Historically, the Meadow River Valley has been timbered and the lumber used by The Meadow River Lumber Company to produce various building materials. The use of both the Meadow River and the railroad to transport the lumber was key in its success. The coal locomotives that delivered the lumber to the mill can still be enjoyed today at Cass Scenic Railroad State Park. The railroad was abandoned by CSX in 2008 and the land purchased by the Fayette and Greenbrier County Commissions for use in this project. Construction started on Phase I of the Meadow River Rail Trail in 2014. The devastating 2016 flood washed out a section of bridge and trail, slowing the forward momentum of the construction. The bridge has been replaced and trail surfaces reestablished completing Phase II of the trail development. Phase I of the trail will open to the public on October 13, 2023 but the work doesn’t stop there as we transition into Phase III and the extension of the trail to the town of Rainelle.