October 22, 2022
Autumn Colors Express * Huntington to Hinton r/t * 800a – 700p * First Class * Hollywood Beach Lounge Car
https://www.aaprco.com/rail-car/hollywood-beach/

As mentioned earlier, the Autumn Colors Express operates just one weekend per year (Fri, Sat & Sun), always in late October timed to hopefully catch the autumn colors at their best. The train is made up entirely of privately owned vintage railway cars from around the nation that have made their way to Huntington where they are assembled solely for this seasonal excursion.



Autumn Colors Express
Photo courtesy of Autumn Colors Express website


The trip departs from Huntington, West Virginia, at 8:00am, with a second boarding point in Charleston, West Virginia, at 9:30am. From there the train travels along the New River Gorge, stopping from noon. to 3 p.m. in Hinton, West Virginia, where riders can attend the Hinton Railroad Days Festival. The entire town is gussied up for this event – it’s like a giant street fair. But more on that when we arrive in Hinton.

It’s worth noting here that Amtrak’s Chicago to Washington, DC train The Cardinal also runs over these same tracks between Huntington and Hinton. The difference of course is that Amtrak’s trains are not made up of vintage 1940s and 50s lounge cars, representative of a time when train travel was once considered a pleasant, even upscale way to travel.

There are so many great cars that make up our train today. I heard that our consist included 25 different cars, some of them domes, pulled by a pair of Amtrak P42DC diesels. The price of a ticket is dependent upon which car you are riding in and what type of accommodations you choose. Prices range from $179 to $599 for the eleven hour trip. A box lunch is included, though I suspect those booked in the higher end accommodations probably ate a bit better. The most expensive tickets would cover travel in private compartments or aboard cars like the ex-New York Central observation lounge Hickory Creek that once graced the end of the NYC’s famous Twentieth Century Limited.

I booked a seat aboard a car I’ve always admired for its stylish lounge, complete with driftwood lamps and glass ceiling panels creating a solarium effect. It’s called the "Hollywood Beach" and it was built in 1956 for use on the Seaboard Air Line Railroad’s crack New York to Miami streamliner The Silver Meteor. It was billed as a "Sun Lounge" and only three were ever built, the other two being named "Miami Beach" and "Palm Beach". Of the three, only "Hollywood Beach" still survives. Here’s how the interior looked back in its heyday –



”Hollywood Beach” as configured in the 1950s


And here’s how it looks today –



Ex-Seaboard Air Line lounge car “Hollywood Beach” today


Booking a seat aboard this car was not inexpensive. I laid down $335 for the privilege but considered it money well spent. Indeed, there are so many wonderful cars aboard the Autumn Colors Express each year that I could see making this ride a yearly tradition. I should note here that I first booked this ride for departure last year, but due to the ongoing pandemic that trip was cancelled.

Our 8:00am departure time meant I had to get up a bit earlier than I would normally have liked. While I really like the quiet and peacefulness of the early morning, I don’t like getting up early (any time before 6:30am). Today I was up at 5:30am. By 6:15 I was on my way out the door, hopefully to snag one of those parking spots across the street from the old C&O (Chesapeake & Ohio) depot downtown. By the way, it should be noted that Amtrak operates from a different station in Huntington. The last time a C&O train left the station we’re departing from was 1971!



1940s Linen Postcard of the C&O Station


Arriving just after 6:30, I lucked out. While I’d been hoping for a spot in the little $10 lot across from the station, there were still half a dozen or so free parking spots along the street. It was cold out, so I hung out in the Rogue with the heater on until 7:30 – thankful for the hot coffee and breakfast sandwich I’d purchased on the drive in.

By 7:45 we had everybody on board. Hot coffee and Danishes were available on the service area at the front of the lounge car. I found an open seat at a table with Ken and Portia, a couple from New Jersey who’d driven down for the ride. They were a lot of fun and we enjoyed each other’s company throughout the day.

As has been the case throughout this trip starting in New York and continuing down through Pennsylvania, Maryland and now West Virginia, I seem to have been just a bit late (or early) with regard to catching fall colors at their peak. There’s been some color, just not peak color. Granted, it’s a crap shoot each year dependent upon how warm or cold the late summer and/or early autumn have been, but regardless the areas I’ve traveled through are all beautiful places regardless of the season so it’s all good by me. Here are some pictures from our ride -



Livin’ it up aboard Hollywood Beach


Kanawha River beauty


Rolling along the New River


West Virginia’s famous New River Bridge
Photo courtesy of the U.S. National Park Service


Rolling under the New River Bridge


Right on schedule we eased into our destination of Hinton, West Virginia. The Hinton train station is down in a bit of a trough, so shuttle buses were provided for those who didn’t want to climb the big stairways up into the downtown district.

In concert with the operation of the Autumn Colors Express, the town of Hinton puts on its Railroad Days Festival. Hinton is a pretty little town with all the usual quaint shops and restaurants you’d expect of such a place. All of the downtown streets were closed off to automobile traffic, effectively turning the downtown into a three square block pedestrian mall. Ken, Portia and I walked the streets for a bit, visited a C&O themed museum and then bought lunch and found a table in a park where local musicians were putting on an afternoon concert.



Entertainment at Railroad Days in Hinton, WV


All Aboard for the return trip at Hinton Depot


The ride back was along the same tracks we’d come in on. Unfortunately, because Amtrak was providing the motive power, Amtrak rules prevailed meaning that we were not allowed to open the Dutch door windows in the vestibule to take pictures. My favorite pictures from riding trains often incorporate the side of the railroad car, not to mention a glass free non-reflective view, so this situation was disappointing. Amtrak seems to think that rocks could shoot up from beneath the railroad car, zinging out past the car’s overhang above the tracks and then spinning and curling back in an arc to possibly hit anyone looking out through the open doorway window. While I suppose this could happen, I suppose there could also be a major earthquake in Nebraska tomorrow.



Fall foliage blur


Afternoon shadows along the New River


Evening ambiance aboard the Hollywood Beach


We arrived back in Huntington at 7:30pm – a half hour late – and I said so long to Ken and Portia and Keith White, the gentleman who owned the Hollywood Beach. Keith had mentioned that in early December the Hollywood Beach would be deadheading from its home base in St. Louis, Missouri to Trenton, New Jersey where a group had chartered it for a trip to Albuquerque. If anyone were interested in riding along between St. Louis or Chicago and Trenton, the Hollywood Beach would be tagging along on the back of The Cardinal and the price to ride along would be the equivalent of whatever Amtrak charged for a roomette.

It was tempting. I should note here that the Hollywood Beach is not just a lounge car. It also has five bedrooms and, since Keith purchased it in 2016 he’s refurbished it to include a shower, a modern kitchen, electrical outlets and a few other goodies. Again, I would love to ride along but I’ve got other plans for early December – plans that will have me traveling considerably farther than Trenton, New Jersey.

For tonight though, I need to get to my hotel in Elkins, WV – 185 miles to the northeast. Tomorrow I’ve got a date with the Cass Scenic Railroad. That train operates during the weekend, but not on Monday. Most of the drive will be on Interstates 64 and 79, so I’m looking at about a three hour drive. It’s been a long day but after tomorrow my schedule becomes a lot easier.