If you haven't picked up your copy yet, check out the membership renewal offer, that includes the a copy of Guide as a renewal incentive.
The National Park Service is asking us what kind of trail the 6,300 mile coast-to-coast American Discovery Trail (ADT) should be. The Council Board voted unanimously to support the new National Discovery Trail distinction....it's the best fit. One problem, however, is that the designation will require Congressional approval. We may need members help to write your Senators and Congressmen for support when the subject comes up for consideration in (hopefully) 1996. Updates will be forthcoming as we learn them.
Mark your calendars for Depot Days-1996!! to be held from 5/30-6/2/95 in Pocahontas County. In conjunction with National Trails Day sponsored by the American Hiking Society, the depot celebration will highlight the relocation of the Clover Lick Depot on the Greenbrier River Rail-Trail. Various events center around visiting the county's four-depots, (in order south to north) Marlinton, Clover Lick, Cass and Durbin. This is your opportunity to support the continuous efforts of the Greenbrier River Trail Foundation to improve trail facilities and to draw attention to the connectivity with the 26-mile West Fork Trail north of Durbin. You can bet on additional information in the next Trail Tracks, but for now contact the Pocahontas County Tourism Council at 304/799-4636 or WVRTC for lending a hand or for your group's involvement. We plan on making Depot Days-1996!! West Virginia's fourth rail-trail to win the prestigious National Trails For Tomorrow Award....come see how.
A grass roots movement is afoot to connect the Greenbrier River Trail (GBRT) with the West Fork Trail (WFT) via the flood damaged Durbin to Cass rail corridor. This 16-mile linkage will create a 120-mile trail, making it the 2nd longest rail-trail in the country.
Durbin's triangular rail network is the junction of the southern terminus of the Western Maryland Railroad (now WFT) with the C&O which ended 4-miles to the east at Bartow. The tracks between the two lines are still in place but ownership of a 1-mile section in Durbin is still in question. The remaining ownership between Durbin and Cass is held by the WV Railway Maintenance Authority. Initially, they have shown favorable interest in making this connection.
Cass has an operational railroad to contend with. The GBRT currently ends several miles south of town, at Deer Creek. One favorable option to extend the trail through Cass is to remove the tracks at the switch a quarter mile south of the depot. From there, the trail would run parallel with the live steam engine tracks, across the parking lot, past the old saw mill, across one of the twin trestles, past the excess equipment storage and northward to the flood damaged area.
The critical 16-mile connection would also qualify the contiguous trail for National Trails System status. The splendid beauty and the unique cultural resources of this high country river trail make it a strong contender for National recognition. Varied ecosystems draw a wide variety of plant and wildlife. Rich reminders of the logging and railroad industries are abundant. Camping and connecting trails provide a variety of outdoor recreational uses with reasonable access.
Hunters and fishermen have carved a rough trail over about 80% of the railroad line. Much of the existing trail is very leisurely but washouts from the 1985 flood make sections of it dangerous. Approaches to one trestle in particular will have to be rebuilt. One detour will be required. Greenbriers, bushes and brambles make passage difficult in places.
Because there is no indication that the tracks will be removed, initial trail development plans call for brushing and clearing as necessary for a Class IV, hiking trail only. Public safety is a primary concern and washouts must be dealt with by routing the trail around them. Over time, improvements will allow an upgrade to a Class III single track biking trail. The trail will weave in and out of the tracks following the path of least resistance.
Citizens of Pocahontas County are rallying around the Durbin to Cass Connection cause. The Greenbrier River Trail Foundation, the Pocahontas County Tourism Commission and the West Virginia Rails-to-Trails Council (WVRTC) are organizing various groups to undertake different aspects of the project. 4-H Clubs, Vocational School Classes and concerned citizens are all taking a part in recycling this dormant resource into a long term economic asset.
This important backbone trail running the length of Pocahontas and Greenbrier Counties is still being completed. If you would like to lend your energy to the future of this important project, please contact the WVRTC at P.O. Box 8889, South Charleston, WV 25303 or call 304/722-6558 for further information.
A lending library for Council members was established at the last board meeting. Our small collection of books available for borrowing is also supplemented by books we have made available through public libraries in West Virginia.
Write or call the Council if you would like to borrow one of the following books.
The Executive Board has agreed to the maximum $500 grant to our newest nonprofit member, the Parsons Railroad Depot, Inc. The grant will be issued in the form of unrestricted cash, retail merchandise won by the WVRTC through the American Hiking Society and DuPont Cordura® sponsored Trails For Tomorrow Awards program and Council published Adventure Guides to WV Rail-Trails. The Tucker County depot is the approximate halfway point on the Thomas to Parsons to Elkins rail-trail.
George Smith, a Parsons Depot board member, has already been put to the work of gaining approval from Parsons City Council for bike traffic on the city owned right-of-way. This approval would clear the way for the Parsons section to also become an all weather alternative of the ADT. You don't stay a rookie around here long, George. Enjoy it while you can. Congratulations to our first grant recipient.
Dick Bias, my dear friend, and the driving force behind the creation of the North Bend Rail Trail (NBRT), lost his battle with cancer. Richard A. "Dick" Bias died on Saturday, December 16, in his home near Cairo with his family at his side as he had requested. The North Bend Rail Trail will stand as a lasting legacy to his love of the people of West Virginia and of his beloved Ritchie County.
A man who dreamed what seemed an impossible dream and then made those dreams come true, Dick was one who put his thoughts into action. He was the leader in the acquisition and development of the old CSX rail corridor from Walker, in Wood County to Wilsonburg, in Harrison County into the North Bend Rail Trail. His work set the pattern for most later rail trail work throughout West Virginia. In 1991 he was one of the leaders who founded this organization, and led WVRTC as a board member until his death.
Dick received many awards in the past few years, too numerous to mention all here. In 1993 he became the only recipient of the WVRTC's "John Henry Award", and in 1994 he was awarded the "Distinguished West Virginia" award by Governor Gaston Caperton. No. 10 Tunnel on the North Bend was renamed the Dick Bias Tunnel in 1994.
Congressman Alan Mollohan said of Dick: "Dick Bias was a man of dedication who is singularly responsible for the project (the NBRT), for he spearheaded it and led the effort. The Rail Trail is Dick's dream realized. It was a pleasure to work with him on the project."
Dick Bias, 56, was born in Harrison County, WV and graduated from Victory High School in Adamston. He served as a military policeman in the U.S. Armed Forces and was a retired narcotics officers from the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington DC. Moving back to the hills of West Virginia, he worked as a real estate agent and opened the Bias Farm Bed and Breakfast with his wife Doris. In 1988 he developed the idea that has become the North Bend Rail Trail.
On a personal note, this writer was privileged to serve as a last minute pallbearer for Dick, an honor I will long treasure. My ability to serve Dick in death was a poor payback for the immense aid and friendship he gave me in life. And the story of how I came to help lift Dick to his final resting place is typical of the cooperation and spontaneity that marked our friendship.
He was survived by his wife of 33 years, Doris Bias, his mother, two children, three sisters, and two grandchildren. He was laid to rest in a cemetery in Bridgeport, next to his father and brother, and just a few short miles from his North Bend Rail Trail.
A fund to endow maintenance of the North Bend Rail Trail has been established in Dick's name. Memorials for the fund can be sent to North Bend Rails-to-Trails Foundation, P. O. Box 206, Cairo, WV 26337.
Thanks to Marlinton Ranger District's Cindy Shiffer and Tim Henry, WVRTC now has approval to include the Gauley Mountain (TR 430) and Williams River (TR 487) Trails to our official listing of WV rail-trails. Both trails are located in the Tea Creek Recreational Area of the Monongahela National Forest just off the WV Scenic Highway (WV 150).
Initially, Tim was apprehensive about including these two trails because they do not fit the stereotype concept of rail-trails. The trail rating system developed by the Council helped convince him that our program reaches out to various levels of rail-trail enthusiasts. After discussions with Joe Robles in the Elkins office, they all concurred that the 5-mile Gauley Mt. and the 3-mile Williams River Trails should be listed.
Both trails are being rated as Class II rail-trails. The Gauley Mt. Trail lies at the 4,000 ft. elevation and is very enjoyable to nature lovers. As it is a mountain trail, sometimes it may have wet spots. The Williams River Trail runs parallel to the beautiful Williams River and has camp grounds at either end. This trail extends beyond the Forest Service boundary into the Handley Public Hunting & Fishing Area where BIKES ARE NOT ALLOWED per the WV DNR direction. Please obey this restriction.
We will print a more complete trail description once it has been approved by Tim. Again, we want to thank Cindy, Tim and Joe for working with the WVRTC to approve these two trails into our system. They bring our rail-trail total to 233 miles...and growing!!
Memberships in the WVRTC expire at the end of the year, with a little complication. This renewal system is simpler for volunteers to maintain records. If you joined after October 1, 1995, your membership doesn't expire until the end of 1996. Check the address label for your expiration date.
As an incentive to join and renew the WVRTC, we have worked out an incentive program with a West Virginia book publisher and distributor. The incentives increase with increasing membership levels. And remember, the Council is recognized as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, so your donations are deductible as the law allows.
If you join at the basic $10.00 a year level, you will receive a copy of our occasional newsletter, Trail Tracks.
If you join at the family level of $25.00 a year, you will receive Trail Tracks plus a choice of either the Adventure Guide to WV Rail Trails, published by the WVRTC or a copy of the newly published Rail Trails along the Greenbrier River by Jim Hudson. Jim's 124-page work is a well written and detailed description of the Greenbrier River Trail and the West Fork Trail. While we had some trouble with getting sufficient copies of Jim's old book last year, this should not be a problem. Jim switched publishers to Quarrier Press, who's owner, Bill Clements, is a member of WVRTC. We feel confident that Bill will come through with books when we need them. And we have a good inventory of Adventure Guides, so we will be able to supply either book you chose.
As a further incentive, if you decide to join at the $100 level, we arranged more book choices. At the $100 level, you will receive the Trail Tracks, your choice of one of the books at the family level, and one of these three books:
On a somewhat whimsical (but also very serious) note, if you join at the $1000 level, you can have 'em all. At that level you will receive Trail Tracks plus a copy of every book listed.
Please see the back of the membership renewal form to mark your choice. If you would like to just buy one or more of these books, we can help you do that too. Please call our voice mail box, or drop us a line, and we will work out the details.