Ride to Cass Scenic Railroad

Nestled in the mountains of West Virginia, Cass Scenic Railroad State Park offers excursions that transport you back in time to relive an era when steam-driven locomotives were an essential part of everyday life.

Trips to Cass are filled with rich histories of the past, unparalleled views of a vast wilderness area, and close-up encounters with the sights and sounds of original steam-driven locomotives.

The town of Cass remains relatively unchanged. The restored company houses now rented as vacation cottages, add to the charm and atmosphere of the town. Stay overnight in a two-story company house when you visit Cass Scenic Railroad. There are 20 houses that will accommodate from 4 – 14 guests.

Originally houses from the turn-of-the-century logging town at Cass, these six-, eight-, ten- and twelve-person cottages have been totally refurbished and feature bathrooms and fully equipped kitchens, television, cooking utensils, tableware, towels, dishcloths and linens. Energy efficient wood stoves, available in four of the houses, and electric heaters provide heat, and one cottage is accessible to the disabled. Open year-round, the houses are rented by the day, up to a maximum of two weeks. Company house rentals run from 4 p.m. Monday to 10 a.m. the following Monday when renting weekly.

From the company store and museum to the train depot, you'll find an abundance of things to do prior to your departure on the historic Cass Railroad.

The Cass Scenic Railroad is the same line built in 1901 to haul lumber to the mill in Cass. The locomotives are the same Shay locomotives used in Cass, and in the rainforests of British Columbia for more than a half-century. Many of the passenger cars are old logging flat-cars that have been refurbished.

Once you board the train, the real excitement begins! The great pistons of the carefully restored Shay locomotive will start pulsing, driven by hundreds of pounds of steam pressure. The shaft begins turning, the wheels find traction, and the locomotive begins to move. With thick, black smoke belching from its stack, the train pulls away from the station, passing the water tower from which the locomotive tanks are filled.

For schedules and rates, visit www.cassrailroad.com. For a complete history of the town of Cass, visit us here.