Recently posted to facebook was a series of pictures of Cass's #6 shay ferrying the Durbin and Greenbier's FP7A to the Cass locomotive shops; and this got me curious on why people are saying that the repairing the washout is the only way for the Buffalo Creek & Gauley No. 4 to be moved to Durbin? Was there something about the FP7A that allowed it to navigate the track or could they just remove the rods of the No. 4 and ferry it that way?

https://www.facebook.com/WalterScriptun ... 2316409255

I may be a diesel guy, but even I know this is wrong. An F unit in the Cass shops. I think the planet has spiraled off its axis and is headed for certain doom.

Back to the question at hand. Perhaps BC&G #4 has a rigid wheelbase that would prevent it from negotiating the curves headed up the mountain? In reality the F unit being a four axle and fairly short by today's standards should be able to and obviously did negotiate some fairly tight curves. I know 611 for example can't go certain places due to curvature but a short diesel would have no problem.

ETA

A little bit of the geography of the Cass and West Virginia Central operations is needed to answer that question. At the moment, the only rail access to Durbin is from Cass--through a railroad that is partially washed out and very overgrown. There was a connection at one time from Durbin to Elk River Junction (on the Spruce to Elkins line), but those tracks were pulled following the 1985 flood.

The rail access simply goes from Cass to Spruce, and then up to Elkins/Belington. To get from Elkins to Durbin by rail, you have to go through Cass (and rebuild the Cass to Durbin line), or re-lay the tracks from Elk River Junction to Durbin.

So, to answer the question, yes you probably could drag the 4 up the mountain and go all the way to Elkins or wherever, but you couldn't get it to Durbin that way.

It would appear that Cass is becoming the de-facto repair shop for the WVC. Makes sense actually to have everything at one spot that is already very well equipped, as opposed to having two separate shops.
Kevin

243 is in need of new wheels. The main reason to take it to Cass is because Cass has a 50-ton overhead crane to lift the engine, assemble the trucks, etc. To do this anywhere else would require jacking it up and working out in the rain. 243 is the first F-unit to cross the mountain down into Cass.

It is interesting to note that the sharpest curve negotiated on the voyage from Elkins to Cass is not on the Cass Scenic RR (30 degrees on Gum's Curve) but the 34 degree curve on the WVC at High Falls of the Cheat River.

The BLW specs for BC&G #4 show it capable of handling a 30 degree wye on the BC&G. So, THEORETICALLY, #4 could go over the hill out of Cass. I know there are some crazy kinks in the RR over the hill I would want to tiptoe anything like #4 over.

The big hope is the railroad from Durbin to Cass will be restored at about the same #4 is ready to roll out of Cass.

I was expecting some one to start the rumor we were going to dieselize Cass.