I have seen several articles in TRAINS magazine about Cass over my 15 year subscription, and each one has made me want to visit the place more and more. This video makes me want to visit it NOW!
Great video! I loved Cass ever since I was 5 and pretty much have never stopped visiting, experiencing, and learning about the area. It is a must for the railfan, history buff, and nature lover! Should note; Whittaker Station was never utilized during the logging era at Cass, as it was part of the nearby Gum Farm. It was only till after the Cass Scenic Railroad was established that it was used as a rest stop, which actually the nearby Austin Meadow about a mile further up the track was suppose to be the rest stop. The recreated logging camp at Whittaker today was built by the Mountain State Railroad and Logging Historical Association/MSR&LHA in 1991. The Cass Scenic Railroad used to offer trips to Spruce from around 2005 or 2006 till roughly around 2010, and since the takeover of the operations by the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad in 2015 which already had a train going to Spruce, it wasn't neccesary. However, that D&GV train "The Cheat Mountain Salamander" that went to Spruce has not returned since the pandemic. So it could be possible to ride trains to Spruce once again out of Cass. Since the reconnection of the C&O Greenbrier Subdivision between Cass and Durbin. All steam related operations will be based out of Cass. So Heisler #6 has returned back to Cass, but needs some repairs after the 8 years running out of Durbin. Which hopefully one day we can see both a shay, a heisler, and climax operate at the same time!
When I went to Ketchikan Alaska on a cruise they had a new port we entered into that was originally a saw mill, and they kept several boxcars and walled one side of them and put bathrooms in two, it was super unique to walk around it, I think they had said it closed in the 80’s Always been intrigued by the shay geared types so this was an interesting mini doc please keep ‘em coming!
Heisler number 6 is currently back at cass, as the D&GV finished the repairs of the line from cass to durbin. Cass also just purchased a second heisler, a smaller 2 truck one. They also have the D&GV’s 2 truck climax no 3 stored there awaiting overhaul. That little climax used to run the durbin rocket excursion back in the day. They also have a new ride offering called the greenbrier express that runs cass to durbin. Currently they are in the process of restoring the buffalo creek and gauly 2-8-0 number 4 to run on the greenbrier express. Love that railroad. Rode the bald knob excursion last year and many years before that did the D&GV excursions.
Cass is a 3 1/2 hour drive for me. Went there for the first time in July for our anniversary. Inspired me to get a shay for my HO scale layout. They also have a Heisler and a Climax locomotive. Though I didn't see either while I was there. Shay #2 was our locomotive for our trip.
YES!!! I LOVE CASS!!! I was only 5 or 6 when I first went to Cass. The train I was riding was pulled by Shay No. 11. Good memories. Just before my 16th birthday, my parents took my back there. This time, Shay No. 4 pulled the train. Long live the Gears at Cass!
Shay #6 also holds the title for being 1 of only 2 surviving Western Maryland steam locomotives in existence. The other being WM #202. A K-2 Pacific based in Hagerstown, Maryland. And you thought the NYC had it bad
I remember watching Steam in the Spring and learning about the Cass Scenic Railroad from there. I thought it looked cool, and I hope someday to go there pretty soon.
The name of the second company to own Cass is pronounced with a longer more open "O" sound, like "MOUWER", (pronounced like the word "mouse"). I used to help run photo charters at Cass, in fact quite a bit of the video footage in this clip looks like it came from some of those charters in the 1980s and 90s. The state park system did not do a very good job of trying to preserve the Cass lumber mill, allowing it to deteriorate and collapse into ruins. Basically, their philosophy was allowing entropy and nature to take it's course, so all that is left of the mill are ruins, when they could have allowed it to be restored into one of the finest examples of an early 20th Century lumber mill ever.
They finally opened the track between durbin and cass. Their running trains on it now, and eventually plan to have Buffalo Creek and Gauley 4 pull trains on there when they finish its restoration. It was previously numbered 604 at the North carolina transportation museum. I cant wait to see her run again.
A few corrections from someone who is a railroad employee there. 1. It’s not D&GV, it’s DGVR. 2. The equipment and right of way is now owned outright by the state rail authority. 3. Heisler 6 hasn’t been in Durbin since February 2023. It was moved back to Cass once the Trout Run bridge was completed that connected Cass and Durbin. As of this post, Heisler 6 is currently inside the Cass shop. 4. That heritage train in Durbin no longer runs. It has now been replaced by the Greenbrier Express which is now a roundtrip excursion between Cass and Durbin.
I do want to point out that there were only 3 engines when Midwest Raleigh took over scrapping, of which all 3 survive, 1 is at the b&o museum on lease in exchange for big 6, and 4 and 5 which are in service
Hay, could you do a video on the top 5 railroads with the most surviving steam locomotives in the United states? It would be interesting to see which railroad did a better job at saving their steam locomotives and where they are now as well as a quick back story on them.
Also just giving you some extra info reguarding everything at the railroad. Extra bit 1: the railroad has a rather interesting history around fire in that the original sawmill burned in 1921 while what's left is from the 2nd mill which burned in two separate fires that happened post cloure, the Planing Mill burned in 1978 while The Sawmill burned 1982. The original railroad Depot burned in 1972 and the original railroad shops burned in the seventies as well, most of the fires were deemed as arson from disgrunteled emplyees. Extra bit 2: the line to Durbin was completely destroyed in a major flood that hit back in 1985 and was only finally reopened this past year which is a major accomplishment to the railroad and its employees. Extra bit 3: climax 9's restoration took around 20 years to complete (i think)
Instead of the depot, it was the shops that burned in 1972. My wife and I went to Cass on our vacation in May of 1972. The shop burned not long after we visited.
So a few corrections. Mower is pronounced Mao-wer. In the beginning of the scenic railroad they had almost nothing. They had two camp cars, 10 flatcars, two functional locomotives, and one that was only slightly broke. In fact 6 is tied for the largest Shay ever built. 6 and Mower 12 are the same locomotive design. The only difference was 12 was modified later with a fourth truck and more water capacity making it a 190 ton Shay. 12 was also built in 1921 whereas 6 was built in 1945. What Lima had to do to built 6 was go down to cass and take measurements off of 12 which had been wrecked in 1942 but survived until 1957.
I rode the Cass Scenic Railroad when I was about twelve or so I think when they were building the New River Bridge down there I still have a coffee cup with the Train on it from Cass
Best regards friend, Please do a deep dive into grand canyon railway, and possibly a video! It’s a… short line. I’ve rode dome class north and south in an restored Pullman. It was great, - the children on the southbound. They have a shay in willams on static. Probably 5 F40PH running pulling the excursion. Love your vids 🖤
Just a small nitpick, Mower is pronounced Mow-er, the ow as in cow. Also this same railroad helped provide wood to the Wright brothers, THE Wright Brothers.
Legend holds that you could get your knob polished around dusk on Friday Saturday evening's at Gobbler's knob back in the logging days 😂🤣 please don't think this is a historical fact it's just the ramblings of a former Hostler who worked at Cass
I absolutely love when American history is preserved. Now if we can stop the removal of certain things of history it would be great. You know removing statues of Thomas Jefferson & George Washington plus many others is a big problem. As a society we such learn from history. If not, then we are bound to repeat it.
