Digital Art Photo – CSXT 7905 leads grain train G115 as it passes the Good Shepard Church at East Bank, West Virginia as it heads north on the Kanawha Subdivision on a beautiful fall afternoon on November 3rd, 2022.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1250, ISO 130.
DIGITAL PHOTO ART – Meadow River Lumber Company steam locomotive, Heisler No. 6, leads a freight train past an old barn at Hosterman, West Virginia during the Mountain Rail WV, Rail Heritage Photography Weekend on November 4th, 2022. The event was held at the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad, Durbin, WV, and Cass Scenic Railroad, Cass, WV, from November 4-6th, 2022.
According to Wikipedia: The Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad (reporting mark DGVR) is a heritage and freight railroad in the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia. It operates the West Virginia State Rail Authority-owned Durbin Railroad and West Virginia Central Railroad (reporting mark WVC), as well as the Shenandoah Valley Railroad in Virginia.
Beginning in 2015, DGVR began operating the historic geared steam-powered Cass Scenic Railroad, which was previously operated by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources as part of Cass Scenic Railroad State Park.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO 200.
Meadow River Lumber Company steam locomotive, Heisler No. 6, leads a freight train past a wetlands area at Hosterman, West Virginia during the Mountain Rail WV, Rail Heritage Photography Weekend. The event was held at the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad, Durbin, WV, and Cass Scenic Railroad, Cass, WV, from November 4-6th, 2022.
According to Wikipedia: The Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad (reporting mark DGVR) is a heritage and freight railroad in the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia. It operates the West Virginia State Rail Authority-owned Durbin Railroad and West Virginia Central Railroad (reporting mark WVC), as well as the Shenandoah Valley Railroad in Virginia.
Beginning in 2015, DGVR began operating the historic geared steam-powered Cass Scenic Railroad, which was previously operated by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources as part of Cass Scenic Railroad State Park.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/2000, ISO 100.
Digital Photographic Art – Meadow River Lumber Company steam locomotive, Heisler No. 6, leads a freight train past a wetlands area at Hosterman, West Virginia during the Mountain Rail WV, Rail Heritage Photography Weekend. The event was held at the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad, Durbin, WV, and Cass Scenic Railroad, Cass, WV, from November 4-6th, 2022.
According to Wikipedia: The Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad (reporting mark DGVR) is a heritage and freight railroad in the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia. It operates the West Virginia State Rail Authority-owned Durbin Railroad and West Virginia Central Railroad (reporting mark WVC), as well as the Shenandoah Valley Railroad in Virginia.
Beginning in 2015, DGVR began operating the historic geared steam-powered Cass Scenic Railroad, which was previously operated by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources as part of Cass Scenic Railroad State Park.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/2000, ISO 100.
Meadow River Lumber Company steam locomotive, Heisler No. 6 pulls out of the station at Durban, West Virginia on November 4th, 2022, during the Mountain Rail WV, Rail Heritage Photography Weekend. The event was held at the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad, Durbin, WV, and Cass Scenic Railroad, Cass, WV, from November 4-6th, 2022. Heisler No. 6 was built in 1929 and is a Class C-90 locomotive with 3 trucks.
According to Wikipedia: The Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad (reporting mark DGVR) is a heritage and freight railroad in the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia. It operates the West Virginia State Rail Authority-owned Durbin Railroad and West Virginia Central Railroad (reporting mark WVC), as well as the Shenandoah Valley Railroad in Virginia.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/640, ISO 120.
My Railroad Photography as Art
My niece Kelly R Gates Kelly Gates has nominated me to share my artwork for 10 days and to nominate another artist to do the same. My take on this challenge is to create what I consider photographic Art pieces from some of my railroad photography.
Now, I realize there are now AI programs out there these days that can create just about any type of art pieces for you with just words, but as most of you know I’m a visual person and all the pieces I post over the next 10 days will be created in Photoshop by me from photographs I have shot, not with AI Software.
I know that this type of art isn’t for everyone, but I do like to get outside the box and my comfort zone from time to time, as I think it’s good for my creative eye. I’d appreciate your constructive thoughts and comments!
For today’s digital photographic art piece, I’ve selected this shot from May 27, 2019, of Canadian Pacific 8867 pulling CSX V752-26 empty grain train westbound away from the Depot on the New River Subdivision at Thurmond, West Virginia. The line off to the right across the bridge is the RJ Corman West Virginia Line.
On Day 7 I nominate fellow railfan photographer Ethan Brodie of Brodie Photography Brodie Photography to share his art (whatever type he wants to share) ~ I know he has plenty as he hopefully joins in on the 10-day art challenge!!!!
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 24-70 @32mm, f/9, 1/500, ISO 320, Available for purchase in my store at https://pixels.com/featured/digital-art-canadian-pacific-8867-jim-pearson.html
Day 4 of 10 – Photography/Art Challenge
My Railroad Photography as Art
My niece Kelly Gates has nominated me to share my artwork for 10 days and to nominate another artist to do the same. My take on this challenge is to create what I consider photographic Art pieces from some of my railroad photography.
Now, I realize there are now AI programs out there these days that can create just about any type of art pieces for you with just words, but as most of you know I’m a visual person and all the pieces I post over the next 10 days will be created in Photoshop by me from photographs I have shot, not with AI Software.
I know that this type of art isn’t for everyone, but I do like to get outside the box and my comfort zone from time to time, as I think it’s good for my creative eye. I’d appreciate your constructive thoughts and comments!
For today’s digital photographic art piece, I’ve selected this shot from November 4th, 2022, of Meadow River Lumber Company steam locomotive, Heisler No. 6 as it passes through Nottingham, WV, during the Mountain Rail WV, Rail Heritage Photography Weekend. The event was held at the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad, Durbin, WV, and Cass Scenic Railroad, Cass, WV, from November 4-6th, 2022.
On Day 4 I nominate fellow railfan photographer Brian Caswell to share his art (whatever type he wants to share) ~ I know he has plenty as he hopefully joins in on the 10-day art challenge!!!!
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, JPG, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO 140.Available for purchase in my store at https://pixels.com/featured/sunset-arrival-of-northbound-csx-q512-01-jim-pearson.html
Cass Scenic Railway Shay locomotive number 11, (C-90-3) passes through the crossing at Back Mountain Road as it starts the climb up the mountain, during the Cass Rail Heritage Photography Weekend, at Cass, West Virginia on November 5th, 2022
Founded in 1901 by the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company (now WestRock), Cass was built as a company town to serve the needs of the men who worked in the nearby mountains cutting spruce and hemlock for the West Virginia Spruce Lumber Company, a subsidiary of WVP&P. At one time, the sawmill at Cass was the largest double-band sawmill in the world. It processed an estimated 1.25 billion board feet (of lumber during its lifetime. In 1901 work started on the 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in standard gauge railroad, which climbs Back Allegheny Mountain.
The railroad eventually reached a meadow area, now known as Whittaker Station, where a logging camp was established for the immigrants who were building the railroad. The railroad soon reached the top of Gobblers Knob, and then a location on top of the mountain known as ‘Spruce’. The railroad built a small town at that location, complete with a company store, houses, a hotel, and a doctor’s office. Work soon commenced on logging the red spruce trees, which grew in the higher elevations.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 24-70mm @ 70mm, f/4, 1/640, ISO 220.
This week’s Saturday Infrared photo is of Cass Scenic Railway Shay locomotive number 11, (C-90-3) heads upgrade through the forest during the Rail Heritage Photography Weekend photo shoot at Cass, West Virginia on November 5th, 2022.
According to Wikipedia: Cass Scenic Railroad, is an 11-mile (18 km) long heritage railway owned by the West Virginia State Rail Authority and operated by the Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad. The park also includes the former company town of Cass and a portion of the summit of Bald Knob, the highest point on Back Allegheny Mountain.
Founded in 1901 by the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company (now WestRock), Cass was built as a company town to serve the needs of the men who worked in the nearby mountains cutting spruce and hemlock for the West Virginia Spruce Lumber Company, a subsidiary of WVP&P. At one time, the sawmill at Cass was the largest double-band sawmill in the world. It processed an estimated 1.25 billion board feet (104,000,000 cu ft; 2,950,000 m3) of lumber during its lifetime. In 1901 work started on the 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge railroad, which climbs Back Allegheny Mountain.
The railroad eventually reached a meadow area, now known as Whittaker Station, where a logging camp was established for the immigrants who were building the railroad. The railroad soon reached the top of Gobblers Knob, and then a location on top of the mountain known as ‘Spruce’. The railroad built a small town at that location, complete with a company store, houses, a hotel, and a doctor’s office. Work soon commenced on logging the red spruce trees, which grew in the higher elevations.
Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Nikon 10-24 @ 13mm, f/4, 1/180, ISO 500.
Meadow River Lumber Company steam locomotive, Heisler No. 6, leads a freight train past a wetlands area at Hosterman, West Virginia during the Mountain Rail WV, Rail Heritage Photography Weekend. The event was held at the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad, Durbin, WV, and Cass Scenic Railroad, Cass, WV, from November 4-6th, 2022.
According to Wikipedia: The Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad (reporting mark DGVR) is a heritage and freight railroad in the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia. It operates the West Virginia State Rail Authority-owned Durbin Railroad and West Virginia Central Railroad (reporting mark WVC), as well as the Shenandoah Valley Railroad in Virginia.
Beginning in 2015, DGVR began operating the historic geared steam-powered Cass Scenic Railroad, which was previously operated by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources as part of Cass Scenic Railroad State Park.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/2000, ISO 100.
Mower Lumber Company steam locomotive, Shay No. 2, heads through the countryside, outside Cass, West Virginia, with a short freight train, on November 6th, 2022, during the Mountain Rail WV, Rail Heritage Photography Weekend at the Cass Scenic Railroad, Cass, WV, from November 4-6th, 2022.
According to the Cass website: Shay #2, a Pacific Coast Shay, was constructed in July of 1928 for the Mayo Lumber Company of Paldi, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. A Pacific Coast Shay is a souped-up model of the class C-70 3 truck Shay. The Pacific Coast features superheat, a firebox that is 13 inches longer, lower gear ratio, steel cab, cast steel trucks, and steel girder frame. A feature of the steel girder frame is the large opening for exposing stay bolts.
Also, the cylinders were designed so they attached only to the locomotive frame, rather than to the boiler shell as in other Shays. This allowed for easier access and maintenance. #2 is the only Shay of its kind in the east. Shay #2, originally a wood burner, spent its working commercial life with four companies in British Columbia including Lake Logging Company, Cowichan Lake B.C. and Western Forest Industries, Honeymoon Bay, B.C. Later converted to burn oil then rebuilt to burn bituminous coal at Cass, #2 is the only known Shay to have used all three types of fuel. The locomotive ended its career switching cars on Vancouver docks in 1970, making it one of the last commercially used Shays.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Nikon 10-24mm @ 11mm, f/2.8, 1/640, ISO 140.
For this week’s Saturday Infrared photo, we find Meadow River Lumber Company steam locomotive, Heisler No. 6, as the blow off steam at Hosterman, West Virginia during the Mountain Rail WV, Rail Heritage Photography Weekend on November 4th, 2022. The event was held at the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad, Durbin, WV, and Cass Scenic Railroad, Cass, WV, from November 4-6th, 2022.
According to Wikipedia: The Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad (reporting mark DGVR) is a heritage and freight railroad in the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia. It operates the West Virginia State Rail Authority-owned Durbin Railroad and West Virginia Central Railroad (reporting mark WVC), as well as the Shenandoah Valley Railroad in Virginia.
Beginning in 2015, DGVR began operating the historic geared steam-powered Cass Scenic Railroad, which was previously operated by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources as part of Cass Scenic Railroad State Park.
Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Nikon 10-24 @ 10mm, f/4.5, 1/250, ISO 800.
The crewmembers on Cass Scenic Railway Shay locomotive #11 watch the road ahead as they participate in the Cass Scenic Railway’s Rail Heritage Photography Weekend, at Cass, West Virginia on November 5th, 2022.
According to Wikipedia: Cass Scenic Railroad, is an 11-mile (18 km) long heritage railway owned by the West Virginia State Rail Authority and operated by the Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad. The park also includes the former company town of Cass and a portion of the summit of Bald Knob, the highest point on Back Allegheny Mountain.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 250mm, f/5.6, 1/1000, ISO 2500.
Mower Lumber Company steam locomotive, Shay No. 2, through the main crossing in downtown Cass, West Virginia as they pass a gentleman and is old truck under rainy skies, on November 6th, 2022, during the Mountain Rail WV, Rail Heritage Photography Weekend at the Cass Scenic Railroad, Cass, WV, from November 4-6th, 2022.
According to the Cass website: Shay #2, a Pacific Coast Shay, was constructed in July of 1928 for the Mayo Lumber Company of Paldi, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. A Pacific Coast Shay is a souped-up model of the class C-70 3 truck Shay. The Pacific Coast features superheat, a firebox that is 13 inches longer, lower gear ratio, steel cab, cast steel trucks, and steel girder frame. A feature of the steel girder frame is the large opening for exposing staybolts.
Also, the cylinders were designed so they attached only to the locomotive frame, rather than to the boiler shell as in other Shays. This allowed for easier access and maintenance. #2 is the only Shay of its kind in the east. Shay #2, originally a wood burner, spent its working commercial life with four companies in British Columbia including Lake Logging Company, Cowichan Lake B.C. and Western Forest Industries, Honeymoon Bay, B.C. Later converted to burn oil then rebuilt to burn bituminous coal at Cass, #2 is the only known Shay to have used all three types of fuel. The locomotive ended its career switching cars on Vancouver docks in 1970, making it one of the last commercially used Shays.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Nikon 10-24mm @ 20mm, f/2.8, 1/400, ISO 160.
This week’s Saturday Infrared photo is of Cass Scenic Railway Shay locomotive number 11, (C-90-3) as it backs through the forest during the Rail Heritage Photography Weekend photo shoot at Cass, West Virginia on November 5th, 2022.
According to Wikipedia: Cass Scenic Railroad, is an 11-mile (18 km) long heritage railway owned by the West Virginia State Rail Authority and operated by the Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad. The park also includes the former company town of Cass and a portion of the summit of Bald Knob, the highest point on Back Allegheny Mountain.
Founded in 1901 by the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company (now WestRock), Cass was built as a company town to serve the needs of the men who worked in the nearby mountains cutting spruce and hemlock for the West Virginia Spruce Lumber Company, a subsidiary of WVP&P. At one time, the sawmill at Cass was the largest double-band sawmill in the world. It processed an estimated 1.25 billion board feet (104,000,000 cu ft; 2,950,000 m3) of lumber during its lifetime. In 1901 work started on the 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge railroad, which climbs Back Allegheny Mountain.
The railroad eventually reached a meadow area, now known as Whittaker Station, where a logging camp was established for the immigrants who were building the railroad. The railroad soon reached the top of Gobblers Knob, and then a location on top of the mountain known as ‘Spruce’. The railroad built a small town at that location, complete with a company store, houses, a hotel, and a doctor’s office. Work soon commenced on logging the red spruce trees, which grew in the higher elevations.
Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Nikon 10-24 @ 22mm, f/4.5, 1/180, ISO 640.
The fireman stands on the tender of Cass Scenic Railway Shay locomotive number 11, (C-90-3) as they take on water during the Rail Heritage Photography Weekend photo shoot at Cass, West Virginia on November 5th, 2022.
According to Wikipedia: Cass Scenic Railroad, is an 11-mile (18 km) long heritage railway owned by the West Virginia State Rail Authority and operated by the Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad. The park also includes the former company town of Cass and a portion of the summit of Bald Knob, the highest point on Back Allegheny Mountain.
Founded in 1901 by the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company (now WestRock), Cass was built as a company town to serve the needs of the men who worked in the nearby mountains cutting spruce and hemlock for the West Virginia Spruce Lumber Company, a subsidiary of WVP&P. At one time, the sawmill at Cass was the largest double-band sawmill in the world. It processed an estimated 1.25 billion board feet (104,000,000 cu ft; 2,950,000 m3) of lumber during its lifetime. In 1901 work started on the 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge railroad, which climbs Back Allegheny Mountain.
The railroad eventually reached a meadow area, now known as Whittaker Station, where a logging camp was established for the immigrants who were building the railroad. The railroad soon reached the top of Gobblers Knob, and then a location on top of the mountain known as ‘Spruce’. The railroad built a small town at that location, complete with a company store, houses, a hotel, and a doctor’s office. Work soon commenced on logging the red spruce trees, which grew in the higher elevations.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/350, ISO 200.
Meadow River Lumber Company steam locomotive, Heisler No. 6, heads into the wye in the early morning at Durbin, West Virginia, to pick up a set of freight cars, during the Mountain Rail WV, Rail Heritage Photography Weekend. The event was held at the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad, Durbin, WV, and Cass Scenic Railroad, Cass, WV, from November 4-6th, 2022. Heisler No. 6 was built in 1929 and is a Class C-90 locomotive with 3 trucks. The tunnel of trees really draws attention to the locomotive emerging from a cloud of steam on November 4th, 2022.
According to Wikipedia: The Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad (reporting mark DGVR) is a heritage and freight railroad in the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia. It operates the West Virginia State Rail Authority-owned Durbin Railroad and West Virginia Central Railroad (reporting mark WVC), as well as the Shenandoah Valley Railroad in Virginia.
Beginning in 2015, DGVR began operating the historic geared steam-powered Cass Scenic Railroad, which was previously operated by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources as part of Cass Scenic Railroad State Park.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600mm @ 600mm, f/5.6, 1/400, ISO 3200.
A variety of Kanawha River Terminal Railroad locomotives sit just outside the engine house in the yards at the Kanawha River Terminal (Ceredo Dock) at Ceredo, West Virginia, on November 2nd, 2022. From what I can tell, from the left is #698, 455 (high nose green) 894 & 994. Can’t read numbers on the back units behind them.
According to their website: The Kanawha River Terminal Railroad is a switching operation serving the Kanawha River Terminal (Ceredo Dock) facility, situated along the Ohio River west of Huntington, West Virginia. The railroad operation handles interchange with Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation.
The terminal has an annual throughput capacity of nearly 20 million tons and is equipped with a rotary dumper and a barge loader, the latter of which provides volume coal loading to barges. The facility and the switching railroad are owned by SunCoke Energy. A variety of first and second-generation motive power is maintained at an engine house in Ceredo, West Virginia, adjacent to the terminal.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/500, ISO 150.
Mower Lumber Company steam locomotive, Shay No. 2, heads through a grade crossing, outside Cass, West Virginia on November 4th, 2022, during the Mountain Rail WV, Rail Heritage Photography Weekend at the Cass Scenic Railroad, Cass, WV, from November 4-6th, 2022.
According to the Cass website: Shay #2, a Pacific Coast Shay, was constructed in July of 1928 for the Mayo Lumber Company of Paldi, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. A Pacific Coast Shay is a souped-up model of the class C-70 3 truck Shay. The Pacific Coast features superheat, a firebox that is 13 inches longer, lower gear ratio, steel cab, cast steel trucks, and steel girder frame. A feature of the steel girder frame is the large opening for exposing staybolts.
Also, the cylinders were designed so they attached only to the locomotive frame, rather than to the boiler shell as in other Shays. This allowed for easier access and maintenance. #2 is the only Shay of its kind in the east. Shay #2, originally a wood burner, spent its working commercial life with four companies in British Columbia including Lake Logging Company, Cowichan Lake B.C. and Western Forest Industries, Honeymoon Bay, B.C. Later converted to burn oil then rebuilt to burn bituminous coal at Cass, #2 is the only known Shay to have used all three types of fuel. The locomotive ended its career switching cars on Vancouver docks in 1970, making it one of the last commercially used Shays.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Nikon 10-24mm @ 11mm, f/2.8, 1/400, ISO 180.
Cass Scenic Railway Shay locomotive number 11, (C-90-3) moves through a cloud of its own smoke as it runs through the forest during the Rail Heritage Photography Weekend photo shoot at Cass, West Virginia on November 5th, 2022.
According to Wikipedia: Cass Scenic Railroad, is an 11-mile (18 km) long heritage railway owned by the West Virginia State Rail Authority and operated by the Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad. The park also includes the former company town of Cass and a portion of the summit of Bald Knob, the highest point on Back Allegheny Mountain.
Founded in 1901 by the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company (now WestRock), Cass was built as a company town to serve the needs of the men who worked in the nearby mountains cutting spruce and hemlock for the West Virginia Spruce Lumber Company, a subsidiary of WVP&P. At one time, the sawmill at Cass was the largest double-band sawmill in the world. It processed an estimated 1.25 billion board feet (104,000,000 cu ft; 2,950,000 m3) of lumber during its lifetime. In 1901 work started on the 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge railroad, which climbs Back Allegheny Mountain.
The railroad eventually reached a meadow area, now known as Whittaker Station, where a logging camp was established for the immigrants who were building the railroad. The railroad soon reached the top of Gobblers Knob, and then a location on top of the mountain known as ‘Spruce’. The railroad built a small town at that location, complete with a company store, houses, a hotel, and a doctor’s office. Work soon commenced on logging the red spruce trees, which grew in the higher elevations.
Tech Info: iPhone 14 Pro, f/2.8, 1/75, ISO 64.
Cass Scenic Railway Shay locomotive number 11, (C-90-3) climbs uphill through a S curve in forest during the Rail Heritage Photography Weekend photo shoot at Cass, West Virginia on November 5th, 2022.
According to Wikipedia: Cass Scenic Railroad, is an 11-mile (18 km) long heritage railway owned by the West Virginia State Rail Authority and operated by the Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad. The park also includes the former company town of Cass and a portion of the summit of Bald Knob, the highest point on Back Allegheny Mountain.
Founded in 1901 by the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company (now WestRock), Cass was built as a company town to serve the needs of the men who worked in the nearby mountains cutting spruce and hemlock for the West Virginia Spruce Lumber Company, a subsidiary of WVP&P. At one time, the sawmill at Cass was the largest double-band sawmill in the world. It processed an estimated 1.25 billion board feet (104,000,000 cu ft; 2,950,000 m3) of lumber during its lifetime. In 1901 work started on the 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge railroad, which climbs Back Allegheny Mountain.
The railroad eventually reached a meadow area, now known as Whittaker Station, where a logging camp was established for the immigrants who were building the railroad. The railroad soon reached the top of Gobblers Knob, and then a location on top of the mountain known as ‘Spruce’. The railroad built a small town at that location, complete with a company store, houses, a hotel, and a doctor’s office. Work soon commenced on logging the red spruce trees, which grew in the higher elevations.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1250, ISO 140.