I venture to Los Angeles once a month from Las Vegas. I stop at Cajon Pass to shoot (photograph) trains. Seems the RR cops don't see that sometimes. These are some of my efforts.

At the top of the pass


At the bottom of Sullivan's Curve


Approaching Blue Cut

I notice that you are from the Tucson, AZ. I am in Las Vegas and I know of two gear type railroads in mid-California. In Jamestown, CA there is a Pacific Shay offerating on the Sierra Railroad. (Picture attached). Also on the Yosemite Valley and Sugar Pine RR. they have a Pacific Shay also. Check their website for times and availability. Additionally, The Roaring Camp and Big Trees RR. has a Climax in operation (Attached Pic). It seems that there are closer than Cass RR in West Virginia; however, the Cass RR does have all the types that you are interested in shooting.
I have shot a lot of trains in Ca.so if you need additional info about trains, maybe I can help you. Besides, I always like to help railfans find special locations to shoot trains. I have been doing this for over thirty-five years.
I just moved to "Lost Wages" so I still need to find some places here.

Yosemite Valley $ Sugar Pine Shay


Roaring Camp Climax


Sierra RR Shay

Neat roster shots. Looks like a SD70 AC. It is the fortune of the railfan to grab a shot like this. Wish thew UP would send some of these units here to Las Vegas. Nothing through here except some tired ex-SP GE units coughing and hacking. But that is how the SP ran their power, and we loved it!!! Look at the attached picture.

Ex- SP GE unit

By this title you can see I love trains and cars, too. In order to find the trains in some very inaccessible locations, I need a car to perform this -- my WRX! OK, enough of my photo subjects and transportation methods, my passion has been photography for over fifty years. I still have my B&W pics from my mother's Brownie Hawkeye, remember 620 film? My general subjects,other than trains, is landscape work, macro work dealing with flowers, some portrait, and aviation.
I am now living in Las Vegas, or as the visitors from LA call it,"Lost Wages". I don't gamble so I am safe. I venture around the area seeking out trains. Not to many here, however, so I head to LA to shoot some during some weekends.
I am hoping to talk to other railfans and to other photographers about their experience in the art. Not everyone knows everything about this art, so we can always obtain new ideas, even an old salt like me. Hope to hear from you about problems that I encounter and maybe I can solve your problems. BTW,I am new in the digital world having two Canons, (meaning cameras), a Rebel T2i and a 6D. I have had film camers for more than fifty years: Brownie Halkeye, Olympus Pen FT, Minolta XK, SE7, two Olympus OM@s, two Mamiya 645's , a 4x5 Speed Graphic, and a Rolliflex 120. I used them all for everything from train pics, weddings, industrial photographs to still life and action on the racetrack.

Alco RSD 12 at Trona


Temple gate at Pu-Li in Taiwan


My Train-chasing WRX