Re: NNG - Cass Climax in Jeopardy?

My one and only visit was in the summer of 1989. My mom had taken us kids up to NYC and DC for a long weekend and I somehow convinced her to rent a car and drive home from DC through cass. We rode the bald knob train and PC #2 was the road engine and #5 was the helper. That shay had quite a bark. Of course I sat in the open car directly in front of #2 and distinctly remember watching the hot embers bouncing around in the stack screen until the broke up enough to pass through and fly up in the air. The switchback portion was nuts because of the hot cinders raining down. There was a large plastic sheet they pulled out but that was pretty much useless. The sounds..... Gawd the sounds that came from that shay. That was the most visceral ride I have ever taken on any steam powered train.