Its that time of year again... ; Last weekend I was in Cass for a photo charter and I'll be back this weekend for the annual Railfan Weekend for what will probably be the last time to photograph the log train for a long time due to a new FRA ruling that will prohibit their use until costly upgrades can be made to the cars. ; Given the fact that the log cars are only used 4-6 days out of the year, the park is not inclined to spend the money to fix them. ; I have my fingers crossed that the Mountain State steps in and raises the money for the repairs soon after they complete the restoration of the Climax in a couple of years. ; Here's the pictures: The Three Train Race, a Cass Tradition: Big Six rolling out of the tail of the Upper Switchback: A member of the train crew waits for Shay #11 to take the passenger train up the hill so he can align the switch for the log train: Big Six rolls past the photo line at Whittaker Water Tank: Big Six at Leatherbark Overlook: Shay #11 navigates the Bald Knob Wye in a driving rainstorm: Last but not least, Big Six does her volcano impression going up the grade to the Bald Knob Overlook: More next week...
Wow, your love of the subject certainly comes out in your photos. Awesome! What's the third rail in some of the photos, electric, or different types of cars? Erich
Man, I wish there was audio to go along with these great photos! Erich, the third rail is a guard rail. ; In case of a derailment, the wheels are trapped between the outside and inside rails, preventing them from straying too far off the track. ; At least, that's the theory.
Thanks guys! ; I'll see what I can do with the iPhone this weekend. Dennis is correct on the guard rail. ; You typically see them on bridges on normal railroads. ; Occasionally you will see them along steep embankments so if a train derails it isn't as likely to fall over a cliff (for example the D&SNGRR has guardrails along almost the entire Highline). ; Since Cass is a logging line, they have some extremely sharp curves, so they have added the guardrails there as well. ; Cass also has an interesting slip joint installed to allow the rails to relieve the pressure created by a heavy train rolling down hill. ; I don't think I've ever seen one anywhere else. ; If I get a chance I'll try to take a picture of one this weekend.
The iPhone video does very well with audio. ; I was surprised when I did the Taughannock Falls video how well it picked up the ambient sounds.
Thanks guys! Here's the slip joint that I mentioned earlier. ; They are located on steep grades and curves to keep the track from kinking under the load of the train rolling down hill.
Awesome all around. We camped a lot in state parks in WV, MD, PA, OH, KY, etc., when I was young, so a lot of these names ring a bell. I recall the name of the Cass Scenic Railroad, but I don't actually recall what it looked like. These photos take me back!
Thanks guys! In case anyone missed it, Gary started a thread for the Cass Railfan Weekend here: ; http://www.themagicinpixels.com/forum/non_disney_photos/cass_railfan_weekend_2011_8048.0.html
