The Splendor of Shays: Cass Rail Heritage Weekend 2018

The Shay steam locomotive is considered by many to be something of a twirling wonder. Named for their designer Ephraim Shay, these geared machines are known for their slow speeds, incredible strength and power as well as being able to conquer some of the steepest and toughest mountain grades to be found anywhere. There is no other place in the world where one can get more up close and personal with these sidewinded wonders than at the Cass Scenic Railroad State Park, located deep in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia. A fixture with many logging railroads across North America the Shays were mass produced by the Lima Locomotive Works in Ohio. They were the primary source of power for hauling logs down from the mountains to the mills were they would be turned into lumber that would used for other needs such as furniture, building construction and even the creation of the first flying machines by Orville and Wilbur Wright. The lumber for what would become the first step toward creating the first effective use of flying aircraft by the Wright Brothers was purchased from the West Virginia Pulp & Paper Company, located in none other than Cass. Founded in 1901, Cass was a company town and was the home of many loggers that worked for the mill and the railroad that served it, the Greenbrier & Elk River, later the Greenbrier, Cheat & Elk. In 1943, the Mower family bought the West Virginia Pulp & Paper Company, continuing the operation under the new name of the Mower Lumber Company. By 1960, the mill had seen an abrupt closing, with many fleeing Cass as no work remained in the isolated West Virginia town. It was in 1961 however when a group of railfans from Pennsylvania received approval from the West Virginia State Legislature to turn the town of Cass as well as the railroad, into a well-established tourist attraction as a reminder of its rich logging history. In 1963, the first trains were run up Cheat Mountain, thus creating the Cass Scenic Railroad, which in the 50+ years since has become a phenomenon with railfans nationwide.
In addition to providing a spectacular and breathtaking ride up Cheat Mountain to Bald Knob and Spruce, the Cass Scenic Railroad is widely known for its photo charters and railfan weekends, where one can witness the Shay locomotives performing in the environment they were made for, hauling re-created logging and freight trains in the beautiful mountains of West Virginia. In 2018, we partook in the Rail Heritage Weekend where we witnessed a quartet of Shay locomotives in all their glory. Each is a tad different with their own unique personality:
Shay #2 was built by Lima in 1928 as a "Pacific Coast" Shay, meaning it was heavier and more powerful than normal Shays. It is one of few steam locomotives to burn all three types of fuel used on typical steam engines: wood, coal & oil. Having worked in the Pacific Northwest and in British Columbia Canada it has been at Cass since 1972.
Shay #4 was built by Lima in 1922 and has been at Cass since the Mower days. It had the distinction of pulling the first passenger train when the railroad reopened as a tourist line in 1963.
Shay #5 was built by Lima in 1905 and is the oldest operating Shay in the world. Having been at Cass the longest since the days of the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company it is the official locomotive of the state of West Virginia.
Shay #11 was built by Lima in 1923 and spent much of its life working in California. It was purchased from the San Diego Railroad Museum in 1998 and has been running at Cass since 2000.
Enjoy!