"ARTIE BARKLEY: In His Own Words" Part 1 - Scrapping Mower Lumber Co. & Early Cass Scenic Railroad
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- Опубликовано: 8 фев 2025
- Retired Cass Scenic Railroad Engineer Artie Barkley shares memories and stories of his four decade career on the West Virginia tourist line.
In the 20 minute debut installment, Artie discusses the scrapping out of the Mower Lumber Company just prior to the park's inception, and recalls his early career when the Cass Scenic Railroad was in its infancy.
Look for additional installments of this interview series, presented by the Mountain State Railroad & Logging Historical Association, soon on The WV Network!
Artie is a West Virginia treasure. I first visited Cass around 1969 or 1970 when I was five and was last there in 1989. I need to get back again.
This is what the internet should be used for. Made my day finding these videos. 🚂
I’ve listened to this series several times. Thank you so much Artie !! Love the Cass Railroad.
My first visit to Cass was 1974, and I was just 16 years old. Artie allowed me to ride in the locomotive cab all the way up to Bald Knob and all the way back down the Mt. I have never forgotten Artie and how generous he was. He provided me, a young teenager at the time with an adventure I will never forget.
Artie is one of the most passionate engineers out there. You can tell just by listening to all his stories how much of a love and a connection he has with those Shays, especially #5. Not to mention he could blow a whistle like no one else could. It was like music. I have so much respect for him, he knows that steam locomotives aren't just hunks of metal like diesels, they're living and breathing giants, they have a soul.
God Bless you Artie. You will always have a special place in my heart. Still going to the Cass Scenic Railroad since 1963.
A Great Story by Artie. I have known Artie about 23 years.
This guy must have some great stories. Looking forward to more.
Nice job getting this together Matt Wilson
This interview is something i really enjoyed. Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to put it together.
Stay tuned for more clips! This one is by far the longest, but future installments will run anywhere from two to ten minutes! :)
Absolutely remarkable.
When I was a child growing up in Cass this man was my next door neighbor
This is a great interview.
Wen or you going to post more videos of artie
We have a handful of clips left from this interview, and will likely post them this summer. They haven't been cut yet, and other projects prevail at the moment, but we'll get them out!
Does he still stop by Cass now and again to give the guys over there advice or to help out or has he officially retired
I don't know that he stops by the shop very often (if ever), but he does still visit Cass fairly often, and gave a whistle demonstration and talk this past summer during the final Cass Logging Days event. His nephew, Noah Barkley, started working for Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad this past summer as a fireman. He is very proud of that.
@@thewvnetwork I'm glad to hear it, I tell you I hope one day when funds and time allow I'd love to see a tiny part of the mill reconstructed I know that's probably impossible but you never know
@@RailPreserver2K It really would be virtually impossible at this point sixty years later to do anything with the mill. Heck even 25 years ago it was probably too late. Of the only three remaining structures--the boiler house, the power house, and the dry kilns--only the kilns had anything to do with the actual production of lumber, the other two more prominent structures ironically had nothing to do with the production of the lumber other than powering the mill that did the work. Parts of the kilns have caved in just in the last five years, with only three stalls still "complete" with no apparent damage. A few years ago, a restoration was considered for the more stable of the structures--the brick power house--but it would cost over $1 Million to make it completely safe and accessible to everyone, but really, what interpretive purpose would it serve? No one really wants to see electric generators work, especially when they have nothing to power. Guests would have wanted to see the double band sawmill, and the planing and flooring mills where the action really happened, but they are long gone to history. There have been rumors--only rumors, mind you--that they have considered bulldozing the rest of what is left out of safety concerns and putting in a wye or a turntable for the railroad on the site. Hopefully that doesn't happen--its still an important piece of history even in ruins.