Cass Scenic Railroad No. 5
Specifications
| Road Name | Cass Scenic Railroad |
| Number | 5 |
| Original Railroad | Greenbrier & Elk River Railroad (West Virginia Spruce Lumber Company) |
| Builder | Lima Locomotive Works, Lima, OH (construction no. 1503) |
| Build Date | 1905 |
| Wheel Arrangement | Three-truck Shay (geared, Class 80-3) |
| Gauge | 4 ft 8.5 in standard gauge |
| Weight | Approx. 71 tons light / 96 tons fully loaded |
| Tractive Effort | Not publicly documented to museum-verified precision |
| Boiler Pressure | 200 psi (typical for class; not independently confirmed for this unit) |
| Driver Diameter | 36 in (typical for 80-ton Shay class) |
| Years Operated | 1905–1942 (West Virginia Spruce Lumber Co.); 1942–c.1960 (Mower Lumber Co.); 1966–present (Cass Scenic Railroad excursion service) |
| Current Status | Operational; active excursion locomotive |
| Current Location | Cass, West Virginia |
| Current Owner | West Virginia State Parks (Cass Scenic Railroad State Park) |
No. 5 is a three-truck Shay-type geared steam locomotive built in 1905 by the Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio (construction number 1503, an 80-ton Class 80-3 Shay). It was purchased new by the West Virginia Spruce Lumber Company for its Greenbrier & Elk River Railroad, the original common-carrier line built to serve the Cass, West Virginia logging operations on the flanks of Cheat Mountain. Like all Shays, No. 5 uses a set of vertical cylinders driving a longitudinal line shaft geared to every axle, a design that trades top speed for enormous low-speed pulling power on the steep, twisting grades typical of logging railroads — including sections of the Cass line that climb over 11 percent.
No. 5 passed to the Mower Lumber Company in 1942 when that firm took over logging operations around Cass, and it continued hauling timber until the line’s logging era ended around 1960. When the State of West Virginia acquired the railroad in 1962 to create Cass Scenic Railroad State Park, No. 5 was among the equipment conveyed with it. Following restoration, the locomotive returned to service on May 5, 1966, and has remained in near-continuous excursion operation ever since.
Today No. 5 is the oldest operating Shay locomotive in the world and the only one still running on its original home rails, having never operated anywhere but Cass in its now 120-year history. In recognition of that unbroken record, the West Virginia legislature designated it the official State Steam Locomotive in 2004. It remains part of the active Cass Scenic Railroad roster, climbing the same mountain grades it was built to conquer, hauling passenger excursions to Whittaker Station and Bald Knob for the West Virginia State Park system.