Ridge Runner train opening in Bluefield this Memorial Day Weekend
May 25—bluefield — Weather permitting, a popular miniature locomotive will start making its rounds and delighting children and adults alike this Memorial Day weekend.
The Ridge Runner at Lotito Park in Bluefield was halted last year when Memorial Day
weekend flooding washed out a bridge on its tracks. That damage has been repaired in time for this year's Memorial Day.
"We had Swope Construction shore up one of the bridges that got washed out from last year's flood on Memorial Day," said Justin Hawkins, program and special events coordinator with Bluefield Parks and Recreation. "We ran it one day last year and then it flooded out."
Some of the track's railroad ties and other pieces that got washed away had to be replaced, but those repairs have been completed, Hawkins said.
Ridge Runner enthusiasts will be able to ride the 1-mile track — which includes two bridges and a tunnel — for $2 per ride. It will be open Saturdays and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Hawkins said the train will also be open on Monday from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The Ridge Runner does not run in rain because it makes the tracks slippery, he said.
Back in 1964, the Ridge Runner started operating at the East River Mountain Overlook as one of the planned attractions for creating a tourist destination on top of the mountain.
This operation changed in 1976 when Interstate 77 was completed. This led to a drastic decline in traffic along U.S. Route 52. By the early 1980s, the tourist stop and the Ridge Runner were shut down.
In 1984, the city tried to reestablish the Ridge Runner at Lotito Park, but this effort could not be sustained and the train was was retired.
A renewed interest in the city's rail history resulted in the formation of the Save the Ridge Runner Committee in 2009, which started a fundraising drive to bring back the locomotive.
Response exceeded all expectations and almost $200,000 was raised in cash and in-kind donations.
On May 2011, the Ridge Runner once again was rolling at its current location in Lotito Park.
Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com
Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com
