In early November of 2020, the Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad in West Virginia hosted their annual Rail Heritage Weekend, taking participants on a three day expedition through lush forests, along clear blue rivers, and up lofty mountains, all the while taking in the sights and sounds of geared steam locomotives, recreating the day to day operations typical of logging railroads in America, once a common sight that has since faded into history. Organized by Walter Scriptunas II, the event was unique in that all three types of geared steam power were represented: the Shay, the Heisler and the Climax. The weekend featured seasonably moderate temperatures and bright blue skies, making the results picture perfect indeed. In addition, spectacular night sessions were held with period actors and props, adding a great sense of character to an already rustic-looking railroad setting. The locomotives put on a fine show for the photographers with their sharp and authoritative stalk talk along with the unforgettable sound of the whistles echoing through the Appalachian Mountain splendor. It was a truly unforgettable event, and all who partook had a very memorable experience.
The second and third days of the event took place out of Cass, WV. One day featured action out on the Cass Scenic Railroad's mainline to Bald Knob, which at 4,700 feet, is the second highest peak in the state of West Virginia. Trains climb grades as steep as 11% and are taxed to their limits as they fight up the long, hard, 11-mile climb to the summit. Shay #2 hauled the photographers, while Shay #4 and recently restored Climax #9 powered a recreated logging train, with all three locomotives performing multiple runbys throughout the day. A night photo shoot was held in Cass, marking the debut of the newly restored Mower Lumber Company Camp Car #419. The final day of the event took place around Cass, and with a vintage pick-up truck along with the many historic buildings, the feeling of Cass in its heyday in the 1940s & 50s came easily. Later in the day, runbys were made just outside Cass at Leatherbark Creek, providing great imagery with a variety of angles for photographers to work with. Shay #4 was seen hauling Camp Car #419, while Climax #9 was on the point of the log train. Over 40 photo runs were performed throughout the weekend, and with a great band of photographers as well as engine crews, it was quite a fantastic weekend!
Climax #9 was built in 1919 by the Climax Locomotive Works in Corry, PA. She was delivered new to the Moore-Keppel & Company of Ellamore, WV and was renumbered #6. She began her career hauling logs out of the Appalachian forests to the company's mill until its closure in 1946. Moore-Keppel then turned its interest to coal, and #6 was then put to work hauling coal trains on the 13-mile line, from Ellamore to the interchange with the Baltimore and Ohio at Midvale. In 1958, the engine was taken out of service and by 1970 arrived in Cass. Restoration soon commenced, but was abruptly halted by a raging shop fire in 1972. She sat on the railroad's "dead line" outside the shops until the Mountain State Railroad & Logging Historical Association continued the restoration starting in 2001. Work was taken over by the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad in 2016 and the locomotive was returned to steam for the first time in over 60 years in 2019, gaining her original number back.
Shay #4 was built by Lima in 1922 for the Birch Valley Lumber Company in Tioga, WV as their #5, serving there until the company's mill closed in 1943. That same year she was sold to the Mower Lumber Company in Cass and was renumbered as #4. In the late 1950s, she worked primarily in the summer and fall due to a lack of snow-fighting utilities, until the mill closed its doors in 1960. She had the distinction of powering the first passenger train when the railroad reopened as a tourist line in 1963.
Shay #2 was built by Lima in 1928 as a "Pacific Coast" Shay, meaning it was essentially a beefed up version of standard Shay, with superheaters, a longer firebox and a steel girder frame, as well as other small features. She was built for the Mayo Lumber Company in British Columbia, Canada as a wood burner, being converted to oil shortly after. She served under the ownership of several industries in British Columbia, including the Lake Logging Company in Cowichan Lake and Western Forest Industries in Honeymoon Bay. She was acquired by Cass in 1971, making her operational debut that same year before being converted to coal in 1983. This makes her one of very few locomotives to burn all three types of fuel.
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