ABOVE: “Big Six” is almost to Bald Knob with a work train during the May 2012 Railfan Weekend.
LEFT: Shay No. 11 is a crowd pleaser at is rolls past the photo line at Old Spruce during the 50th Anniversary Railfan Weekend on May 11, 2013. STEVE BARRY PHOTOS
Lending A Hand
pieces at the Cass shop, Shay 7 went to Raine Lumber in West Virginia
Shay No. 7: Currently sitting in in
1923. It was retired as the last Shay in active logging service in the state in 1964, and came to Cass later that year. Boiler problems permanently sidelined it in 1970.
Climax No. 9: Currently in the shop undergoing restoration by the Moun- tain State Railroad & Logging Histori- cal Association, Climax 9 originally worked in West Virginia for Moore-
Keppel starting in 1919. It was the last Climax operating in revenue service when it was retired in 1959 and came to Cass in 1970. Shay No. 11: The most recent addi-
tion to the Cass roster, Shay 11 started work as an oil burner in California for the Hutchison Lumber Co. It was re- tired in 1965 and sent to a museum in San Diego. It was later acquired by Cass in 1998. Converted to burn coal, it is the primary road engine for the Bald Knob trains.
Visit the Mountain State Railroad & Logging Historical Association at
www.msrlha.org
The story of Cass would not be com- plete without a mention of the Moun- tain State Railroad & Logging Histori- cal Association. Established in 1982, the group has 500 members throughout the U.S. and has been a driving force in restoration projects around Cass. In addition to the current work on Climax No. 9, the group has restored the town’s former church into the Cass Communi- ty Center, moved Shay No. 11 from Cal- ifornia, established an interpretive dis- play of logging equipment at Whittaker along the Cass line, and conducts the annual Railfan Weekend each May. The remarkable story of Cass Scenic Railroad is built on the spirit shown by the MSR&LHA. If it wasn’t for a histo- rian showing interest in the railroad 53 years ago, we wouldn’t have this pre- served slice of West Virginia history. And now 50 years into being a state park, the future remains bright for Shays on the mountain.
47
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68