Mountain State Railroad & Logging History

03/07/2025

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: After a significantly longer process than anticipated thanks to all the ramifications involved with developing a new 501(c)3 non-profit organization, MSR&LHA officially filed for dissolution on February 25, 2025. Friends of Cass Scenic Railroad State Park, Inc., DBA “Friends of Cass” has received the bulk of MSR&LHA's former financial assets, and has also received legal copyright and trademark permissions for "The Log Train". At this time, there are no plans to use the name on any future publications or reprint any back issues, but the option is on the table should such a need or desire arise.

As things finally wind down, a couple of informal decisions have been made regarding the future of the organization’s online presence. As of this evening, this page has been renamed “Mountain State Railroad & Logging History”…a simple change that both removes the implication of the old non-profit affiliation, but still honors the group’s original name. There had been discussions of dismantling the page altogether, but we felt that many of the photos and posts from the past were of enough historic value that the right thing to do would be to leave the page up for all to reference into the future. At this time, there are no plans to make regular posts on the page, but we reserve the right to add content to the page in the future. Maintenance of the page will continue to be a joint effort from the moderators of the Cass Scenic Railroad State Park - Friends of Cass page, and the Casshews page. While we will still check in from time to time, our admins do not receive direct notifications when someone sends a private message to the page, so please message the Casshews page if you have a question about railroad history, or Friends of Cass for any current events or developments in Cass.

Now, HERE is something that we have received A LOT of inquiries about over the last year after we announced our planned dissolution: the original msrlha.org website WILL continue to remain available into the future in an unmoderated state. Friends of Cass will have the ability to make changes if needed, but for the most part, the page will remain primarily in its current state for the foreseeable future. Maintenance payments for the domain on the page have already been made for three years in advance, so it will remain available until at least 2028, if not beyond. We have decided to allow photos presented on the page to become part of the public domain, so the versions of the photos shared on the website are now considered “free use” for any project or publication. Please understand, this applies only to the versions of the photos available on the website. Permission would still be needed from applicable parties for any version of the photos that appear elsewhere on the internet and in print, including those that appear on this page.

For one last time, we extend our deepest gratitude to all who made MSR&LHA the success that it was for more than 40 years, for those who helped on the many service projects, and even those who simply enjoyed a Railfan Weekend event with us, and helped make those events happen. The MSR&LHA Board of Directors and Officers felt that the opportunity to spin-off the organization into Friends of Cass was a best case opportunity for all involved. This change simplifies the organizational structure while also seeing that our original vision of preserving West Virginia and logging railroad history will continue into the future, while at the same time helping the state park and community of Cass in a more direct and impactful way than ever before.

THANK YOU ALL for more than 40 memorable years in the Mountain State! For more information on Friends of Cass, please visit friendsofcass.org.

PHOTO CAPTION: In this September 1985 image, Shay No. 5 pulls a mixed photo and passenger train through Limestone Cut on one of MSR&LHA's very first sponsored outings. Photo from the Casshews Collection.

01/30/2025

We have learned of the passing of a longtime Cass stalwart, friend and supporter, Rich Adam. Rich will be most familiar to those individuals who attended the annual Cass Railfan Weekends sponsored by MSR&LHA in the 2000s, where he was often a car host for such events. He had a wealth of knowledge, and was always happy to strike up a conversation to share his wisdom with others. He will be missed by many in the railroading community.

Richard D. Adam, age 74 of Minersville, PA, passed away on Wednesday, January 29, 2025. He was born in Delaware County, son of the late John L. and Dorothea E. Felici Adam. Richard was an engineer by trade for locomotives. He enjoyed going to Cass, West Virginia. He also enjoyed

06/07/2024

It is with great sadness that we have learned of the passing of longtime Director and dear friend Art Dameron. Art was with MSR&LHA for most of its run, serving not only on the Board of Directors but also as Treasurer, and later Membership Secretary, a role he held for decades and that kept his name familiar to members as he signed each membership letter and card that was issued. He had only recently announced his retirement from MSR&LHA as he had planned his move to South Carolina to be with his family in December 2023.

Art had been a lifelong supporter of Cass even before his involvement with MSR&LHA, first visiting Cass in the 1960s with his wife, Sandy. Our thoughts and prayers are with Art's family and friends during this difficult time. As noted in Art's obituary, MSR&LHA is still currently active as the transition to Friends of Cass has not be finalized to date. If you would like to make a contribution in Art's memory, please send donations to: MSR&LHA ​c/o Robert Hoke, Treasurer, 6304 Kaybro St, ​​Laurel, MD 20707. All donations will be transferred to the new organization once 501(c)3 status is finalized.

https://www.thompsonfh.net/obituary/Arthur-Dameron

04/27/2024

We were greatly shocked and heartbroken to learn of Marshall Markley's untimely passing yesterday morning, April 26, 2024. He was 41. Marshall had been Cass Scenic Railroad State Park's Superintendent for the last several years, and had only recently become the new Superintendent at Blackwater Falls State Park, one of the much larger and more popular state parks in West Virginia. Marshall had accepted the new position not only to advance his career, but also because he saw it as an opportunity for his young family to grow and prosper. Although Cass has been fortunate for much of the past two decades to have some excellent superintendents, Marshall was among the most open minded of all of them, helping to build a connection between the park and railroad operation, and was instrumental in helping make the collaboration for the new annual "Parade of Steam" event a reality. During his tenure, we also saw a lot of excellent improvements within the park, including helping the Greenbrier River Trail build a better connection within the state park at Cass, and several company house improvements. Marshall was also supportive of the transition from the old Mountain State Railroad & Logging Historical Association to a new non-profit which is to officially become the Friends of Cass Scenic Railroad State Park, Inc., a transition that is still ongoing at this time. He also had a great presence on social media, even sharing many of our Casshews posts, and trying to build a social media presence for the parks at which he worked. Marshall was truly a visionary within the West Virginia State Park System and will be missed by many. Our thoughts and prayers are with Marshall's wife, daughter, and family, as well as all of his co-workers and friends at Cass Scenic Railroad and Blackwater Falls State Parks during this difficult time.

12/19/2023

Heisler No. 6 passes through the small community of Denmar, WV, en route to its new home at Cass on Wednesday, December 14, 1966. The locomotive traveled to Cass entirely under its own power, having left Rainelle the previous day in a blowing snow storm. The locomotive overnighted at the big C&O yard in Hinton along the way, transitioning to the Greenbrier Subdivision at daybreak the following morning. Stenciling from the Cass Scenic RR shop was taken to Rainelle by John P. Killoran prior to the move, in order to apply lettering to the locomotive and have the opportunity to use photos from the transition to promote CSRR in the media.

After the trip to Cass, the Heisler did not operate at all during the 1967 season as it underwent significant repairs to make it safe for passenger service, rolling out of the shop just in time for Bald K**b inauguration weekend in 1968. A week after its trial runs, it immediately made another high-mileage run to Buckhannon for the 1968 Strawberry Festival during the first weekend of June.

While a pair of former C&O cabooses were eventually acquired by Cass from the Meadow River Lumber Company upon its closure, the caboose pictured was still in commercial service and was interchanged back to the C&O after the Heisler was delivered to CSRR.

Original Black & White Photo contributed by John R. Sweet. Colorized by Matt Wilson.

12/02/2023

A good article about the dissolution of MSR&LHA, but just a reminder, the new organization will be a spinoff, not a merger, and currently exists as a committee of Mountain State. That committee is now seeking its own 501(c)3 non profit status, and will have a simpler business structure from the current organization once approved and launched. In the long run, this will likely be a very good thing for Cass, and even if you miss Mountain State, they are accepting our mission and legacy as part of their own narrative.

CASS, W.Va. — The Mountain State Railroad & Logging Historical Association, founded in 1982, which played a key role in support of the Cass Scenic Railroad, will conclude operations, its president has announced. Association president Matt Wilson informed members in a Nov. 24 letter that the organi...

11/27/2023

Don’t miss your chance to own a piece of Mountain State history as “The Log Train” returns for one last and final curtain call!

Returning to our roots, we take a look at the Russell Baum Collection from a different perspective: COLOR! This issue includes more than a dozen newly colorized images featuring famed Mower Shay No. 1 and an authentic log train heading to Cabin Fork, many of which have never even been published before in black and white, giving "The Log Train" an appropriate send off! We have a very limited supply of extra copies of this special issue available for a limited time, so don’t delay!

To place your order, you can visit msrlha.org, click "Donate" near the bottom of the page, and you will have the option to pay using PayPal or Credit Card. Please ensure that your mailing address is correct. The total cost will be $6 per copy, First Class Shipping included to anywhere in the United States. As we expect to have higher than normal requests for this special farewell issue, It would be appreciated if orders are limited to no more than 2 copies per household. We also still have a limited inventory of other back issues as well, although several have already run out of stock and will not be replenished. Please contact [email protected] for orders other than the final issue.

Don’t miss “The Log Train”’s colorful finale…complete your collection by January 15, 2024 or WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!

11/22/2023

SPECIAL ANNOUCEMENT!

On this day before Thanksgiving 2023, we would like to say a heartfelt Thanks to all of those who have volunteered, donated, and served as directors and officers of the Mountain State Railroad & Logging Historical Association over more than four decades. If it wasn’t for so many of you literally greasing the gears of the organization, there is no way so many projects would have been completed to the extent that they were, or that railfan and interpretive events would have been enjoyed by so many.

With that said, today, we are mailing out Issue 137 to our members. Two things will be different this time: 1) we will be mailing it First Class--hopefully ensuring everyone gets their copy during this time of postal uncertainty, and, more importantly, 2) it will have a heading scrolled across the top that many of us have dreaded for quite some time: Issue 137 will be THE LAST-EVER ISSUE of “The Log Train” after 41 years.

More than that, pending a final mail-in vote from our membership, MSR&LHA as a whole will be winding down operations in early 2024, but in this case, there IS a silver lining to it all: Friends of Cass, which has operated as a committee of MSR&LHA since 2018, will officially be spinning off into a new 501(c)(3), becoming Cass Scenic Railroad State Park’s new non-profit of record, and continuing the MSR&LHA mission and legacy for many years to come, while also opening the door for new opportunities not under the purview of the original organization. What will be noticeably different is the new organization’s business model: there will be no members, and thusly there will be no ‘Log Train’—‘Friends’ will have a much simpler 21st Century approach to reaching out and communicating with its supporters and volunteers. Friends of Cass will also be bringing its focus back home to the local community, with a strong group of local volunteers already growing rapidly, and new grants already being sought for planned projects within the historic town of Cass. Those who would like to volunteer or contribute to the new organization can find more information on their website, friendsofcass.org .

MSR&LHA members who paid ahead for additional issues of “The Log Train” that will not be delivered, will receive a postcard with their final issue with more information on how to claim a refund, or to elect to donate their refund to Friends of Cass. While the mailing cards, which also include the dissolution poll, have a return date of December 15th, any refund request received by December 31st will be honored.

While it is sad to see the end of MSR&LHA, those of us sitting on the final Board of Directors consider ourselves fortunate and grateful to be able to plant the seed for the next generation of volunteerism at Cass Scenic Railroad State Park, and we hope that our membership will feel the same way, welcoming new opportunities for interpreting and preserving not only West Virginia Railroad and Logging History, but also the Town of Cass itself.

As the Association is no longer accepting new members or renewals, a very limited number of copies of the final issue of "The Log Train" will be made available for purchase to the public soon. Please keep an eye on this page for more information.

We wish everyone a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving and Holiday Season!

11/16/2023

ATTENTION ARTISANS! The holiday season is upon us and we're gearing up for the Annual Christmas at Cass Christmas Market to be held Saturday, December 9th! Only $10 to set up a table!

Contact info listed on the flyer below or feel free to message us here on Facebook! Hope to see you there!

NOTE: Because of limited space and to be fair to the multiple residents in the area that represent similar or the same entities (EX: MLM, etc.), we have opted to limit the vendor spots to local crafts and artisans. If our situation changes we will let you know.

11/16/2023

Shay No. 5 backs through lower Gum Field en route to the far reaches of Cabin Fork. Those little shrubs on the fireman's side of the locomotive are the very start of the now mature forest that occupies this site. Note the individuals riding the train in the foreground. In just five short years, similar cars would be converted into tourist cars, safer, but not as rustic of an experience. Summer 1958.

WV State Archives/MSR&LHA Russ Munroe Collection

11/13/2023

A VERY SPECIAL 20 page full-color issue of “The Log Train” has hit the presses, and members will most likely have it in their hands by Christmas, or shortly thereafter (barring another major shipping problem). This issue comes packed with a bittersweet announcement about the future, but we promise there is a great silver lining to it all…MORE TO COME SOON!

About the photo: Taken on what is now US Forest Service Road 267 during the Fall of 1959, Mower Lumber Co. Shay No. 1 pushes a log train on the Cabin Fork line to collect another day's worth of logs from the skidder sets in the far reaches of Mower territory. This very special issue features a day on the mountain with more photos from Mr. Baum's collection, colorized for the first time ever! (MSR&LHA Russell Baum Collection; Colorized by Matt Wilson).