Cass Scenic Railroad: Parade of Steam 6-15-2024.
Every Father's Day weekend since 2020, the Cass Scenic Railroad pulls out all of their operable steam locomotives and runs them all together for a parade at the Cass depot. It's an extremely fun and popular event, and a great opportunity to see all of Cass's operable steam locomotives at once.
In 2024, Cass Scenic Railroad had five locomotives operating (normally Cass would operate their three truck Climax locomotive #9, but this year she had some mechanical issues). All five of their Shay locomotives would operate together in a parade for the first time in recent memory. Shays: 2, 4, 5, 6, and 11
Shay #2 was built in 1928 by the Lima Locomotive Works as a three truck "Pacific Coast" "Shay" for the Mayo Lumber Company in Vancouver. 2 originally burned wood but was later converted to oil after four different purchases. She was retired in 1970, making her one of the last commercially used Shays. She arrived at Cass sometime in the 70's and has been in service ever since.
*She was converted to coal before her retirement.
Shay #4 was built in 1922 by the Lima Locomotive Works as a three truck "Shay" for the Birch Valley Lumber Company. Later it would be sold to the Tioga Lumber Company, then sold to the G&ER in 1943, after that it would roughly have a similar history as #5.
*Shay 4 would operate the Greenbrier trips after the parade was over.
Shay #5 was built in 1905 by the Lima Locomotive Works as a three truck "Shay" type locomotive for the Greenbrier and Elk River Railroad. (Cass back in the logging days) Eventually it was retired when the lumber company Cass serviced shut down in 1960. However, in 1963, Cass Scenic Railroad opened as a state park, and #5 was brought back into service. #5 has been operational ever since.
*#5 is the state steam locomotive of West Virginia. Also, it's the oldest shay in operation.
Western Maryland Shay #6 was built in 1945 by the Lima Locomotive Works as a three truck "Shay" for the Western Maryland railroad. She would operate on the steep grades of the Chaffee Branch between Chaffee WV and Vindex MD hauling coal for four years. She was officially retired in 1953 and eventually donated to the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum in Baltimore MD. She would remain on display there for 26 years until the Cass Scenic Railroad and the museum trade the 6 for Cass's Shay #1 and a Porter 0-4-0 locomotive. Shay 6 has been in operation at Cass since 1981.
*Shay 6 was the last Shay built by the Lima Locomotive Works.
*Shay 6 is the second largest Shay locomotive ever built/
*Shay 6 is often referred to as "Big 6" because it is the largest Shay at Cass.
*This was the first time I have seen Shay 6 in person.
#11 was built in 1923 by the Lima Locomotive Works as a three truck "Shay" for the Hutchinson Lumber Company as their #3. Later it would be sold to the Feather River Railway, then put on display in the Pacific Southwest Railroad Museum in 1967. It would move from California to Cass in 1997 and was numbered 11. She has been operable ever since.
The whistles on each of the Shays include the following:
2: (MD Whistles) Illinois Central 3 chime
4: Flat top Powell 3 chime (Mcavity bowl) (Artie Barkley hybrid)
5: Homemade 3 chime
6: Louisville & Nashville 3 chime
11: Chesapeake & Ohio 6 chime
Enjoy the sights and sounds of the Cass Scenic Railroad's 5th annual parade of steam!
6 окт 2024
