Cass Scenic Railroad State Park, Heritage railroad and state park in Pocahontas County, United States.
Cass Scenic Railroad State Park is a heritage railway in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, where steam locomotives push passengers in converted logging cars up steep mountain grades. The route passes through thick forest and winds over historic track once used to haul timber from the Appalachian highlands.
The site was established in 1901 when the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company built a logging camp and narrow-gauge railway to haul timber down from the mountains. Operations ended in 1960 and the railway reopened as a heritage attraction two years later.
The name Cass comes from the early timber industry and now refers to a fully preserved company town with original buildings lining the tracks. Visitors can walk the old streets and see how locomotive crews and loggers lived at the turn of the twentieth century.
Three routes lead to different destinations: Whittaker Station for shorter trips, the ghost town of Spruce, and Bald Knob, the third highest point in West Virginia. Longer journeys take several hours and climb steep grades, so bring warm clothing and allow plenty of time.
Eight Shay locomotives, one Heisler, and one Climax still operate on some of the steepest railroad grades in the country. The trains push the cars uphill rather than pulling them to manage the heavy inclines safely.
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