The 2010 Cass Railfan
Weekend
The 2010 Cass Railfan Weekend was very successful and the participants took lots of great photos.
The
2011 Cass Railfan Weekend will be on May 20-22, 2011 (the weekend prior to Memorial Day). Planning has
already started and detailed information will be posted on
www.msrlha.org in early January, 2011.
If
you would like to be added to the mailing list to receive a printed
2011 Railfan Weekend flyer please send your name and mailing address to rf@msrlha.org. The flyer will be mailed in early January. (Sorry, we do not maintain an e-mail list). |
TITANS
OF MOUNTAINS
RETURN
TO BALD KNOB
May 21, 22, and 23, 2010
Cass, West Virginia
THREE
GREAT DAYS OF MOUNTAIN RAILROADING
Friday, May 21:
Whittaker Camp 1 Fire Tower Dedication...
-- Train to Whittaker for dedication
-- Multiple runbys at Whittaker
-- Return to Cass for dinner and
meeting
-- Night photos at Leatherbark
Creek
Saturday, May
22: Logging Day...
-- Passenger
and log trains go to Old Spruce and Bald Knob
-- Multiple runbys at several locations
-- Lunch on the mountain
-- Evening activities and night photos in Cass
Sunday, May 23:
Wood Hicks and Trains...
--
Passenger and log train go to Whittaker Station
--
Multiple runbys at several locations
--
Lunch at Whittaker Station
--
Demonstration by World Champion Wood Choppers during lunch
--
Return to Cass at 2:30 pm
Friday,
May 21
Whittaker Fire Tower Dedication
and First Night Photo Train
Friday’s activities begin
at 2:30 pm
with the passenger train leaving Cass for Whittaker Camp 1. Upon
arrival, the train will back on to the Camp 1 siding. You will be the
first to visit the re-constructed Fire Tower Exhibit and attend its
dedication ceremony. The Gauley Mountain fire tower is the newest
exhibit at the camp. This fire tower and observation exhibit area will
display and demonstrate the importance the Fire Tower Service was to
the protection of the timber industry.
You will experience
hands-on use of the alidade, the instrument used in the process for the
observer to locate forest fires. You will receive a commemorative brass
tag at the dedication. After the dedication there will be several
runbys at the Whittaker camp sidings.
We will return to Cass
Shops at 5:15 pm.
There, the traditional Friday evening festivities will begin. Food and
refreshments will be provided at the shop by local school groups (on
your own, not included in your ticket price). There will be a swap
meet, vendor tables, and shop tours. At 7:00 pm the annual Mountain
State Railroad & Logging Historical Association membership
meeting
will be held, and the winners of the Greenacre Photo Contest and the
MSR&LHA election will be announced.
First night photo session:
At 8:00 pm we will board the train once again to be taken up
Leatherbark Creek for the first night photo session. Those of you that
wish to remain at the shop and enjoy this historic place may do so. The
night scene will be lighted like a movie set and you will be able move
to three different positions to create three different scenes. We will
include several runbys for the video photographers. The night photo
session will conclude with the train arriving back at Cass depot at
10:00 pm.
Saturday, May 22
At the Depot:
Complementary coffee, tea, and hot chocolate will be served at the
depot from 7:00 am until our 8:00 am departure. We will leave Cass and
start our ascent of Cass Hill, through the double switchbacks, and on
past Whittaker Station. We will continue our climb up to Old Spruce
Junction, where we will meet the log train for our first photo runbys.
There will be toilet facilities at this location for your convenience.
We will load and continue up to Oats Creek where we will take on water.
This is another photo location and you will have the opportunity to
photograph the Shays as they siphon water to fill their tenders the way
it was done in the days of logging. Before we continue our trip up the
mountain, we will do additional runbys at this location, photographing
these Titans as they start up the 9% grade.
The
next leg of our journey will take us up to elevations over 4,500 feet
to a location that has never been photographed on a Railfan Weekend.
This location is the last available water supply on the Bald Knob line,
hence the name "emergency water tank.” This is a spectacular curve,
with the water tank in view and a great vista of the mountains in the
background. The Cass track crew, and MSR&LHA volunteers,
cleared
and prepared this location to make it accessible to a larger group. We
will then make our way up to the Bald Knob Summit, the third highest
point in the State at 4,842 feet. This 11.5% grade is the steepest on
the railroad. While the engines are hot we will do multiple runbys with
both trains.
MSR&LHA in the past
year, with the cooperation of the Park, has cleared the Bald Knob
right-of-way back to it's original tree line, making it possible for
you to get great photos as
the Shays pull this amazing grade – true
Titans of the Mountain. We will serve lunch at Bald Knob, weather
permitting. If it is inclement, we will do it at a lower elevation.
After lunch we will make our way back down to Old Spruce Junction, and
switch to the Spruce connector track for a restroom stop. We will then
continue down grade to do more runbys and take water at the lower Oats
Creek water tank, with additional runbys, time permitting. We will
leave Spruce and start down the mountain to arrive at Cass at 5:00 pm.
There will be complementary water on the train for your convenience.
Saturday
Evening, May 22
We
are offering a great home cooked Loggers Dinner (all you can eat) at
the Cass Community Center on Saturday evening (this dinner is not
included in ticket price; please make your reservation separately).
Then, Saturday evening will feature many activities throughout the town
of Cass:
Whistle Blow:
If you own a whistle, or can borrow one, or simply wish to blow one,
then this event is for you. Ear protection is provided and required.
The whistle blow is open to any Railfan Weekend participant. The event
will begin at 5:00 pm, lasting until 8:00 pm.
Town Tour:
Meet at 7:00 pm in front of the Company Store.
Cass Showcase:
There will be multiple showings.
Kyle J. “Catty” Neighbors
Memorial Lumbering Museum: The museum will be open all
evening.
Restoration Shop Tours:
See the progress that MSR&LHA volunteers are making in
restoring the Climax locomotive at the Restoration Shop.
Night Photo Session:
Night photos have been a part of the Cass Railfan Weekend for many
years. We will use 25,000 watts of high powered lights to provide
spectacular photo opportunities. The session will start at about 8:30
pm at the depot. Bring your camera, tripod, and a cable release if
appropriate. We will supply the lights and suggestions for exposure
settings. The use of high powered lights allows great photos by
videographers and digital, as well as the traditional 35mm cameras.
Sunday, May 23
We
will offer complementary coffee, tea, and hot chocolate at the depot
from 7:00 am until departure. At 8:00 am we will start our photo runbys
at the Cass road crossing with multiple passes with the log train. We
then move up to the end of the parking lot to do the Triple Engine
Runby, then load the passenger train at this location for your
convenience. We will proceed up Leatherbark Creek to do multiple
runbys. The engines will back down to the water tank at Cass to fill
their tenders before we climb Cass Hill to Gum Field for more runbys.
Then on to the second switchback, with photos at the "S" curve followed
by our arrival at Whittaker Station for lunch.
After lunch you
will be treated to a "Wood Hick" (a logger) demonstration of the
traditional competitions that occurred between the various log camps.
The World Champion Wood Choppers, Arden Coger, and his group will
present their log chopping, crosscut sawing, ax throwing, and the world
famous Power Chain Saw Competition exhibition. We thought this would be
most appropriate in recognizing the 50th year since the Mower logging
operation ceased at Cass. We will return to Cass at 2:30 pm to permit
those who need to leave early to depart for a safe trip home.
Breakfast:
The 8th grade class at the Green Bank Middle School will serve
breakfast on Saturday and Sunday morning at the Cass Fire House, about
1/2 mile west of the Cass depot on Route 66. The cost is $6.00 each
day; the menus are shown on the ticket order form. Advance reservations
are required and tickets may be ordered along with your Railfan Weekend
tickets.
Photo Contest:
The annual Greenacre Photo Contest has a $100.00 cash prize for the
best photograph taken at the previous Railfan Weekend or other
MSR&LHA sponsored event in 2009. A maximum of three photos must
be
submitted by mail and be received by the contest coordinator not later
than 10 calendar days prior to Railfan Weekend. Check our Web site,
www.msrlha.org/greenacre.html,
or contact the contest coordinator,
Walter Scriptunas II (2913 Kanawha Ave SE, Charleston, WV 25304,
e-mail wscriptunas@aol.com,
phone (304-932-3686) for full information
and rules.
Tickets &
Information:
Tickets and Reservations are for: “Railfan Weekend 2010.” Contact Cass
Scenic Railroad State Park, PO Box 107, Cass WV, 24927. Or, call
1-800-225-5982 (toll-free) or 304-456-4300; ask for Cass Scenic
Railroad. Visa, MasterCard,
Discover, American Express, and debit cards are accepted. Office hours:
Monday to Saturday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Sunday 8:30 am to 12:30 pm.
If you wish to order tickets by mail you can click here for
a printable
ticket order form. If the form doesn't print correctly you
can click here for
an order form in PDF format.
Price of a ticket is $
200.00
for all three days, including box lunch for Saturday and Sunday,
complementary coffee, tea, and chocolate, water on trains, both night
photo sessions, and the World Champion Wood Chopping demonstration. A
Sunday-only ticket is $75.00 includes one box lunch. There are no
Saturday-only tickets.
| Saturday breakfast
(starts at 6:00 am) |
$6 |
| Sunday breakfast
(starts at 6:00 am) |
$6 |
| Saturday Loggers
Dinner |
$12 |
Cass Lodging Information:
There are three primary motels within 15 miles of Cass:
|
Boyer
Motel (10 miles from Cass) |
304-456-4667 |
|
Hermitage
Motel (12 miles from Cass) |
1-888-456-4808 |
|
Inn
at Snowshoe (9 miles from Cass) |
1-877-441-4386 |
The Inn at Snowshoe is offering a discounted rate of $69 per night
(plus tax). Ask for the “Group Code 50N1E7 Railfan
weekend May 21-23" rate. There are other accommodations
available near Cass, including several bed and breakfast places.
Additional lodging information will be sent with your
tickets, or you can contact the Pocahontas County Convention &
Visitors Bureau at 1-800-336-7009 or www.pocahontascountywv.com.
Policies: Trains run
rain or shine. Schedules, equipment, and photo runbys are subject
to change due to availability, conditions of the railroad, safety, and
weather.
Please allow two weeks for ticket delivery. No refunds after May 19,
2010.
MSR&LHA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit
organization. All proceeds go toward historic rail and
logging preservation and interpretation projects. Group discounts are
available; please call for information. No portion of ticket price is
considered tax-deductible by the IRS.
Photos: Walter Scriptunas II
page
last updated or verified on May 29, 2010
