Former Shenandoah Valley railway could become 50-mile trail.

'A railroad running through the Northern Shenandoah Valley of Virginia was once the lifeblood of a string of small towns along a winding fork of the Shenandoah River. And it could be again.

Though the line hasn’t carried trains through some of these towns for years, a plan to transform the tracks into a nearly 50-mile trail could make it a recreational flagship for a region already dotted by historic battlefields and parklands.

“Fifty miles is a significant stretch to ride or walk or run, but people would also be able to branch out and experience other outdoor activities along the way,” said Jeremy McCleary, mayor of the town of Woodstock, VA, in Shenandoah County, near the 1,000-acre Seven Bends State Park.

A group of citizens and civic leaders has been brainstorming the idea of turning the railway into a trail for years now, despite being told early on that the line’s owner, Norfolk Southern, was not interested. But their vision lurched closer to reality in 2020 when the company said it will consider selling the rail land after all — and even a bit more of it than anticipated.'>>>

https://www.bayjournal.com/news/growth_conservation/former-shenandoah-valley-railway-could-become-50-mile-trail/article_32d2c508-93ed-11eb-9107-b77e9bac0a18.html?