Steam & Excursion > Cass Scenic access...

Are there locations above Whittier towards Bald Knob where you can drive and video the train?

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With a helicopter maybe.

There is a road that will take you to Spruce, which has a new name now since D&GVR took over (as opposed to "Old Spruce" on the GC&E/Westerm Maryland.) I was out exploring the GC&E grades on the backside of the mountain and found a road that takes you in there from the west side.  It does continue down the east side toward Cass, but I didn't go that way, I back tracked toward Snowshoe and headed home.

I believe that road is gated and private,  Besides if you have a spark plug driven car you would get into great trouble from the Greenbank search for extraterrestrial life.  Only diesel motors can be used up on Bald Knob, but steam locomotives are fine. My answer to the question is NO. Years ago we walked in and once caught the hottest day of the year anyone ever experienced at that elevation.  The spruce trees grow there as if they were in Northern Maine or Canada, account over 4000' elevation. Wilber Wright got his spruce from there for his airplane.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/21/20 14:19 by PlyWoody.

PlyWoody Wrote:
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> I believe that road is gated and private,  Besides if you have a spark plug driven car you would get into great trouble from the Greenbank search for extraterrestrial life.  Only diesel engines can be used up on Bald Knob.

Cool I had not heard of that organization:

https://greenbankobservatory.org/about/

Brian

I had the privilidge to ride along with a crewmember taking a load of supplies up to Whittaker by pickup truck.

Holy smokes.   Unless you want to make an insurance claim for vehicle damage, I can't recommend that to anybody.   

Some of the narrowest, curviest, and hair-raising roads I've ever seen in the US are in West Virginia.   

The way to do it, and do it right, is join along with one of the organized photo shoots down there where they do runbys.   Highly recommended.

The road I drove was not gated.  I came in from the west side near the Snowshoe Ski Resort.  the road does continue down the east side into the Leatherbark Creek drainage.  On the map it looked pretty rough, so I turned back.

There are lots of gas engines running the proximity of the Greenbank Radio Telescope site.  The RR had to get a special permit to operate a radio transmitter with an output of greater than 5 watts.

Getting to Whitaker from the Cass side involves going through gates that are sometimes locked, sometimes not.  As an employee, I never had a problem, and others have wandered up to Gum's Farm Curve without problems, but if the gate is locked, you are out of luck.  There are some campgrounds in the area that have access, and they are actually really close to the RR between the switchbacks.

Not train related but I had a pick up camper parked in that campground one afternoon and a giant cloud of smoke came up from below, the area of the farm house that was the entrance to the campground.  A brand new trailer gas stove blew up as an employee was lighting it.  Didn't learn of his condition, but the trailer was just embers when the fire trucks from Cass had arrived. It was a sad event to watch and we could do nothing to help.  Greatest place for steam whistles and chugging engines in the East. I  wonder if that camp ground is still in business.

The Green Bank Observatory is a great place to visit when in the area, especially if you have kids.  They have (or did have) a guided tour of the grounds in a diesel-powered small bus.  There are no restrictions on gas-powered vehicles outside the immediate Green Bank Observatory property.  You can drive any vehicle as far as the observatory visitor center, but no gas-powered vehicles around the telescopes.

In the early 2000s, when digital cameras were just being introduced, we went to  Green Bank Observatory for a tour and there was a sign at the entrance saying digital cameras were prohibited.  Haven't been there in the past few years, so I don;t know if this restriction still applies.

Don't know if it's still there after budget cuts, but there used to be a good, and free, science center with lots of hands-on exhibits. The cafeteria didn't microwave anything and was decently priced and tasty. Back when we went, there wasn't a whole lot of retail or fast food to choose from and only a few motels. That's changed now, but if there's some item you absolutely must have, it's better to make a supply run before you go.

Rebecca Morgan
Jacobsburg, OH

Let's also clarify one more thing from what EarlK said.

That is Deike's road. It is a private road that requires permission for access.

Is it worth the hassle? Not in my opinion. It's easier to just buy a photo charter ticket instead.