Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
8.
Cass Scenic Railroad State Park
By1911WestVirginiahadover3,000milesofloggingraillines,morethananyotherstate
intheUnion.Poweredbymightylocomotives,thetrainshauledtonsoftimberupanddown
thesteepestmountaingrades,andinplacesthelinesseemtodefynotjustgravity,butcom-
mon sense as well. The logging lines are long since gone, but at the town of Cass (located
several miles farther east onRte. 66),11miles oftrack remain togivevisitors ataste ofthe
past.
Puffing black smoke and chugging along at a hard-won speed of five miles per hour,
some of the last remaining Shay and Heisler engines tote not wood but sightseers up two
steepswitchbacks tothewind-swept summit ofBaldKnob(thesecond-highest pointinthe
state), where the views extend well into neighboring Virginia. Allow 4 1/2 hours for the
round-trip train ride and enough time to tour the town itself, which has been converted into
a living museum of West Virginia logging life.
A quintessential red barn in Marlinton, located on the Greenbrier River Trail, a haven for recreational hikers, cyclists,
and cross-country skiers, who welcome the trek is nearly flat grade.
Search WWH ::
Custom Search