Shay No. 6- Bayard WV 1980& Cass WV 2000
WM Shay No. 6, Bayard WV- 1980
Dave Nordeck and I skipped out of work on this day in 1980 to witness WM Shay No. 6's trip to Cass via the WM. Too bad a WM diesel wasn't used, although the B&O blue also brings back memories.
Cass
In June 2000, 20 years later, Shay No. 6 is a prime mover up Back Allegheny Mountain. Preparations for a Sunday trip are underway, however the crew and state park staff were friendly. Gerald Cassell took me for a tour of the shops, pointing out some works in process.
View from the coal loading dock. Oil tanker supplies fuel to newly acquired No. 11 and wooden water tank are at the junction with the C&O. The huge mill(much of it destroyed in latter day fire) in the background was the reason for the town.
At the depot in Cass, a tourist gets his picture taken with the last Shay produced at Lima.
No. 6 is pushing the first train of the day up the mountain with incredible ease, crossing Leatherbark Creek a mile or so above Cass. After a crossing, the grade steepens considerably, however this Shay is certainly up to the task.
Information from Max Robin
After the Western Maryland bought the main line of the logging road
Greenbrier, Cheat & Elk in 1928, the logger's geared engines not only
had trackage rights over the entire 85 miles of track, but they also
hauled coal for the WM as well. When the logging company (GC&E) was
sold to Mower Lumber Co. in 1942, they had trackage rights over the
WM right up until they shut the sawmill at Cass WV down in Sept.
1960.
Just to add more confusion, remember that the logging company ran the
entire operation with geared engines. During the '20s #8 and #11
(both 3 truck 100 ton Shays, made 3 trips every shift (12 hours)
from the pulp mill at Spruce WV to the sawmill at Cass (on the other
side of the mountain) five days/week. In addition, one of the 150
ton Shays ran at least one 55 mile turn from Slaty Fork (known as
Laurel Bank on the WM) to Cass, with 13 loaded log cars over the
route Laurel Bank -> Spruce -> Cass and back daily. The line from
Laurel Bank to Spruce was almost continuous 2.5 - 3% grade with 19 -
25 degree curves over 2/3rd of its length. Line from Spruce to Cass
had a section with a grade of 8%, 2 switchbacks and many curves of more than 20
degrees. Returning from Cass to Spruce, the #12 (c/n 3156, 1921),
built as a 150-3 by Lima and converted to a 150-4 in 1933 by the
Cass shops, could only get 13 empty log cars over the Cass hill in a
dry mild day, w/no dew or frost on the rails. Otherwise she stalled
every time.
While I realize that this was in WV, not in the Pacific North West or
WI, I hope this is of some help.
Max S. Robin, P.E.
Cheat River Engineering
Some Other Pocahantas County,WV Western Maryland Railway Locations
Laurel Bank
