Steam & Excursion > Cass Shay 4, Rex Cassell's Locomotive

The following is a tribute to Cass Scenic Railroad/Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad (DGVR) shop foreman Rex Cassell.

Those who have visited West Virginia's steam treasure known as the Cass Scenic Railroad, have come to know certain family names associated with the railroaders. These families can trace their roots from the current tourist era back to the active railroad logging days under the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company. 

One such family are the Cassells. The family has been represented at the railroad over the years through the dedicated work of Andy, Billy, Bud, Gary, Wayne, and most notably, Rex Cassell.

Rex put in 30 years of service to the Cass Scenic Railroad starting in 1992. The highlight of his career was when he answered the call of duty to become the Cass shop foreman in 2015 when DGVR took over railroad operations from the West Virginia State Park Authority. Under Rex's leadership, Cass was an efficient and proud operation with notable accomplishments such as the restoration of three truck Cliimax 9 and a Mower Lumber Camp Car rebuilt from the frame up. His old-school mindset created a relaxed work culture that led to many who worked under him to hold him in high regard. Outside of Cass, Rex also had a positive reputation in railroad community with such examples ranging from a Metra engineer from Chicago who always enjoyed chatting with him and steam specialist Scott Lindsay with his fond memories of him during his Cass visits.

Rex liked all of the the Cass locomotives Shay 4 was the locomotive that Rex liked to run the most. Rex could do wonders with it while at the same time, he knew its limits. In the following video, Shay 4 is seen performing a photo runby for the 2020 Rail Heritage Weekend on November 7, 2020 at Bald Knob, WV. Shay 4 only has two empty log cars in tow but it still put on a fantastic show of sight and sound as it is here where the line is steepest at around an 11% grade right before reaching the top the mountain. Engineer Chris Lambert was running the locomotive this day but Rex was riding along to teach him.

Rex unexpectedly passed away on August 23, 2022. As of this post, it has been nearly four years since Rex left this world and his legacy shows just how much of a worthy successor he was to his Cass predecessors such as Artie Barkley and Richard Carter.

Rest in peace Rex Cassell. Your heart will always beat inside the geared steam locomotives you loved.

Photo credit: Walter Scriptunas II



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/01/26 21:01 by Appalachianrails.

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Thanks for posting this tribute and video!!

Ron

Sad.

Thanks for the tribute and the EXCELLENT video.

Hope that Shay is a coal burner making all that smoke for the run-by.

It is indeed a coal burner.

HotWater Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sad.
>
> Thanks for the tribute and the EXCELLENT video.
>
> Hope that Shay is a coal burner making all that
> smoke for the run-by.

I've always loved the geared locos at Cass!  This place is a real gem, and really not THAT hard to get to.

Thanks to Rex Cassell and everyone who has labored to make Cass Scenic the great place to see and hear these hardworking kings of the forest.

HRGXguy,
It really is time to get back there....

Great tribute to this man and his accomplishments.  The video was also a great addition to the tribute.

Martin

Cass is a magic place, with coal smoke hanging in the air.

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