Thinking ahead is sometimes lacking in Clayberry. Truthfully, it's hard to plan ahead when the tasks at hand are huge. Something about trying to drain the swamp while the alligators are nipping comes to mind.
   The BDA put together and has been operating a small pedal car / jitney pulled tourism ride for two years. The idea is a good one. But, from the git go, most have known, we need something more to draw larger RR crowds. The "thang" we need is an old rail bus like Rail Car B which was used on the BuffaloCreek and Gauley railroad over 70 years ago.
  Why not a steam engine? The things require lots of maintenance and are very expensive to insure.  A diesel,gasoline or propane  powered rail bus would be a cheap to operate real tourism draw. With a capacity of say 25 riders per haul, it could be a money maker.
  When FEMA dollars are finally spent to repair flood damage from the 2016 Great Wash Out, the tracks going up Buffalo Creek will be in good enough condition to support a rail bus.
   But.... there has to be some thinking right now.

  Just above is a shot of the Buffalo Creek tracks where they meet at Dundon. There in front of Newt Bragg's old home, BC&G tracks meet the main line. The main line rails and ties are now being removed to make room for the ERTS State Park hiking, biking, and horseback riding trail.

   Down there at Newt Bragg's place, along the main line, contractors are busy turning the old RR trestle into something trail users can safely cross Buffalo Creek. That work on the bridge will be completed on Jan 31st.
   Here comes the thinking part readers.
   For a rail bus to turn around, it takes a triangle of rails to make a direction change possible. The rails near the bridge have been removed already. That's OK.
  But, where the BC&G RR tracks meet the main line plus a small portion of the main line must be left in place so the "bus" can turn around. It's much cheaper to leave the existing rails in place than to start over when the rail bus idea takes hold.
  The rail bus notion is a natural growth for the tourism draw and would be much easier to do if those few yards of tracks are left in place.
  For those that agree that ERTS is the shape of our future, now's the time to contact the BDA, Gov Jim, and whomever you can think of to get attention to this need to leave the triangle of tracks along th Elk River.