The 2022 Cass Adventures Episode 1: The Climb to Bald Knob

In this first episode of a five-part series, I take a ride on the Bald Knob excursion from the Cass Scenic Railroad, which is a 4 1/2 hour round trip excursion from the town of Cass up into the Allegheny Mountains to the endpoint of the Bald Knob overlook. Additionally, I provide a brief history of Cass as a logging and railroad town. The Cass Scenic Railroad also provides a Whittaker Excursion not provided in this video, which consists of a 2-hour round trip from Cass to Whittaker Station about 4 miles up the line.

On June 15, 2022, I was pushed by the first Shay locomotive I have ever witnessed under steam, Shay #2, wearing an MD Reading 6 Chime. This Shay locomotive was built in 1928 for the Mayo Lumber Company of Paldi, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, making it a Pacific Coast Shay. Contrary to several of the other locomotives at Cass, this locomotive originally burnt wood. However, upon its arrival in Cass, it was converted to burn coal like the other Shays present on the railroad. It was truly incredible to witness this locomotive climb the immense grades found on the old logging route to Bald Knob.

This video does not highlight the full experience of the Cass Scenic Railroad or the Bald Knob excursion, as it is something that can only be fully experienced in person. Additionally, there were many highlights of the trip that did not make it into this video. For this reason, I highly encourage you to make a visit to the Cass Scenic Railroad if you are able to do so. I can assure you that you will not be disappointed!!

Please enjoy the beautiful scenery and sounds of the Cass Scenic Railroad and the Allegheny Mountains. Stay tuned for additional episodes in this series!! The next episodes will consist of trackside footage of the Cass Whittaker and Bald Knob Excursions, along with the Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad's Durbin Rocket, the famous Parade of Steam, and some of the first passenger trips on the Greenbrier Line in years.

#CassScenicRailroad #steamengines #steamlocomotive #steamtrains

0:00 Intro
1:08 Brief History of Cass
4:15 Pulling Into Cass Station
6:49 12:00 PM Departure
8:47 Cass Shops/Yard
9:57 Approaching Back Mt. Rd. Crossing
11:07 Approaching Gum Rd. Crossing
11:43 Approaching Lower Switchback
14:12 Approaching Gum Curve
15:33 Approaching Upper Switchback
18:49 Whittaker Station
20:09 Scenic View 1
21:05 Gear Shot
21:33 Scenic View 2
22:10 Stopping for Water
22:52 Bald Knob
26:07 Heading Back to Cass
27:10 Hand Braking
27:48 Scenic View 3
28:24 Scenic View 4
28:58 Shay #2's Original Tender
29:09 Approaching Back Mt. Rd. Crossing
30:22 Stopping for Water
31:06 Returning to Cass Station
34:22 Returning to Cass Yard
36:15 Outro

Music in this video:
Song: Straight Fuse
Artist: French Fuse
Licensed to YouTube by: YouTube Audio Library

Song: Leaning On the Everlasting Arms
Artist: Zachariah Hickman
Licensed to YouTube by: YouTube Audio Library