By Railfan & Railroad

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Less than a month after announcing they would be postponing the 2020 run, Rail Excursion Management announced Monday that they are going full-steam ahead with the Autumn Colors Express in 2021. The excursion will run through West Virginia’s scenic New River Gorge for four days next fall, Oct. 21-24. Tickets are now on sale.

On July 20, Railexco announced that it was postponing this year’s Autumn Colors Express after the state’s governor announced limits on large gatherings in an effort to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“We’re overjoyed to announce the 2021 dates for ACE, especially given our postponement of this year’s event,” said Railexco CEO Adam Auxier. “We can’t wait to get ‘back on track’ and share this amazing excursion with our great friends and partners in West Virginia.”

The train has run almost every year for more than a half-century and has become one of the last annual main line excursions in the United States. The excursion was managed by the Collis P. Huntington Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society until 2018 and then revived last year by Railexco, a passenger charter management company. 

Marketing officer Lou Capwell said that next year’s run of the Autumn Color Express will be extra special since 2021 marks Amtrak’s 50th anniversary. “Autumn Colors Express is the largest Amtrak special train of the year and we can’t wait to once again work alongside our partners at Amtrak as they celebrate their 50th year as America’s railroad,” he said. 

The train will run along CSX through the New River Gorge from Huntington to Hinton.