On Sept, 16, 2011, we had a wonderful day taking a 4 1/2 hour train ride WAY up the mountain to Bald Knob, at over 4700 feet in elevation. The Cass Scenic Railroad is a member of the West Virginia Tourist Train Association.
I love steam engines ---and seeing them (and riding on them) brought back so many memories of my childhood. My Daddy worked for the railroad all of his life --and when I was young, he would take me to work on occasion, and I'd get to ride on the steam trains. What JOY--and what fabulous memories.
Going up that mountain --and listening to that engine huffing and puffing was truly awesome for me. These trains operate from the end of May through October each year. The only problem we had on this trip was that the weather turned cold --and George and I were NOT prepared.... It was about 55 degrees --with a wind chill as we rode along on that OPEN train. NOTE TO BETSY: Put our coats and sweats in the car when we drive to the mountains in the Fall.... ha ha .... We only had our THIN rain jackets... Luckily we did have long pants --but it was still COLD. Some people on the train brought heavy coats, gloves, and blankets....
BUT----forgetting the cold day, we had a wonderful time. Today, I will share some of the TONS of photos we took on that trip... Above is a picture of the engine of one of the Cass trains we saw while waiting on our train to come. Be sure to click on the photos for a larger shot.
Here is that train leaving the station ... This train was just like ours except that it only went to Whitaker (a 1 1/2 hour trip).
This is our train.. We chose the LAST car (which was great) since we had a great view of the engine as it took us up that mountain... By the way ---the engine PUSHED us instead of pulled us --so technically on the trip up the mountain, we were in the FRONT car!!!!!!
Each car had seats in the middle --and plenty of room to walk around on both sides... Most of us stood up --hanging out of the train to get the best photos.
Here is one of the places where we passed one of the other trains as it headed back down the mountain. We had a wonderful guide on our train. He told us so many wonderful stories about the area, and about the train. We could tell that he loved his job.
Here is a picture from our car ---as we were being pushed up the mountain. The scenery was awesome all along the way --and we ran around taking pictures on all sides...
This picture was taken at our first stop (Whittaker). There were restrooms, snack bars, and picnic tables. George and I took our lunch with us.
Here we are at Bald Knob. The views up here are fantastic. I have many, many more pictures to share (the views, the Bald Knob area, the deer at Bald Knob, etc.).. SO ---come back for more pictures from our Cass Scenic Train Ride. AND--if you are ever in West VA, be sure and visit this wonderful place!
Have a wonderful day.
Hugs,
Betsy
