My name is George Bartley, Jr., and G.G. Bartley Sr. - the first engineer of the train, was my father. My mother also drove the train for many years, and my sister and I sold tickets. I currently live in Indianapolis, and have a podcast called Celebrate Poe, and am currently covering Staunton and the times that Edgar Allan Poe stopped in Staunton as a boy with the Allans. On January 11, 2021, am going a little bit off topic in that episode to talk about Gypsy Hill Express and the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton. Of course, the podcast should be up well beyond that time. (The episode is called "Of Shakespeare and Trains.")
Hi George, and thanks for writing. I am actually the wife of one of the guys on the train Board. I will pass your message on to the Board chair, Bart McDowell. Due to Covid, we were not able to open this year, and then the train area was heavily damaged by a flash flood in August.
Love it! I ran across this by accident. I grew up visiting my grandparents in Staunton and drove that train as a small kid many many times thanks to Mrs. B! Amazing to see it's still running and how it was brought back to life.
Thanks Diane for uploading this to RU-vid. I was one of the many people who helped bring this train back to life. If you are visiting Staunton and have small children they will never forget the thrill of riding on the Gypsy Express. The train operates most weekends during the spring, summer and fall. Rides are $1.
