The WV Presents "AUTUMN GLORY AT CASS - HEISLER EDITION" Cass Scenic Railroad Fall Foliage

On a beautiful--if overcast--autumn afternoon, we find what is becoming a more and more rare opportunity to chase Cass Scenic Railroad's only Heisler locomotive, No. 6, to Whittaker Station while powering regular passenger excursions. Locations include Cass yard, Leatherbark Creek Bridge #2, Back Mountain Crossing, Gum Crossing, as well as Gum Curve, Lower Gum Field, Limestone Cut, the S-Curve below Whittaker, located on Shalimar Farm.

[@wvwoodman]

Thank You - Superb Photography.

[@mainengines]

Wonderful West Virginian - 90 Ton Heisler - great CREW!

[@rogerlollar4325]

She's at Durbin now

[@paragdassharma6885]

Beautiful photography. Do you by chance remember the dates you visited? Seems like you had best foliage around those days

[@thewvnetwork]

Parag -- Thank you for your kind comments! This was filmed over Columbus Day Weekend 2014. I shot an entire day of Whittaker trains--this is 4 different runs cut together in order of location (today it would be impossible to re-make this as they only run 2 Whittaker trains per day). This was the last fall foliage season before the state park leased the railroad to the State Rail Authority, who then contracted to the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley who still runs it today. We have not had an autumn with that much vibrant color since that year--I did go back in 2015 and 2016 on the same weekend and the leaves were still mostly green between Cass and Whittaker during that time, with some color higher up closer to Bald Knob. Last year (2018), the leaves didn't change colors at all in October--they remained mostly green and then just quickly turned to an ugly brown and fell off the trees around the first week of November!