A look into the team behind the magic of the Cass Scenic Railroad

CASS, W.Va. (WBOY) — The Cass Scenic Railroad is famous for taking its passengers back in time with a journey through the West Virginia hills. But the thing that makes it all possible isn’t just the trains, but the people who work on them.

The magic of the railroad comes down to all the staff who are as passionate about the trains as well as their history as passengers.

On these trains, there is usually a conductor, two break men, one fireman, and the engineer. Who, despite what some may think, is the one in charge of the train—not the conductor. The engineer is in charge of the train and of conducting pre-trip inspections of the locomotive.

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“Whenever I come in in the morning, my fireman and I—his job is, first thing, get the fire ready in the morning. My first thing is to get the engine pre-lubricated for the day’s trip, start out by filling this hydrostatic lubricator,” Engineer Noah Barkley said. Barkley was operating Shay #11 when 12 News visited.

In recent years, there has been a younger generation of train engineers at Cass, like Barkley, who’s continuing a family tradition. Barkley said his uncle was an engineer for around 40 years, and Barkley has spent four years as a fireman himself.

“It’s an honor, it really is. I mean, to me this place is kind of like a family heirloom,” said Barkley.

And if you thought a train’s whistle just goes “Choo! Choo!”, there’s actually a lot more behind the iconic train whistle. Barkley told 12 News that each engineer’s whistle is unique to them. “It’s been like that for years. I mean, even back in the logging days, that’s how different people would know who’s running the locomotives, by the way, how they pull the cord,” said Barkley.

He said the whistle combination 12 News heard that day was one of dozens he learned from his uncle.

To learn more about the Cass Scenic Railroad, you can visit its website here.

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