Western Maryland Shay No. 6

Photographed at Cass Scenic Railroad by Dave Nordeck, photographer extraordinaire!(nice scan, too)

Western Maryland ran the second largest Shay locomotive ever outshopped from Chaffee, WV to Vindex, Md up a grade that hit 9%! Of course, empties up, loads of coal down. Saved from scrapping after the Three Forks Coal Company shut down, No. 6 ran under its own power to Baltimore for display at the B&O Museum in 1953. Then in 1980, it got another shot at unlimbering its 59,700 pounds of tractive effort at Cass Scenic Railroad, making the trip back up Western Maryland, an event Dave and I witnessed at Bayard, WV. According to Dave, it took a while for the Cass people to get the track in shape for this giant Shay, but it has been making the trip up the mountain ever since. More photos

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