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| Cass Scenic Railroad State Park | |
|---|---|
 Cass Scenic Railroad Heisler #6 along with Shay #11 lead a loaded log train down the formerC&OGreenbrier Division mainline. | |
  Location of Cass Scenic Railroad State Park in West Virginia | |
| Location | Pocahontas County, West Virginia, United States |
| Nearest town | Cass, West Virginia |
| Coordinates | 38°23′48″N79°54′53″W / 38.39667°N 79.91472°W /38.39667; -79.91472 |
| Area | 940 acres (380 ha)[2] |
| Elevation | 2,438 ft (743 m) |
| Established | March 7, 1961[3][page needed] |
| Named for | Former logging railroad at Cass, West Virginia |
| Governing body | West Virginia Division of Natural Resources |
| Website | wvstateparks |
Cass Scenic Railroad | |
| Location | Cass, West Virginia |
| Built | 1900-1960 |
| NRHP reference No. | 74002019[4] |
| Added to NRHP | July 12, 1974 |
Cass Scenic Railroad State Park is astate park andheritage railroad located inCass,Pocahontas County, West Virginia.
It consists of the Cass Scenic Railroad, a 11-mile (18 km) long 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)standard gaugeheritage railway owned by theWest Virginia State Rail Authority and operated by theDurbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad. The park also includes the formercompany town of Cass and a portion of the summit ofBald Knob, the highest point onBack Allegheny Mountain.
Founded in 1901 by the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company (nowWestRock), Cass was built as acompany town to serve the needs of the men who worked in the nearby mountains cuttingspruce andhemlock for theWest Virginia Spruce Lumber Company, a subsidiary of WVP&P. At one time, thesawmill at Cass was the largest double-band sawmill in the world. It processed an estimated 1.25 billionboard feet (104,000,000 cu ft; 2,950,000 m3) oflumber during its lifetime.In 1901 work started on the4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)standard gaugerailroad, which climbs Back Allegheny Mountain. The railroad eventually reached a meadow area, now known as Whittaker Station, where alogging camp was established for the immigrants who were building the railroad. The railroad soon reached to 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 thered spruce trees, which grew in the higher elevations.
The WVP&P originally had only been interested in the red spruce for the purpose of making pulp, which would be turned into paper. It was not until several years later that the company realized that the mountain held a fortune in hardwoods, such as maple, cherry, birch and oak. The company decided that it would build a mill in the town of Cass, which could process the hardwoods.
The railroad eventually extended its track to the top of Bald Knob, the third-highest mountain peak in West Virginia. The red spruce in that area was logged out, and the track was torn up in the early 1910s. The track was also extended to a valley near the town of Spruce, at a bend in the Shavers Fork of theCheat River. The WVP&P set up a new town there, with about 30 company houses, a large company store, a school, and a pulp mill, where the red spruce trees could be processed on the spot. The new town was also named Spruce, and the former town received its current name of Old Spruce.
In June 1942, WVP&P sold the Cass operation toMower Lumber Company, which operated the line until July 1, 1960, cuttingsecond-growth timber offCheat Mountain. The mill and railroad were shut down by Mower in 1960, due to the rapid decline of the timber industry in the region.
Following the 1960 closure, the rail line, land, and all equipment and rolling stock, were sold to a holding company named theDon Mower Lumber Company (no relation to the former Mower Lumber Company), and the railroad was conveyed to the Midwest Raleigh Corporation, which started to scrap the railroad and equipment. However, a group of local businessmen, led byPennsylvania train aficionadoRussell Baum, convinced the West Virginia state legislature to make the Cass Railroad a state park. In 1963, the first tourist excursion train left the Cass depot for Whittaker Station, 4 miles (6 km) north.
The railroad was placed on theNational Register of Historic Places on July 12, 1974.[5]
In 1977, the Cass Scenic Railroad State Park took possession of the entirecompany town of Cass and the old hardwood mill there. In 2015, theDurbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad assumed operation of the railroad under a lease agreement with the State of West Virginia.[6]
Today, visitors ride on historic convertedlog cars (similar toflatcars), pushed along by a powerful geared logging locomotive. Traveling on 11 miles (18 km) ofstandard gaugetrack laid in 1901 by immigrant workers, the line traverses the steepgrades ofBack Allegheny Mountain.
The railroad owns eightShay locomotives, oneHeisler locomotive, and oneClimax locomotive, which is being restored by volunteers of theMountain State Railroad and Logging Historical Association. The Heisler and the Climax, both made inPennsylvania, were competition to Shay's geared locomotive design.
Three trips are available: a two-hour round trip to Whittaker Station, a five-hour round trip to the abandoned site of the ghost town ofSpruce (once the coldest and highest town east of theRockies), and a five-hour round trip toBald Knob, the third highest point in the state.
Former company houses have been refurbished and are available for rent through Cass Scenic Railroad State Park. A small cabin on Bald Knob is also available for rent, andcabooses can be reserved for private use as well.
Town and shop tours are available daily to visitors who would like to learn more about the town and its lumber industry, and see how the rare geared locomotives are maintained by the Cass shop crew. A tour of a recreated logging camp is available at Whittaker.
In October 2014, it was announced that theWest Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) was transferring their administrative responsibilities to another state agency, the West Virginia State Rail Authority (WVSRA). Under the new arrangement, theDurbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad (D&GV) will assume day-to-day operations of the line as part of their existing contract with the WVSRA. D&GV will control scheduling of trains, staffing train excursions, and maintaining the railroad and its equipment. The takeover began in 2015.[7][8]
The WVDNR will maintain ownership of the right-of-way and equipment, as well as continue staffing and maintaining the non-railroad portions of the park, including the historic company town of Cass, the visitor center, and the overnight cottage rentals that the park offers.[9] Listed below is a table of locomotives found at Cass and Durbin.[10]
| Cass No. | Type | Manufacturer | Serial No. | Date built | Class | Weight | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shay | Lima Locomotive Works | 1519 | Jul 1905 | C-65-3 | 60 short tons (53.6 long tons; 54.4 metric tons) | Display | On loan toB&O Museum in exchange for WM 6. |
| 2 | Shay | Lima Locomotive Works | 3320 | Jul 1928 | PC-13 | 92 short tons (82.1 long tons; 83.5 metric tons) | Operational | In service |
| 3 | Shay | Lima Locomotive Works | 3142 | Dec 1920 | C-80-3 | 82 short tons (73.2 long tons; 74.4 metric tons) | Display | Not operational |
| 3 | Climax | Climax Locomotive Works | - | 1910 | B-55-2 | 80 short tons (71.4 long tons; 72.6 metric tons) | Out of service, awaiting overhaul | Awaiting 1,472-day inspection |
| 4 | Shay | Lima Locomotive Works | 3189 | Dec 1920 | C-70-3 | 85 short tons (75.9 long tons; 77.1 metric tons) | Operational | In service |
| 4 | 2-8-0 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 59472 | Sep 1926 | Ks | 80 short tons (71.4 long tons; 72.6 metric tons) | Under restoration | New boiler is needed.[11] Built initially for Mexico, but bought byBuffalo Creek & Gauley. |
| 5 | Shay | Lima Locomotive Works | 1503 | Nov 1905 | C-80-3 | 86 short tons (76.8 long tons; 78.0 metric tons) | Operational | WV state locomotive, oldest operational Shay |
| 6 | Heisler | Heisler Locomotive Works | 1591 | 1929 | C-90-3 | 100 short tons (89 long tons; 91 metric tons) | Operational | In service |
| 6 | Shay | Lima Locomotive Works | 3354 | May 1945 | C-150-3 | 162 short tons (145 long tons; 147 metric tons) | Operational | Ex-Western Maryland Railway No. 6; Cass's biggest engine, largest surviving Shay in existence, last Shay built.[12] |
| 7 | Shay | Lima Locomotive Works | 3131 | Oct 1920 | C-70-3 | 65 short tons (58.0 long tons; 59.0 metric tons) | Awaiting restoration | Not operational |
| 8 | 2-8-0 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 24738 | 1904 | - | N/A | Stored, awaiting restoration | Built forWest Virginia Northern.[13] |
| 9 | 2-8-0 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 28500 | 1906 | - | N/A | Inoperable, stored | Built forWest Virginia Northern. Currently stored, awaiting restoration[13] |
| 9 | Climax | Climax Locomotive Works | 1551 | 1919 | C-70-3 | - | Operational | Restoration completed in September 2019.[14] |
| 10 | Shay | Lima Locomotive Works | 2804 | Jan 1916 | C-70-3 | 62 short tons (55.4 long tons; 56.2 metric tons) | Inoperable, stored | Ex-Brimstone Railroad No. 36, not operational, awaiting restoration |
| 11 | Shay | Lima Locomotive Works | 3221 | Jul 1923 | C-90-3 | 105 short tons (94 long tons; 95 metric tons) | Operational | In service |
| - | Shay | Lima Locomotive Works | 3299 | Feb 1926 | C-70-3 | 70 short tons (62.5 long tons; 63.5 metric tons) | Inoperable | Not operational, Ex-Graham County Railroad 1926. Acquired for parts. |
