We had climbed the grade and were about to go through Old Spruce.
At the junction, we beared right to Bald Knob.
Departing Old Spruce.
On the way to Bald Knob.
There were fewer overlooks on this portion of the route.
Oats Creek water tank.
Watering Cass Scenic Shay 2.
Leaving the water tank.
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Climbing the grade to the Spruce overlook on a eight percent grade.
The Spruce overlook.
Milepost 8.
Climbing the seven percent grade to the wye.
Approaching the wye.
The switch.
The east leg of the wye.
We started down the 1.5 percent grade.
Even on a down grade, Cass Scenic Shay 2 really worked hard.
Now the final nine percent grade to Bald Knob.
Bald Knob station sign.
Bald Knob station and viewing platform.
The train pushed us into the station and I was first off the train.
Our train at rest, after which I made a beeline for the viewing platform.
A rental caboose.
Our train at Bald Knob.
The views from the viewing platform.
Cass Scenic Shay 2. We reboarded the train and Elizabeth came back and joined me, riding down the mountain in a rain storm which made our trip even more memorable. Later we train stopped at Whittaker.
Robin detrained for an ice cream but forgot to get us one. We returned to Cass, where Elizabeth and I had to take care of some NRHS business with the café workers behind the station.
One last view of the Cass station for today. We made it back down to Cass and I would like to thank Cass Scenic Railroad and Mountain Rail for having us here today. The trip was really interesting and Bob, Elizabeth and Robin all loved it as much as I did. The good news is that we go from Cass to Old Spruce tomorrow and ride up the mountain again. We drove back via Elkins so the others were able to see part of the route along the Shavers Fork of the Cheat River. We stopped at a Subway in Elkins and picked up dinner to go, returning to Cumberland at 8:50 PM, where we picked up our NRHS convention badges and goodie bags, then worked on stories.
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