Last ride for railroad?

Unless an investor steps forward soon, a popular excursion train operating west of Wellsboro will never roll again.

Tioga Central Railroad, a 23- year-old tourist rail line, is on the sale block. Its owners say they will either sell the business intact, or they'll sell off its rolling stock piecemeal.

In the tourist season that concluded last weekend with fall foliage excursions, the railroad had more than 20,000 passengers.

Difficulty in attracting qualified personnel, including brakemen, conductors, engineers, led the partners who own to railroad to decide to give it up.

Tioga Central started in Owego, N.Y., in 1984 and moved to Wellsboro in 1994.

Profits were non-existent, but enough volunteers initially surfaced to keep the rail service operating.

The railroad is being marketed by D.F. Barnhardt & Associates, sellers of railroad equipment and marketing services.