The ''Greenbrier Presidential Express'' was a proposed luxury passenger train that was planned to operate between

Union Station A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, United States, and the train station at

the Greenbrier The Greenbrier is a luxury resort located in the Allegheny Mountains near White Sulphur Springs in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, in the United States. Since 1778, visitors have traveled to this part of the state to "take the waters" of th ...

resort in White Sulphur Springs,

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...

. The project was initiated in June 2011 but canceled in May 2012 due to numerous issues, among which were capacity constraints on the

Buckingham Branch Railroad Buckingham Branch Railroad is a Class III short-line railroad operating over 275 miles (443 km) of historic and strategic trackage in Central Virginia. Sharing overhead traffic with CSX and Amtrak, the company's headquarters are in Dill ...

and Federal approval of the train's engineering.

History

Following his purchase of The Greenbrier resort in his native

, billionaire coal entrepreneur Jim Justice launched a number of new initiatives aimed at reinvigorating the struggling property, including significant renovations, the

Greenbrier Classic The Greenbrier Classic was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour, held from 2010 to 2019 at The Old White at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. For its final two editions, the tournament was titled A Military Tribute at the Greenb ...

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also ...

event, and the construction of a casino. He unveiled concept drawings for the ''Greenbrier Presidential Express'', designed to bring guests to and from the resort, at a June 2011 launch party in Washington, D.C. Efforts to prepare for the new train began with a $15 million investment by Justice to purchase and rehabilitate 15 passenger cars at a plant in Pennsylvania. The train's consist was to have been made up of baggage cars, club cars, and dining cars offering Greenbrier-style luxury. Most cars were to be named after

presidents President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

who summered at the resort. The decor for these cars was being supervised by interior designer Carleton Varney, the student of the woman behind the Greenbrier's signature style,

Dorothy Draper Dorothy Draper (November 22, 1889 – March 11, 1969) was an American interior decorator. Stylistically very minimalism, anti-minimalist, she would use bright, exuberant colors and large prints that would encompass whole walls. She incorporated b ...

. Deluxe cocktails would have been served during the 6-hour journey, and plans called for a registered nurse to be on hand to serve the passengers and plan treatments at the resort's spa and medical facilities. Upon arrival, guests would be met by horse-drawn carriages at the station and conveyed across the street to the resort's main building. 4-8-4 steam locomotive No. 614, formerly used by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was painted in ''Greenbrier Presidential Express'' livery intended to eventually serve as the power for the train, it was displayed at

Clifton Forge, VA Clifton Forge is a town in Alleghany County, Virginia, United States which is part of the greater Roanoke Region. The population was 3,555 at the 2020 census. The Jackson River flows through the town, which as a result was once known as Ja ...

to promote the train. ''Trains'' magazine reported in January 2012 that the future of the ''Presidential Express'' was in doubt due to capacity problems on the

Buckingham Branch Buckingham Branch Railroad is a Class III short-line railroad operating over 275 miles (443 km) of historic and strategic trackage in Central Virginia. Sharing overhead traffic with CSX and Amtrak, the company's headquarters are in Dill ...

Railroad, a problem also affecting plans to make Amtrak's '' Cardinal'' (which also serves White Sulphur Springs) a daily train. As of May 2012, the ''Greenbrier Presidential Express'' project was canceled. Most employees were laid off, and numerous rail cars and locomotives were placed for sale, with the rolling stock scheduled for auction on September 18, 2014.

References

{{Reflist

External links

The Greenbrier Resort
The Greenbrier Passenger rail transportation in Virginia Passenger rail transportation in Washington, D.C. Passenger rail transportation in West Virginia