Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 39

Story and photos by JOE TENNIS

t's the last day of the fall season on
"The Trough Trip." And hundreds
are eagerly awaiting eagles in the Potomac Highlands of West Virginia.
Jean Shoemaker smiles from her
perch, sitting behind a microphone
on the Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad. Since 1991, she's been a mainstay
of this rolling bird show, sharing history
lessons on this must-ride rail at Romney,
West Virginia.
"Just being on that train and sitting
back, it's very relaxing," says Shoemaker.
"You're out in the nature where everything is calm and peaceful."
Happy as a songbird, this retired
schoolteacher remains ever-youthful in
her 70s.
"I am the announcer. I load passengers.
I am also the EMT of the train," Shoemaker says. "I do whatever needs to be done. If
they need me to help fill in serving meals,
I'll do that. If we don't work together, the
train doesn't succeed."
Success on this train may be relative-
in more ways than one.
"We're not just co-workers; we're almost like a family," Shoemaker says. "I almost feel like a mother to some of them."

N
LA
LL
BE

ABOVE: Passengers ride on the openair gondola car through "The Trough"
on West Virginia's Potomac Eagle
Scenic Railroad.
RIGHT: Retired schoolteacher Jean
Shoemaker serves as guide/narrator on
the train.

'ALMOST LIKE SHOW BUSINESS'
Greg Kesner recently rose in the ranks on
this railroad. And, says Shoemaker, "He's
been a big asset for us."
In his own words: "This started out as a
hobby for me, four years ago, just cleaning
the trains. Then it goes from cleaning the
trains to working the parking lot. From
that, I went to working the gondola and
helping the conductor do a few things."
Now, as a licensed conductor, this
55-year-old deputy sheriff for Hampshire
County, West Virginia, serves much like,
well, a deputy sheriff.
"You're making sure the people are
safe. You're making sure the operation is
safe. You're collecting the tickets," Kesner
says.
"This train is almost like show business," Kesner adds. "You have to keep
people entertained."
He makes jokes.
"Going through the train, when I
punch the tickets, I have so many say, 'Do
you do like the Polar Express?'" Kesner
says. "And I joke with them and say, 'No,
I tried that one time and the movie company sent me a bill for doing that.'"
'WE SEE EAGLES'
Shoemaker credits her 25 years as an elementary school teacher-"and speaking
in a tone that people can understand"-
as the reason for her popularity as an announcer.
"Give good directions," she says. "It's
almost like teaching a class."
Rolling on a sunny Sunday on a
"Trough Trip," the train passes a stone
house built in 1789-an amazingly early
year for any structure still standing west of
the Blue Ridge. Immediately, Shoemaker
dispatches details of that building's history, saying, "German and Dutch, they
were well-known for their stonemasonry.
So that's an excellent example of their
workmanship."

MARCH/APRIL 2019

Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019

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