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.