| Delivered by Lima on May 14, 1945, this three truck Shay was the second largest Shay ever built. It was purchased by the WM to move coal down from Chaffee, WV to the end of the Chaffee Branch at Vindex, MD. #6 only saw five years of service before the mines closed and she was donated to the B&O Museum as a static display. In 1980, she was the center of a trade that ended up with #6 heading to Cass Scenic Railroad. She was immediately put to work in excursion service there. There are a few factors that make me think this may be a photo from 1949 or 1950. The paint striping at the cab window is missingt - something it had in 1981 on. The quality of the photo paper is thicker and slightly sepia toned from age. The image is consistent with older photo qualities. Hence, this may be from 1949-50 in West Virginia. |