Cass Scenic Railroad, W.Va.

[Col Hogan]

My wife Dianne and I went to Cass, West Virginia for part of a vacation that lasted from Monday to Thursday this past week. We took two separate trips since we were there and I came back with a few good shots of the rolling stock and watertank. The area is quite beautiful and remote but not too hard to get to. "Scenic" is not enough to say in one word how pretty the countryside is. I would not have enough film to capture it all.

However, I did get a ton of videos and as soon as I get the A/V cable, I will download the sets and maybe get them on Google. Or, if they aren't too big , perhaps Craig will let me share a couple on the forum.

At least for now, here are a few shots of #4 and #11, 70T and 80T 3-truck Shays in Cass. And BTW, these are standard gauge loco's which I was surprised to find out. Some of the turns on these 4% grades are real tight, but they have been pulling these grades everyday for just over 100 years. The scenic tours began in 1963 after the logging had stopped in 1961. Quite an interesting story actually.




"Shay #4 at Cass Station just before we leave"





"Here, of course, is the station"





"Shay #11 at Bald Knob. The end of the line at about 4500Ft.





"Here's me inside the cab of #4 just as we approached Whittaker. This is the first stop on the way to Bald Knob. Whittaker is about 2500ft. I was allowed to ride in this Shay from the station to Whittaker. I cannot tell you the thrill that it gave. I did get some cab views that have the fireman, Amy, opening the firedoor and feeding the coal to the burner. Absolutely amazing. My head was pummelled with cinders all the way to Whittaker and got a few burn spots as a reward for holding my head out the side of the cab. Those videos are forthcoming."


I didn't have as many digital shots as I have great video. I'll have a few more later.

Ken

[Col Hogan]

Just a few more of the Cass Railroad.
The first one here is (I think) the Elk River (or the Greenbrier River), I can't remember which, which is a bit past the parking lot in front of the Station. Most all the streams and rivers are at a minimum during the Summer thru the Fall. Then, once the snow melts during the Spring, nearly all of them are cresting their banks.

One small note here - Snowshoe Mountain is about a 30 minute drive from this very spot. I also have some videos from there because Dianne wanted to see the off-season activity. Not much there. I got a few from one of the trams looking down the hill. Nearly a straight drop even with no snow. An awsome place to visit.

Here are a few more foto's



"The Elk River Just Beyond the Cass Station"




"The Watertank Just Around The Bend From The Engine Shops. This tank is less than 20 years old and replaces the one that had just been too old to keep."




"Approaching The Shops, Just After The Watertank"




"This is a Stream-Fed watertank about half-way between Whittaker and Bald Knob. It is fed by a small stream just above the track level on the otherside of the Shay"


We had this trip planned for about a month and had gotten a lot of info from the W.Va tourism folks.
The entire town of Cass (Pocahontas Cnty) is owned by the state and is deemed a W.Va State Park. The railroad is owned and operated by the W. Va Dept of Interior and by the time we had gotten there, they had already ridden over 1 million folks, just this year alone. The tickets are cheap and the trip is absolutely worth every penny you spend to get there. The ride through West (By GOD) Virginia is inspiring to say the least at this time of the year. If you get a chance and have a long weekend, please go.

You will enjoy it as much as I.
AND, all you need to do is ask if you can ride in the cab of the Shay on the way up.

Ken

[Pencil]

That looks like it was a lot of fun - thank you for sharing!!

Curtis

[thegrindre]

WOW!!!