I recently rode a new train, called the Greenbrier Express, from Cass to Durbin. The inaugural ride was the first in many years. "The Greenbrier Express (GBX) train departs from the restored, historically important town of Cass and closely follows the clear, free-flowing Greenbrier River to the small mountain village of Durbin. On arrival in Durbin, all ticket holders will be served lunch at a pre-determined location either on your train car, in the depot, or at one of the restaurants on Main Street adjacent to the depot. The ride upriver to Durbin passes through a secluded wilderness portion of the 950,000-acre Monongahela National Forest featuring beautiful scenes of forested mountains at each turn of the river. Sightings of Deer, River Otters, and Black Bear along with a wide variety of Eagles, Hawks, Ospreys, and other species of aquatic birds are common. The original 95-mile section of this railroad was first constructed in 1902 by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway with an eye toward timber resource development. It continued serving that purpose until rail traffic declined and most of the line was abandoned in 1978. Today’s trip takes you on the northernmost 15-mile portion that was purchased by the West Virginia State Rail Authority. Unfortunately, a catastrophic flood in 1985 washed out major portions of this line. Thanks to a private/public initiative between the WV State Rail Authority and Durbin & Greenbrier Valley RR, the track has been reconstructed and now offers a new and different option to visitors at the iconic Cass Scenic Railroad State Park."
During the meal break, we received cold cut sandwiches with pasta salad. But there were a few small restaurants open along the main road in Durbin so I stopped at Simply Sweet Café to check it out. It's cute with a bit of a farmhouse vibe. They offer breakfast, sandwiches, salads, and coffee. I ordered a bubble, smoothie and peach flavor. It was a smoothie plus popping boba at the bottom, which made the smoothie all sorts of fun texture-wise. it was a nice combination of comforting, fresh, fruity, and a little exciting at the same time. Just sweet enough.
Grade: A
