Official Web Site of Cass Scenic Railroad State Park - Locomotives

Cass Scenic Railroad State Park

Shay #2

In The Old Days...
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 (seen below). 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 it's 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, and came to Cass in that same year.

Past to Present...
Today, Shay #2 can be seen climbing Cheat Mountain here at Cass Scenic Railroad. This summer No. 2 is scheduled to be the pusher engine on the Bald Knob run, a four and one half hour round trip to the top of Cheat Mountain

Technically Speaking:

Builder No.: 3320	Date in Service: July 26, 1928
Class: PC-13	Trucks: 3
Bore: 13 inches	Stroke: 15 inches
Drivers: 36 inches	Weight: 93 Tons

Click on engine name to see information
Shay #2	Shay #4	Shay #5
Shay #6	Shay #7	Climax 9
Heisler 6		Feather River Shay 3

Shay 2

Steel Girder Frame with Wooden Bumper

I-Beam Frame with Wooden Bumper

Pacific Coast Cast Steel Truck

Older Arch Bar Truck

Photograph Archives

Shay #2 hauling the log loader up to Whittaker for the display.	Front view of Shay #2 pulling some flat cars up the mountain.	Shay #2 approaches the water tower at Cass Scenic Railroad.	Another angle of Shay #2 approaching the water tower at Cass.	If you look close you can see the letters "Pacific Coast" still on the side of #2
Here you see the front of #2.	A nice quality photo of #2.	Another good shot of #2, this time from behind.	Here #2 still shows the Number 114. This was taken when #2 arrived at Cass and had not yet been reassembled.	Shay #2 was originally a wood burner. Here you see it with its #4 and Mayo Lumber Co. markings. Note the wood burner stack and the wood rack on top of the oil bunker and water tank.

Cass Scenic Railroad State Park
P.O. Box 107
Cass, WV 24927
(304) 456-4300
1-800-CALL WVA
E-mail: cassrailroad@wvdnr.gov

Cass Scenic Railroad State Park, A West Virginia State Park