Cass
Scenic Railroad
State Park
P.O. Box 107
Cass, WV 24927
Phone: (304) 456-4300
Located
in eastern West Virginia, Cass Scenic Railroad is
accessible by State Route 28/92N between Dunmore and
Green Bank in Pocahontas County. A new 11-mile
connector route, WV 66, now links the town of Cass
to U.S. 219.
Directions:
Located in
eastern West Virginia, Cass Scenic Railroad is
accessible by State Route 28/92N between Dunmore and
Green Bank in Pocahontas County. An 11-mile
connector route, WV 66, now links the town of Cass
to U.S. 219 at Slatyfork.
All Aboard the Cass Scenic
Railroad!
Nestled in the mountains of
West Virginia, Cass Scenic Railroad State Park
offers excursions that transfer you back in time and
let you relive an era when steam-driven locomotives
were an essential part of everyday life.
Trips to
Cass are filled with rich histories of the past,
unparalleled views of a vast wilderness area, and
close-up encounters with the sights and sounds of
original steam-driven locomotives.
The town of Cass remains
relatively unchanged. The restored company houses
add to the charm and atmosphere of the town. From
the company store and museum to the train depot,
you'll find an abundance of things to do prior to
your departure on the historic Cass Railroad.
The Cass Scenic Railroad is
the same line built in 1901 to haul lumber to the
mill in Cass.
The locomotives are the same Shay
locomotives used in Cass and in the rain forests of
British Columbia for more than a half-century.
The
passenger cars are old logging flatcars refurbished
and made into passenger cars.
The carefully restored Shay
locomotive will start pulsing, driven by hundreds of
pounds of steam pressure. With thick, black smoke
belching from its stack, the train pulls away from
the station, passing the old water tower from which
the locomotive tanks are filled.
As the train rounds
the curve up Leatherbark Creek, you'll pass the Cass
Shop, where the locomotives are serviced and
repaired, and a graveyard of antiquated, but
fascinating equipment on sidetracks.
The Mountain State Railroad
& Logging Historical Association has recreated a
logging camp of the 1940's at Whittaker Station
which shows both the living quarters and the
equipment used by the loggers.
The centerpiece of
Camp One is a Lidgerwood tower skidder, one of only
two examples left in the world. These huge
railcar-mounted machines carried logs out of the
woods on aerial cables high in the air and for
distances up to 3000 feet.
Should you take the full
five hour trip to Bald Knob you will leave Whittaker
Station and proceed to Oats Run for the engines to
take on additional water at a spring. The train will
then climb up the mountain, finally reaching Bald
Knob, the second highest point in West Virginia.
The
overlook at Bald Knob provides a spectacular view at
an altitude of 4,842 feet. The Bald Knob area has a
climate similar to Canada and is abundant in plants
typical to the Canadian wilderness!
Cass Scenic Railroad State
Park is an unforgettable adventure. It is a journey
back in time to the days of geared locomotives and
log trains.
Page 1 of 1
|