It's been a very long time since I have been to Cass.

In a recent post people were talking about the WYE at the told of Bald Knob.

I don't recall the Bald Knob train using a WYE anywhere. I remember the train reaching the top of the mountain with the locomotives pushing. One engine went down the mountain light and one took our train back.

Am I just not remembering or has the operation changed in the past 20 years?

Thanks in advance!

The Bald Knob train doesnt use the WYE it does however go past it. It is about halfway between the Spruce connection and Bald Knob. The WYE was originally put in to turn the logging skidder in the logging era.

Thanks Walter, but why is the WYE important to the operation of WM 6 to the top of Bald Knob? This was mentioned in a prior thread.

Thanks again!

This Spring the WYE's curve was widened to make it possible for 6 to get through without using the WYE. In years past when 6 went to Bald Knob it always had to be turned but since this year they are putting 6 on the bald knob runs they went ahead and fixed the curve.

Alan - You'd have to see it to understand, but basically the turn radius of the curve on the main line,which the "Y" is located was too tight. The other 2 legs were not as sharp, so they would push the train as far forward as possible (I think a helper got the rest of the train clear), then move Big 6 through the legs of Wye so it could progress us the mountain, albeit backward facing town now, therefore bypassing the tight curve.

Hope this helps,

Mike
Buena Vista, VA.

Walter and Mike...

Thank a lot! I got it now. : )

Sinvce Shays track equally well running smokebox first or tank first, why find it necessary to turn one at all?

dave

Some charters in the past have wanted the locos facing the opposite direction. If you're paying the bill, you get what you want! To add to what Mike said, when the wye was rebuilt a few years ago, they made sure there was more than enough room for both the train and the loco, so the entire train would be turned on the wye for the final run up to Bald Knob. If you explore the non-mainline leg of the wye you will see off to the left the remains of the logging camp cars that once sat there on that leg and were abandoned when Mower quit.

You always want the firebox to be on the lower end on a steep grade to be sure that there is water over the crown sheet, so Shays almost always faced uphill.

There's also the fact that one side of a Shay has no cylinders and is thus considered the "unattractive" side for photos and videos. Careful photo charter organizers like Carl Franz have to have the sun and side of a Shay plotted out to the nth degree. This is where Heisler #6 and the Climax nearby on the Durbin line have it "all over" Shays in photographic appeal.

There is a small detail that even Shays have a minimum turning radius. If the bend is too tight, the universal slip joints could run in or run out - Climaxes and Heislers are not as sensitive as this as thier drive shafts are in the center of the turning radius. I don't have the specs on #6's min. radius, but he wye's radius seemed ample to me in that respect as compared to others bends on the line.

Correct! Per the late Phil Bagdon, Mower turned the Shays not long after taking over, primarily due to the lack of experienced firemen. Prior to the early 40's, all locos pointed towards town.

Mike Stillwell
Buena Vista, VA.

This was the main reason for the practice. It was for safety, say if the brakes would fail the engine would hold the cars up, preventing a runaway, this is the reason it is still done today. The switchbacks originally had a run around track these where installed during the building of the railroad.

The sharpest curve WM #6 can make is 32 degrees.