March 26, 2019 – Crews work to get Cass Scenic Railroad Shays 4, 2, and 11, ready for a new day of work at Cass, West Virginia.
Canadian Pacific 8867 pulls CSX V752-26…
May 27, 2019 – Canadian Pacific 8867 pulls CSX V752-26 empty grain train westbound on the Kanawha Subdivision at Marmet, WV.
Canadian Pacific 8867 pulls CSX V752-26…
May 27, 2019 – Canadian Pacific 8867 pulls CSX V752-26 empty grain train westbound away from the Depot on the New River Subdivision at Thurmond, West Virginia. The line off to the right across the bridge is the RJ Corman West Virginia Line.
According to Wikipedia, Thurmond is a town in Fayette County, West Virginia, United States, on the New River. The population was five at the 2010 census. During the heyday of coal mining in the New River Gorge, Thurmond was a prosperous town with a number of businesses and facilities for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. The town was the filming location for John Sayles’ 1987 movie Matewan since it still possesses many of the characteristics of a 1920s Appalachian coal town.
Today, much of Thurmond is owned by the National Park Service for the New River Gorge National River. The C&O passenger railway depot in town was renovated in 1995 and now functions as a Park Service visitor center. The entire town is a designated historic district on the National Register of Historic Places.
A late westbound Norfolk Southern 217…
May 25, 2019 – A late westbound Norfolk Southern 217 heads west out of Roanoke, Virginia on the Christiansburg District, through the North Yard, as it passes a large string of NS locomotives. The units are being stored as part of precision scheduled railroading, being sold to short lines or other railroads although some are for rebuilds, which are mainly the standard cab SD70’s. The rest are probably destined for the scrap yard.
Cass Scenic Railroad Shays 4, 2, and 11, sit in the yard…
March 26, 2019 – Cass Scenic Railroad Shays 4, 2, and 11, sit in the yard after a day of work at Cass, West Virginia, as lighting lights the sky from an approaching storm. Only person working this late night shift is the hostler, William H Taylor, who will keep the fires and water in the engines up to speed for another day of work. Thanks Bill for all the help in getting our night shots!!
Crews work to get Cass Scenic Railroad Shays 4, 2, and 11…
March 26, 2019 – Crews work to get Cass Scenic Railroad Shays 4, 2, and 11, ready for a new day of work at Cass, West Virginia.
A waterfall between Thurmond and Harvey, West Virginia…
May 27, 2019 – A waterfall between Thurmond and Harvey, West Virginia provides this scenic view along the RJ Corman line. Unfortunately there were no trains running while I was there, but a beautiful view nonetheless!
CSXT 169 leads a loaded coal train eastbound at Thurmond, West Virginia…
May 27, 2019 – CSXT 169 leads a loaded coal train eastbound at Thurmond, West Virginia as a empty westbound coal waits in the siding. The line off across the bridge in front of 169 is the RJ Corman.
According to Wikipedia, Thurmond is a town in Fayette County, West Virginia, United States, on the New River. The population was five at the 2010 census. During the heyday of coal mining in the New River Gorge, Thurmond was a prosperous town with a number of businesses and facilities for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. The town was the filming location for John Sayles’ 1987 movie Matewan since it still possesses many of the characteristics of a 1920s Appalachian coal town.
Today, much of Thurmond is owned by the National Park Service for the New River Gorge National River. The C&O passenger railway depot in town was renovated in 1995 and now functions as a Park Service visitor center. The entire town is a designated historic district on the National Register of Historic Places.
Well, after a three day whirlwind trip…
May 28, 2019 – Well, after a three day whirlwind trip with fellow railfan Ryan Scott, of IndianaRails, to Tennessee, Virgina, West Virginia and Kentucky we both got back home last night. A big shout out to all the folks that helped us out along the way, especially Daniel Alls, Walter Scriptunas II, Jul Esp, Bryan Burton, Gavin Wilkes and all the others that responded to our posts for questions and help in the different areas we visited! Without your help and input the trip would have been a lot less successful! Got a lot of pictures to work through and many posts yet to come from this 4 day trip!
According to Wikipedia: Shay #11 was built in 1923 and went originally to Hutchinson Lumber Company, Feather Falls, California. This Shay is best known as the Feather River #3 and it’s also a class C shay, #11, weighs 103-tons. It began service at Cass in 1999.
This morning’s image was shot the night of May 26th after a spring storm made its way through the Cass Scenic Railroad area and is of Shay #11 at rest in the yard after a days work at Cass, West Virginia. Shooting at night and in the rain can be challenging, but probably the hardest part is getting out the door!
My kit bag for this type of shooting is a golf umbrella and a large microfiber cloth to dry off the camera and lens with when drops make it past the umbrella! Of course a good sturdy tripod is a must as well. I typically set the camera on manual and adjust for the specific scene, with the camera controls set to a 3 second delay before the shutter is tripped. This raises the mirror and lets things settle before taking the photo. ISO and length of exposure all depend on the lighting, but they’re set manually as well. This particular shots technical details are: Nikon D800, Sigma 24-70 lens @ 26mm, ISO 1000 (full frame cameras are great) f/8 for 30 seconds in RAW.
Cass Scenic Railroad’s #2 Shay engine…
May 26, 2019 – Cass Scenic Railroad’s #2 Shay engine pushes hard as it moves a load of passengers up the mountain to Whittaker after passing through the grade crossing on Gum Road at Cass, West Virginia.
The Cass Scenic Railroad is Geared Steam, USA, boasting the largest collection of operating geared steam locomotives in the world. The railroad was originally part of West Virginia Pulp & Paper’s (later Mower Lumber Company) massive timber operations centered within the small community of Cass, West Virginia, situated deep within the Appalachian Mountains
Shay No. 2 — (Mayo Lumber No. 4) – 1928; Pacific Coast Class (PC-13). Shay No. 2 was reportedly the only Pacific Coast Shay ever built as a wood-burner. The locomotive was converted to oil firing before delivery new to Mayo Lumber Co., Paldi (Vancouver Island) British Columbia as No. 4. Cass Scenic Railroad