Case, WV, tripped my "twice in two days" rule. In addition to Jim's photo below, I learned about replacing a bridge in the former C&O Greenbrier route north of Cass.
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Jim Pearson Photography posted The fireman stands on the tender of Cass Scenic Railway Shay locomotive number 11, (C-90-3) as they take on water during the Rail Heritage Photography Weekend photo shoot at Cass, West Virginia on November 5th, 2022. Cass Scenic Railroad, Cass Scenic RR Photographer's Specials According to Wikipedia: Cass Scenic Railroad, is an 11-mile (18 km) long heritage railway owned by the West Virginia State Rail Authority and operated by the Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad. The park also includes the former company town of Cass and a portion of the summit of Bald Knob, the highest point on Back Allegheny Mountain. Founded in 1901 by the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company (now WestRock), Cass was built as a company town to serve the needs of the men who worked in the nearby mountains cutting spruce and hemlock for the West Virginia Spruce Lumber Company, a subsidiary of WVP&P. At one time, the sawmill at Cass was the largest double-band sawmill in the world. It processed an estimated 1.25 billion board feet (104,000,000 cu ft; 2,950,000 m3) of lumber during its lifetime. In 1901 work started on the 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge railroad, which climbs Back Allegheny Mountain. The railroad eventually reached a meadow area, now known as Whittaker Station, where a logging camp was established for the immigrants who were building the railroad. The railroad soon reached the top of Gobblers Knob, and then a location on top of the mountain known as 'Spruce'. The railroad built a small town at that location, complete with a company store, houses, a hotel, and a doctor's office. Work soon commenced on logging the red spruce trees, which grew in the higher elevations. Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/350, ISO 200. |
My wife and I took a train ride on this logging railroad a few decades ago. If I remember correctly, this is one of the largest Shays ever built. The locomotive pushed the train up the tracks for safety reasons and there are a couple of switchbacks along the route.
The full ride to the top of Bald Know, the third highest peak in WV, takes 4.5 hours and costs $79 in 2023. [MountainRailWV]
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| Chadwick Wilemon, Oct 2022 "Cass is the home to the world’s largest fleet of geared Shay locomotives. Five Shays, one Heisler, and one Climax reside here." [MountainRailWV-whittaker] Geared locomotives are designed for power, not speed. Every axle, including those under the tender, are powered. |
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| MaintainRalWV-CassScenic |
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| MaintainRalWV-BaldKnob The grade averages 4-5% and at times reaches 10%. |
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| Jim Pearson Photography posted Meadow River Lumber Company steam locomotive, Heisler No. 6, leads a freight train past a wetlands area at Hosterman, West Virginia during the Mountain Rail WV, Rail Heritage Photography Weekend. The event was held at the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad, Durbin, WV, and Cass Scenic Railroad, Cass, WV, from November 4-6th, 2022. According to Wikipedia: The Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad (reporting mark DGVR) is a heritage and freight railroad in the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia. It operates the West Virginia State Rail Authority-owned Durbin Railroad and West Virginia Central Railroad (reporting mark WVC), as well as the Shenandoah Valley Railroad in Virginia. Cass Scenic Railroad, Cass Scenic RR Photographer's Specials Beginning in 2015, DGVR began operating the historic geared steam-powered Cass Scenic Railroad, which was previously operated by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources as part of Cass Scenic Railroad State Park. Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/2000, ISO 100. https://fineartamerica.com/featured/meadow-river-lumber-company-heisler-no-6-at-hosterman-wv-jim-pearson.htmlDennis DeBruler shared |
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