Destination: the Cass Scenic Railroad State Park Located in Cass, West Virginia
By Rochelle Caviness - December 30, 2009
Nestled in a quiet Allegheny Mountain valley, Cass, West Virginia is a picturesque, rural town with a vibrant past. Hugging the banks of the Greenbrier River, you have to use your imagination to see the sleepy town of today, with a population of about 400 people, as it was when it was a booming company-owned logging town with thousands of loggers and their families living in and around Cass. To help set the mood, and to transport yourself back into this bygone era, take a trip on a train pulled by an authentic Shay steam-locomotive and travel the same route traveled by loggers as they headed up the mountain, and the logs traveled back down.
Today, most of the town of Cass has become the Cass Scenic Railroad State Park. Here you can walk down boardwalks and see what the company houses looked like, and you can even spend the night in one. You can visit the old company store. Most important, you can ride the rails on cars pulled by fully-restored, Shay steam-locomotives that travel upon the original line built in 1901 to haul lumber 'down the mountain' to the lumber mill in Cass. For your ride back into time, you'll ride on refurbished flat-cars that were originally used to haul lumber.
When riding the rails at Cass you have three options. You can take a trip to Whittaker Station, where you can take a short tour of a reconstructed logging camp. You can take a longer ride to Bald Knob where, if the weather cooperates, you can see all the way to Virginia - eleven miles away. You also have the option of traveling to Spruce, an old now-abandoned town that catered to loggers and their families. On both the Bald Knob and Spruce runs, you also stop off at Whittaker Station, and both are about a 4.5 hour round-trip. Whereas the trip to Whittaker Station and back takes only about two hours.
No matter which destination you pick, you are in for a treat. Along the way you will learn about logging history and lore, and witness some of the best mountain views that you'll find in West Virginia. And, if you're lucky, you may also see some of West Virginia's wildlife, ranging from deer and bears to cranes and bald eagles. Most of the cars pulled by the Shay locomotives, while roofed, are open on the sides, so be sure to bring a sweater along, even in the middle of the summer because it can be quite cool up on the mountain. As well, cinders and smoke from the locomotive can carry, so don't wear your best clothes!
The Cass Scenic Railroad State Park has a lot to offer. Railroad enthusiasts will delight in the trains, history buffs will find the town of Cass fascinating, and nature lovers will find that Cass and the surrounding area offers a multitude of activities from hiking and canoeing to bird watching and fishing. As well, the area around Cass features many unique attractions such as the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (free tours are available) and Cranberry Glades, a natural bog that is similar to the acid Muskeg bogs found in the Arctic Tundra. In short, while you can easily spend an entire day, or more, at Cass, Pocahontas County (in which Cass is located) offers such a range of activities and venues to visit that even the pickiest member of your family is sure to find something that they like. As well, in the fall, riding the Cass railway is a great way to view all the fall colors. In addition, the Cass Railroad is not the only historic train that you can ride in the county. Pocahontas County is also the home of the Durbin Rocket, an train pulled by an authentic Climax geared logging locomotive.
For more information, visit:
Information about the Cass Scenic Railroad can be found online at: www.cassrailroad.com
The Pocahontas County Convention and Visitors Bureau has a website located at: www.pocahontas.org.
The National Radio Astronomy Observatory has a website located at: www.nrao.edu
