It's been 7 years (10/2012) since my husband, our adult daughter, her fiance,' and I purchased tickets on the New River Train from Huntington to Hinton WV for Railroad Days (I can honestly say, it wasn't the most reasonably priced event that I had ever experienced). You may wonder why I choose now to review our experience on New River Train, let me just say, "it was an experience that we wouldn't soon forget." The scenery on the way to and from Hinton was lovely. Our visit to Hinton during the Railroad Days was informative and enjoyable. Unfortunately, the trip on the New River Train was horrendous. Being all of our first trip on a train, possibly we had great assumptions. Expecting the train trip to be the highlight of our day trip to Hinton WV/Railroad Days. Physically, the train trip was comfortable but the atmosphere of the trip to and our return trip on the New River Train was "dampened" by the coachman (I believe that would be his title and unfortunately I do not recall his name. I can read in other reviews that I'm not the first to be "disappointed" in the "personality of the coachman in our cabin. Apparently several coachmen are 'unpleasant.') The only way I could describe the personality of this coachman is rude and inpatient. We and in talking with other passengers on our specific train, our opinion was justified. We were all appalled at this coachman's rudeness. Most of us as we were all in agreement, that this man's position/job should have been anywhere other than be responsible for the hospitality (and in promoting) of the New River Train. Also during our train trip to and from Hinton, a politician found that he had a captive audience in our cabin (and we could see through the doors at the ends of other cabins on either side, that his man also found captive audiences in the other cabins). Most of we, passengers, asked our coachman to please ask this politician and his 'entourage' to please refrain from campaigning during our trip. The coachman made it very clear to the passengers, who asked that this politician and his group not subject us to this ridiculous situation. He told us that the politician had just as much right to be on this train and speak as he wished as we did. The coachman did not approach this politician and his group. On the return trip on the New River Train to Huntington, though, we patrons, (and I say that lightly because most of us had decided that we would never be patrons of any passenger train associated with the New River Train again), several of us approached this politician and told him how inappropriate his "campaigning' on this fall foliage New River Train was and how we felt like a captive audience. Of course, the politician and his 'entourage' attempted to explain his right to campaign, etc., etc. Then many of us, responded by 'sharing' with this politician, "that being understandable, yes, it was his and any of our rights to speak for any cause that we thought was important because it was not posted anywhere that it restricted/not permitted, if we felt it was an important issue. We expressed to this politician that this trip was a pleasure trip, a family excursion, one that we had looked forward to as a quiet, enjoyable trip but with his decision to campaign, he made this trip anything but enjoyable. This 'situation,' also should have been a consideration of others and was not an appropriate time to campaign, in light of this politician's decision. Unfortunately, those in our small group (and I'm sure many others) on that late October of 2012 New River Train excursion, have decided that this would be our last trip on the New River Train from anywhere in West Virginia. The rudeness, etc. of the coachman, his 'inability' consider all of the other passengers feelings and the 'inconsiderate' politician and his entourage, we would NEVER consider changing our opinion of any New River Train excursions. read more

We took the new river train on 10/ 21/17. Our car had no AC coming back and the car was so hot! There were other empty seats in cars that were cooler and the head of our car was so rude, I don't' think if we were dying he would have moved us! I have a handicapped daughter that could have been effected very badly and I get very sick in heat. Apologies don't really help when we find them sitting in the cooler cars. We did get a bottle of water, but that wasn't enough for our misery! read more

On July 2, 2014 I went online and ordered 2 Deluxe tickets for the all day train trip. I spent $30 each ticket more to have the box breakfast and supper provided with the Deluxe tickets. Last week (early Oct.) we received the tickets and info that said that Deluxe ticket holders would be given $10 vouchers to buy food at the concession bar in one of the coaches. This was NOT what I had read on THEIR website in July! $10 wouldn't cover the cost of 2 meals at McDonalds! When I called them about this discrepancy, a man told me that they NEVER intended to provide box meals. (As if I was crazy to suggest it.) I reminded him that it was what was on THEIR website in July when I made the decision to spend the extra money. In a condescending way he told me that the website for this year never said that. So I made it all up?? He was rude and unapologetic. I feel as if I've been baited and switched. We have yet to take this trip and already I regret the whole thing. read more