My first visit to Cass was in May 1966, at a time when the trains only went as far as Whittaker. Most of the train crew were former Mower Lumber Co. people, and they told some pretty mazing stories of the old days. Many of them also spoke in a dialect that had hints of Olde English. In 1970, my wife and I spent our honeymoon at nearby Watoga State Park, with a couple of visits and rides. As time went on, we went there every couple or three years, often camping at the Leatherbark Campground, half a mile or so up the creek from the shops. A highlight of those visits was a walk down the track to the shops in the evening, when the hostlers were preparing the engines for the next day's work. I often helped clean the fires and load coal and sand, and one time my efforts were rewarded by the opportunity to run Shay No. 5 from the water tank up to the coal wharf -- about 300 feet -- what a thrill! We returned to Cass in 2010 to celebrate our 40th anniversary, and we're looking forward to yet another trip in 2020. Truly one of my favorite places.
Travel note -- if coming from the north, take I-81 south to Winchester, then Route 50 west to Romney and then south on 28. Only one mountain to cross, and it's a lot less up and down than Route 250. (I met a guy a couple of weeks ago who told me he got carsick on 250 and had to stop to throw up!)
John, if you go over to the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley line at Durbin, you'll get your chance to see Heisler No. 6 in operation. It's on loan there while Climax No. 3 is in the Cass shop for overhaul.
