Here is what the Climax looked like last May:
Moore-Keppel Climax #6
Having gone there year after year, I was pretty surprised to finally see it looking more like a locomotive than a stock of spare parts. I was really looking forward to seeing someone press the project to the finish line.
I was also surprised to hear that Cass was a money-loser. Every time I had ever been there....which is quite a few times....the trains always seemed crowded. The place was deserted in the early morning, but in the hour before train-time, the parking lot seemed to fill up quickly. Railfan weekend was also generally well-attended. Like many other tourist railroads, Cass is the kind of place that needs to chase bus tour operators to help promote the place. It is probably a stretch to just hope that vacationers in individual automobiles will journey that far out of the way for a train ride. The trip back and forth over Cheat Mountain from the Elkins area is not exactly an easy, pleasant drive.
/Kevin
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/19/2016 01:42PM by KevinM.