CASS, W.Va. — Former Western Maryland Railway geared steam locomotive No. 6 (“Big Six”) has recently completed its FRA 1,472-day inspection and boiler recertification. According to the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad (DGVR), the massive Shay-type will undergo final break-in runs and adjustments before returning to excursion service on the Cass Scenic Railroad.
“Big Six” was the final Shay to be constructed by the Lima Locomotive Works in 1945. It only saw 4 years of regular service on the ex-WM, hauling coal along the railroad’s Chaffee Branch between Chaffee, W.Va., and Vindex, Md. The locomotive was part of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum’s collection in Baltimore until being traded to Cass in 1980.
The mammoth Shay has been the main motive power for the tourist railroad’s Cass-Bald Knob excursion, a 22-mile round trip that climbs the Appalachians. It also operated occasional trips to Durbin before the 15-mile line of the former Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad was washed out in 1985, now restored in 2023 as the Greenbrier Express excursion. DGVR states that “Big Six” will most likely start out on the shorter 8-mile excursions from Cass to Whittaker Station after testing.
For more information, visit the Mountain Rail website.
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