28-04-2025
Ride country star Merle Haggard's vintage dome train through Virginia
Virginians can now hop aboard a vintage dome train car for a three-hour sightseeing excursion through the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah Valley.
Why it matters: Passengers can take in 360-degree views while sipping local wines and beers — all aboard a train car once owned by country music legend Merle Haggard.
The big picture: Virginia Scenic Railway, which has been running sightseeing train rides out of Staunton for decades, this month added a Vista-Dome car to its collection.
Vista-Dome cars are deluxe coaches that have a glass compartment rising out of the roof, which allows riders to take in panoramic views while riding in style.
This one was built nearly 80 years ago for Western Pacific Railroad's California Zephyr route, which runs between Chicago and San Francisco.
The intrigue: Haggard, who had a " lifelong love affair with trains," bought the train car in the mid-1980s and added a bed and shower, per the news release.
Sadly, Haggard's bed and shower are gone, but you can still see the outline of the fold-down bed in the lower-level lounge area, even after a full renovation of the interior.
And in its place, there's a walk-up bar, plus lounge and cafe seating.
Zoom in: But the best seat in the house is on the upper deck and inside the dome for those 360-degree views through the region, including into rock cuts and dark tunnels.
Just 24 seats are available in the dome on the railway's Thursday-Sunday trips, and the section is for adults only.
Riders can buy and sip Virginia-made wine and beer (King Family Vineyards and Basic City Beer Co.) from the first-floor bar and/or sign up for a boxed lunch or charcuterie box.
