A Diamond in The Rough

Cass, West Virginia is a minuscule town with a massive history. Founded in the first year of the 20th century, it was two primary operations that fed the town: the lumber industry and the railroad. The Mower Lumber Company thrived as one of the most pristine logging corporations in the country, running one of the most rugged railroads. By the 21st century the town is nothing more than an historical monument. The lumber mill, which sold to such innovators as the Wright Brothers, is lying abandoned and derelict, a mere carcass of what once was.
The railroad, however, still stands, but not for its intent. When the logging operations shut down in the summer of 1960, plans were quickly drawn up to use what little resources the town retained to craft a tourist site, including an authentic steam-powered scenic train ride. Deemed the “Cass Scenic Railroad”, many thought that it would be the only way possible to keep the town alive. To this day, passenger train rides are still in operation among the many rail-routes and excursions Cass has to offer. The most popular of which being the route to the top of Cheat Mountain: "Bald Knob Summit", nearly 5,000 feet in elevation. In this piece, we’ll observe the town and the current railroad operations as well. Four geared “Shay”-type steam engines handle the trains, Numbers 2, 4, 5, and 6. We’ll see all of these locomotives in operation as well as riding behind a special VIP excursion train powered by engine No. 2, a 1928 Pacific Coast engine. We’ll see the train photographed along some of the most scenic locations on the Cheat Mountain route, as well as a look inside the engine-house and workshop, and even get an up-close look at some of the unused equipment.
It’s a spectacular showcase of antique steam-powered transportation among a canvas of historic and scenic backdrops. We hope that everyone finds something to enjoy about this living piece of history in Diamond in the Rough.
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[@jesikebiking]

Thank you for a great video I 'm 70 now and I love model RR since I was 10

[@demomike2594]

This is an incredibly well done Documentary! This is honestly one of my favorite videos of Cass, I wish it was released on DVD.

[@kenjett2434]

I remember those early years of the scenic railroad and although over the years some of the engines have changed and in ways missed the charm is still there. Its been alot of years now since i visited Cass i am almost 60 now i hope to at least one more time visit and see what i witnessed as a very young boy. May be bring my family and let them experience what i did.

[@johnelwood5775]

Went there for rail fan weekend in 1979. Brings back many great memories.

[@hughvane]

Not only the Shay locomotive, but the sight of those period houses, restored and maintained, never fails to amaze me. We have a very small settlement named Cass in NZ, beside the main rail line, and road, between east and west coasts of the South Island. That train (TranzAlpine) journey is a big drawcard to visitors, with fantastic natural scenery, just as Cass, W Virginia has.

[@nouminboya]

😍🤩Great !!! 👍👍👍

[@tbone21158]

Just came back from riding these rails. You did a great job capturing the trip up the mountain. If anyone goes in October, dress very warmly, as it gets fairly cold up there!

[@Waldbahner]

Well done and many thanks to bringing memories back to mind. Have been there in 2010 and it was awsome to see real Shay locomotives in operation, as we don't have such locos in Europe.

[@reamce]

This is a fantastic short documentary. Those locomotives are so beautiful and cool.

[@seanthornton9969]

Wow what a great place to live beautiful surroundings and roaring stem!

[@B-and-O-Operator-Fairmont]

Thanks for posting this - very well done. It should be noted that West Virginia Pulp and Paper started the operation in 1902 - Mower did not take over until around 1940. Mower operated the railroad, mill, and town until 1960.

[@retromaniac4563]

The Shays are fantastic locomotives to see in action. Also interesting that the original operations lasted for 59 years and the tourist traffic is in its 55th year.

[@mattdotsonrailfanproductio266]

20:03 shay 2 sounds like it is running hard to get up the summit

[@thewvnetwork]

Great work...especially the editing! I am glad you could join us.

[@290wayne]

Great Job... I worked for DNR West Va. Rode the train .. Thanks for all the info!

[@brianfalzon6739]

It’s beautiful and sounds like a fun place to check out one day!

[@MichaelSmith-ul4wr]

Excellent documentary with high quality videography and great audio. I was there during the railfan weekend in May 2014 and I'm just now editing my video. I will go back as long as it's in warm weather. Thanks for posting your presentation.

[@vanderleicirodesousa5559]

Lindo de ver..beatful! 🤠😎🤠

[@jabru41]

Great video! Thanks for sharing!

[@paulwarner5395]

Thanx for the great documentary..

[@actingfan11]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed.

[@armagonarmagon3980]

Great documentary, but one small thing: Mower Lumber Co. did not take over the Cass operation until the 1940's. West Virginia Pulp & Paper Co. started the operation at Cass at the turn of the century, with the Shays being operated by WVP&PCo's Greenbrier, Cheat, and Elk Railroad

[@fridaynighthikes]

Great commentary and video 👍🏼👍🏼

[@ricardofornasiero9347]

Very good

[@actingfan11]

Ricardo Fornasiero Thank you very much!

[@albiggers9348]

Great video even with its flaw of being "highest". To all those who mention the high altitude railroads in CO, don't forget Donner Pass in CA, Sherman Pass in WY, and several others.

[@williamralph5442]

The Cass RR is a great experience for all. Plan on staying in one of the historic cookie cutter style homes.

[@billm9709]

13:25. If I had a 10 dollar bill for every time I climbed the steps on that Fire Tower, we could all retire. It was the best job I ever had. The tower was originally on Gauley Mountain in Fayette County, WV. She looks good in camo. Gauley Mountain 10-8, KQB855.

[@grandvalleyproductions9422]

Beautiful *sniff* my life is fulfilled

[@waynemcclain7137]

Nice video great job

[@actingfan11]

Thank you!

[@nickel_plate765ftyfilms2]

very nice video

[@actingfan11]

Thank you!

[@larisashtukaturova3223]

ZeWeirdRailfan 6666. Is

[@SimplyTakuma]

Nr. 6 is a beast

[@westvirginia24]

Number 4 helped number 6 push the the train to bald knob in October 2018

[@WOLFROY47]

its a pity they didnt think to run a scenic railway, a lot sooner, also regulate logging a lot sooner, the loggers cut their own throats, they were only interested in the profit, not the people

[@ngphan4005]

You forgot about one more engine that Cass has, the #6 Heisler. It's not at Cass at the moment because it's filling in as the Derby runner while they make repairs on their #3 Climax engine.

[@robertknight4672]

I've had few trips with Shay #2 usually accompanied by Shay #4

[@david245611]

For the record that #3 is not the #3 that ran at Cass. The #3 that ran at Cass is back in Oregon, still running.

[@BentraxVideos]

I have to say, they have done a decent job making the new 3 look like the old one.

[@basictransportenthusiast4386]

Where did the shay 3 here come from?

[@turtleboi95]

Cass is only 3 hours away from my house.

[@WOLFROY47]

isnt this way better, than looking at a devastated logging area

[@robertlafnear4865]

EPA just might shut down this operation.......enough smoke to fill a stadium.

[@CWproductions2288]

Cass is 1 and a half hours from my house

[@wadeharris65]

Excellent film, but a bit of a quibble at a remark made at 21:15, "the highest point a railroad can travel in the United States". Actually shouldn't that be "...in the eastern United States"? A couple of railroads in Colorado, the Durango & Silverton and the Cumbres & Toltec travel much higher than Bald Knob Summit. I think Cumbres Pass, the highest point along the C&S, is a little over 10.000'. Silverton, the end of the line for the D&S, is over 9,000'. Plus, Moffat Tunnel, west of Denver, is at 9,239'. And it's on a main line.

[@actingfan11]

You're actually right about that. Cass is the highest point in the Eastern United States! Our mistake.

[@rjmyers5708]

The Sierras have Donner Summit at 7000 +feet. Sure glad you corrected yourself on this statistic. Very good film.

[@counterfit5]

Mount Washington is still higher, at 6200'.

[@B-and-O-Operator-Fairmont]

@@counterfit5 Very true, but that is a "cog" railway.

[@paradiseroad6405]

..."highest point a railroad can travel in the United States"... ...I guess you have never been to Colorado?...

[@astromotive6047]

He is right in one regard. It's the highest Railroad point that is still connected to the U.S. Rail Network. The Manitou & Pikes Peak Railway may go higher, but it is isolated from the rest of the U.S. Railroad system.

[@paradiseroad6405]

@@astromotive6047 "Bald Knob Summit", nearly 5,000 feet in elevation"....Denver Colorado is 5280 feet...the Moffat Tunnel is 9239 feet...Tennessee Pass is over 10000 feet...Rollins Pass was near 12000 feet...Cumbres Pass on the Cumbres and Toltec is 10022...Silverton Colorado on the Durango and Silverton is 9318...etc...etc...

[@LoczFilms]

kennethdogg03 here

[@westvirginia24]

Shay 11 is running

[@focusstevezx3]

what happened to Shay 11?

[@actingfan11]

Thank you for your comment! I'm responding to this with a direct quote from the director of this film, so I'm only speaking on their behalf. Shay no. 11 was taken out of service by the Cass Railroad around November 2014 for federally mandated repairs required for each steam locomotive around a certain span of time. In the video it's mentioned that Shay no. 2, the star of the film, underwent similar repairs and remained out of service for eight years. This is a similar situation with the no. 11. These repairs are heavy and take long spans of time to complete, but (and this is kind of an update for this film) as of early August 2016, Shay 11's restoration has begun! In this video (filmed in July) it is seen under a tarp in storage outside, but as of this moment it's now in the Cass shop preparing for repairs! We don't know how long it will take or when the engine will return, but hopefully within the next few years we'll see it pulling trains again!

[@matthewsniffen3160]

The repairs you speak of are the FRA Mandated 15 year or 1479 day inspection. It is required that after every 15 years or 1479 days in service, whichever comes first, the locomotive has to be taken apart and have many individual pieces inspected. The biggest and most expensive part of this process is the boiler itself since all the tubes must be removed in order to clean, inspect and test the inside of the boiler. The tubes are not reusable since the ends are usually cut off for removal which creates quite a cost with several hundred tubes, plus the inspections, ultrasound testing of the boiler, and any other repairs. Since it has only been out of service for two years, it it likely that it will not take long for the inspection and repairs to be completed

[@ncrailfan]

1472 days.

[@TheBigBananaRailfan]

Shay 11 is now back in service and has been running since August of 2017.

[@AnandKumar-lu6ze]

What the hell is the music

[@nzo_6543]

?

[@gavynlivingston4605]

P