Hocking Railway train events set

NELSONVILLE, Ohio - The Hocking Valley Scenic Railway is ready to finish the 35th summer season and head into fall with events and special trains.

• The first-ever pizza train will depart from the Nelsonville depot at 6 p.m. Aug. 24. Pizza will be served along with soft drinks.

• On Aug. 25 at 9:30 a.m. watch as a team of men and women grasp the rope and try to move more than 270 tons of locomotives. This event will benefit the Athens county Autism foundation.

• On Sept. 1 - the 10th annual caboose special will depart from the Nelsonville depot. This colorful train is for the rail fan and people who want to relive the days when the caboose was the rear of the train.

• On Sept. 22 the robbery train will once again depart from the Nelsonville depot at 6 p.m. Be ready to hand over the loot as the bandits bring the train to a stop and board the train.

These rugged and ornery critters like take the loot and sometimes women from the train. Sometimes they bring out the cannons and always their trusty side arm. They are sure to come in on horseback with guns blazing.

The year will end with the Santa Specials. Info: www.hvsry.org or 800-967-7834

Virginia plantation along James River to close

BURROWSVILLE, Va.— A 1,400-acre plantation on the James River where Gen. Ulysses S. Grant made his crossing in 1864 will close its doors to visitors in October.

Flowerdew Hundred, in Prince George County southeast of Richmond, operates as a museum and historic site. Visitors can view life from Colonial and Civil War times.

Employees said the plantation will close to the public Oct. 12. Its future is unclear.

The plantation is run by the nonprofit Flowerdew Hundred Foundation, which had relied on the largesse of the family of David A. Harrison III, who died in 2002.