Cass Scenic Railroad 2018

Cass Scenic Railroad 2018

Shay #11 backs down to the Cass Depot for the first excursion up the mountain for the 2018 Rail Heritage Weekend on May 18.

Cass Scenic Railroad 2018

Whittaker Station is the site of an old logging camp. Today it is a picnic area with a recreated logging camp and equipment displays. It was the destination for the first trip of Rail Heritage Weekend.

Cass Scenic Railroad 2018

The crew of Shay #11

Cass Scenic Railroad 2018

Shay 11 is moved into position at Whittaker in preparation for the night photoshoot.

Cass Scenic Railroad 2018

Shay 11 in position at the Whittaker equipment display. The weather at Cass is unpredictable at best.

Cass Scenic Railroad 2018

Our coaches were cut off from the locomotive and placed on the lead into the display track. The cars are converted logging flatcars.

Cass Scenic Railroad 2018

Whittaker Logging Camp

Cass Scenic Railroad 2018

Shay 11 was built by Lima in 1923 for use in California. It is a Class 90-3 (90 tons, 3 trucks) Shay. For Rail Heritage Weekend it masqueraded as Greenbrier & Elk River #11 a former engine on the Cass line.

Cass Scenic Railroad 2018

#11 Built 1923 Lima Locomotive Works Class 90-3

Cass Scenic Railroad 2018

#11 is framed by two replica logging shanties. These mobile shacks were used to house lumbermen and were transported by flatcar wherever they were needed. The logging crane simply lifted them off the flatcars used to transport trees.

Cass Scenic Railroad 2018

Unlike conventional steam locomotives, a Shay's cylinders and valve gear are vertical rather than horizontal. Also, there are three cylinders, not two which allows for more equal power thrusts. The entire assembly is on the engineer's side of the locomotive causing the boiler to be left of center.

Cass Scenic Railroad 2018

Magic Hour on the Mountain

Cass Scenic Railroad 2018

Magic Hour on the Mountain 2

Cass Scenic Railroad 2018

Shay #2 was built by Lima in 1928. It is a Pacific Coast type Shay a souped-up variant of the standard Shay marketed for operations in the west. This engine served in Canada until 1971. It is also the only Shay to burn all three types of locomotive fuel, wood, oil, and coal.

Cass Scenic Railroad 2018

Shay #2 would serve as power for the passenger train on Day 2 of Rail Heritage Weekend. In a change from standard practice, the locomotives would pull their trains up the mountain rather than push.

Cass Scenic Railroad 2018

Here the offset boiler of the Shay is in view. The left-hand or Fireman's side is plain by comparison. The Cass Depot is a Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad structure and in fact, #2 is on the old Greenbrier Division mainline which suffered a series of floods and declining traffic over the years which led to its abandonment.

Cass Scenic Railroad 2018

The Cass Lumber Mill was once a booming industry until the decline of the lumber industry. A mysterious fire which burned the entire facility didn't help either. Today only the stone and metal structures and scattered bits of machinery remain.

Cass Scenic Railroad 2018

Shay 11 followed the passenger train as our photo freight this was the first photo run-by featuring the "plain" or "wrong" side of the Shay.

Cass Scenic Railroad 2018

1st Run-By Take 2

Cass Scenic Railroad 2018

The second run-by location was at the Spruce connection. The line to the left leads to Bald Knob.

Cass Scenic Railroad 2018

Brakeman

Cass Scenic Railroad 2018

Spruce Connection

Cass Scenic Railroad 2018

Spruce Connection

Cass Scenic Railroad 2018

Spruce Connection