Shay Steam Locomotive; photo by Stephen Rees on Flickr (noncommercial use permitted with attribution / no derivative works).
Official State Steam Locomotive of West Virginia
West Virginia designated Cass Scenic Railroad State Park's Shay No. 5 as the official state steam locomotive in 2004. The legislation also designated 2005 as the "Year of the Shay No. 5." All Railroad Symbols
"Nestled in the mountains of West Virginia ... excursions that transport you back in time to relive an era when steam-driven locomotives were an essential part of everyday life. Trips ... are filled with rich histories of the past, ... views of a vast wilderness area, and close-up encounters with the sights and sounds of original steam-driven locomotives." (quote from Cass Scenic Railroad State Park).
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 34
WHEREAS, The Shay No. 5 steam locomotive is the oldest operating steam locomotive in West Virginia; and
WHEREAS, The Shay No. 5 steam locomotive was originally built in November, 1905, for the Greenbrier and Elk River Railroad by the Lima Locomotive Works of Lima, Ohio; and
WHEREAS, The Shay No. 5 steam locomotive has served the town of Cass since it was brought into service nearly 100 years ago; and
Whereas, The Shay No. 5 steam locomotive has been owned by the West Virginia Spruce Lumber Company, a subsidiary of the West Virginia Pulp & Paper Company, and the Mower Lumber Company; and
WHEREAS, Just as the steam locomotive revolutionized timbering operations in the Allegheny forests in the last century by replacing work animals and flood-borne logging operations, it was replaced by newer and more efficient technologies; and
WHEREAS, On any morning as the sun breaks through the fog in the rugged mountains of Pocahontas County, visitors to Cass are swept back in time when they hear the sounds, whistles and gears of this majestic steam locomotive as the crew prepares the old Shay No. 5 for another journey; and
WHEREAS, The Shay No. 5 steam locomotive is an important historical artifact and a wonderfully preserved example of the technology of the early twentieth century; and
WHEREAS, Designating the Shay No. 5 steam locomotive as the official steam locomotive of West Virginia is a tribute to the history of timbering in this state and the expertise and dedication of the people who built, operated, maintained and preserved the Shay No. 5 steam locomotive for our generation; therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Legislature of West Virginia: That the Legislature hereby designates Cass Scenic Railroad State Park's Shay No. 5 steam locomotive as the official state steam locomotive of West Virginia and 2005 as the "Year of the Shay No. 5".