The "Virginia Creeper‪"‬

THE "VIRGINIA CREEPER": REMEMBERING THE VIRGINIA-CAROLINA RAILWAY is a history of the "Virginia Creeper" train, whose route, in its heyday, ran from Abingdon, Virginia, to Elkland (present-day Todd), North Carolina, a distance of 76.5 miles ( its route was officially known as the Abingdon Branch of the Norfolk & Western Railway). However, in 1933, the 20.5-mile section that stretched from Elkland to West Jefferson, North Carolina, was abandoned. One of the last steam trains in America, the "Virginia Creeper" wasn't "dieselized" until 1957. Passenger and mail services were discontinued in 1962. The remainder of the route, from Abingdon to West Jefferson, was abandoned in 1977. Now, the Virginia section of the former Virginia-Carolina Railway's roadbed is the Virginia Creeper Trail, a well-used (and very scenic) hiking/biking/horseback-riding trail.