Of the 3 basic types of geared steam locomotives, the Climax is by far the rarest, with just 3
operating examples in the world, as of today. Recently, the folks at the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad (the operator of the Cass Scenic Railroad State Park) completed the restoration of Moore-Keppel Climax #6, a 1919-vintage, 70-ton, 3-truck, Class B Climax. To celebrate the roll-out of this rare piece of history, Trains Magazine organized a photo charter during the first weekend in November, giving about 50 photographers, including myself, an opportunity to photograph this engine with both log trains and hopper trains, both of which are historically accurate for this particular engine.
Built originally for the Moore-Keppel & Company in 1919, this engine served the lumbering operation as their #6 for about 20 years, before the owners closed up shop. She was then sold to the Middlefork Railroad in Ellamore, WV, where she hauled coal for another 20 years, also as #6, finally retiring in 1960. She was sold to the State of West Virginia in 1970 for use at the Cass Scenic Railroad State Park, but alas, she was severely damaged in an engine shop fire before she could be restored, and she then spent several decades as a basket case. In the early 2000s, the Mountain State Railroad & Logging Historical Society began a serious restoration effort with volunteer labor. The process proceeded slowly but steadily over the next decade, and was ultimately taken over and completed by the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad. Although the restored engine carries the Moore-Keppel lettering, she's numbered 9, which is her new number in the Cass Scenic Railroad line-up. With 2 other engines numbered 6, I'm thinking that the D&GVRR folks were probably figuring that a 3rd #6 would just be confusing.
For those who are interested, I've created an album of images from the 2-day charter, which featured both the Climax and Shay #5, the oldest locomotive on the property. Have a peek and see what she looks like. For a small 70-tonner, this engine puts on quite a smoke and steam show. She's LOUD too!
Climax at Cass!
/Kevin Madore
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/24/2019 07:03AM by KevinM.
