How Cass Turns Around Their Locomotives

Every once and a while a engine at the Cass Scenic Railroad has to be turned around for whether it be a photo charter, railfan event or a off line excursion. How do they do this? They don't have a turntable at Cass. Well, about nine miles up the mountain between Old Spruce and Bald Knob, lies what has been simply nicknamed "The Wye." Here the locomotives can perform what is essentially a 3-point turn with a train and then face in whatever direction is needed.

The wye was originally built in the 1940s as a logging spur. It was completely rebuilt from the ground up in the spring of 1997 by the MSR&LHA and the Cass Scenic Railroad. The isolated location and track work on the line between Cass and Old Spruce meant that some materials had to be trucked to Old Spruce or the DP Switch and then sent to the wye using speeders.

For the MSR&LHA's "Railfan Express" recently returned Pacific Coast Shay 2 was turned to face downhill. This is very rare indeed because locomotives at Cass usually face uphill. On the way back from Bald Knob after all the runbys were completed, Shay 2 was once again turned around using the wye to face downhill. This is seen here.

Please visit the MSR&LHA's website for more information about the rebuilding of the wye and more:
http://www.msrlha.org/

Want to ride the Cass Scenic Railroad? Visit the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad's website:
http://mountainrailwv.com/

Want to visit the Cass Scenic Railroad State Park? Visit their website for information and more:
http://www.cassrailroad.com/

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