lowed the railroad and built a tipple at the site that has become known as Glady Fork. History of the Greenbrier Branch Appalachian folk are known to spin a yarn, and local Greenbrier legend (and occasional historian) Coal Dust Comport is no exception. According to Coal Dust, or C.D., as he's called (layout builder Chris Comport is his namesake), the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Co. pushed tracks through Greenbrier during the late 19th century. The line was double-tracked in the 1890s. Coal was discovered in the area around that time, so three shrewd businessmen from Richmond, Va., the Messrs. I. Rayst, A. Hird, and O.F. Bysen [Read the names of the three men together – it's a play on Will's pre-retirement career – Ed.], formed the Glady Fork Mining Co. The C&O decided to build a branch line north from Greenbrier to the small settlement of Cass, where the Greenbrier Logging Co. had set up business. The Glady Fork Mining Co. also fol- After the C&O reached Cass, the mining company decided to open two mines to the north. The rails followed the company to the new tipples. There were as many as four tipples producing coal for Glady Fork, but three of these sites played out in 1919. The only tipple still producing is Tipple No. 2 at Glady Fork. In 1899, the Greenbrier Logging Co. had opened Camp No. 1 and was hauling timber with teams of horses and mules to the railhead at Glady Fork. Knowing it wouldn't be long until they had to extend their operations, the loggers built a narrow gauge railroad from Cass up to Camp No. 1. New construction included a single-stall enginehouse and machine shop at Camp No. 1 and a two-stall enginehouse at Cass. A large sawmill was built at Cass during this time on the banks of the Greenbrier River, as well as a dam for a log pond. Two camps opened and played out before Camp No. 3 was established in 1929. This camp produces 10 carloads a day. The played-out Camp No. 2 is currently used as a marshaling yard for the long trip downgrade to Cass. The logging road employs a collection of twoand three-trucked Shays and a Heisler. The locals' favorite is the two-truck Shay known as the "Gray Ghost" for its color and the apparent lack of a number on its cab. The Gray Ghost is said to have started the forest fire between Camps Nos. 2 and 3 when a spark from its stack flew into the dry underbrush and ignited the hillside. Evidence of the fire is still visible today. 6. The Cass Mill crew puts in a hard day's work at the mill pond as they direct the logs to the conveyor. What lies ahead The future will bring changes, but not to the Greenbrier Branch. A 24 x 30foot outbuilding on Will's ranch will be home to a new RailDreams layout. This one will model the middle division of the Pennsylvania RR from Harrisburg to Lewistown during the 1940s and '50s, an appropriate choice for the Philadelphia native. The layout will feature Hawstone track pans, Penholm Coal Works, Mifflintown, and Burnham Iron Works. When all is said and done, Will Darrow will be the proud owner of two model railroad layouts. He'll have the best of both worlds – a model of the railroad of his youth, the Pennsy, and the fictional Greenbrier Branch, including the town of Cass, where Will spent several happy vacations. Maybe this is as close as it gets to "heaven on earth" for Will. After all, what more could one man ask for? MR  Meet Will Darrow Will is retired from farming, where for many years he raised cattle and bison. In addition to model railroading, he also enjoys collecting antique tractors. One piece of railroadiana that Will is particularly proud of is a narrow gauge combine formerly used on the Tuscarora Valley RR. Will was born and raised in Pennsylvania and currently resides outside Harrisburg. 12/04 • Model Railroader 67