Cass to add track, rare operating Climax locomotive NEWSWIRE

CASS, W.VA. — In a sign that years-long projects are nearing an end at West Virginia’s famous Cass Scenic Railroad, the logger-turned tourist hauler has announced plans to resume service on the former Chesapeake & Ohio line to Durbin, W.Va., and will inaugurate it in September with a type of geared engine that has never run in the history of the scenic railroad.

In an announcement Thursday, the privatized tourist railroad said it will launch service with a three-day special event Sept. 6-8 and featuring restored Middle Fork Railroad three-truck Climax No. 9, which has been under restoration for almost 20 years. The 9-mile line from Cass to Durbin has been out of service since a 1985 flood washed out six major sections of track, including some as long as 750 feet or more.

Cass has been a bastion of Shay geared steam locomotives since its inception in the early 1960s, and with the exception of a Heisler that came to the railroad early on, that type of locomotive has been the sole power. The Middle Fork Climax will give the railroad the chance to showcase all three types of geared steam that were popular with loggers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The engine is expected to steam this winter or spring.

More information is available at http://mountainrailwv.com/tour/rail-heritage-weekend/