All aboard! Historical train show takes over Clifton Forge

Event pays tribute to golden age of railroads

CLIFTON FORGE, Va. – Trains are an essential element of Clifton Forge, and the town's train historians paid tribute to the transportation in a special way.

The Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society held their annual George Washington Train Show at their C&O Railway Heritage Center and the Clifton Forge Armory. More than 500 people from Virginia and beyond showed up Saturday to watch model train displays, buy vintage railroad memorabilia and learn more about the history of the railroads in the region.

C&O Historical Society founder Tom Dixon put on the show to remind people how deep the railroad's ties are to Clifton Forge.

"We can teach a little bit about the past and about how important it is to our future," said Dixon. "Railroad transportation is the best ground transportation. It was good in 1840, it was good during the Great War in 1940 and it will be good in 2040 if we just do it right."

The train show will continue through the weekend.