Waiting for our diesel engine train to arrive. I don’t believe our stop to switch trains halfway up was typical for the Cog (this being an “event” day, things were running a bit different than usual), but the chance to get out and stand on the mountain mid-ride was a treat. Photo Credit : Aimee SeaveyĪnd should another train pass you on the opposite side, be sure to wave! Waving hello to a passing train headed back down the mountain. Photo Credit : Aimee Seavey Approaching the Waumbek Tank about halfway up the mountain. It’s hard to not spend the entire ride hanging out the window snapping photos of the mountain’s western slope (which you are both allowed and encouraged to do - but safely!), but just be sure to pull your head in when passing the the Waumbek water tank! Even with the fog, it was a beautiful day on Mount Washington. A look back at the engineer hard at work. It’s a very difficult job, and the staff are the total package - hardworking, passionate, and clearly in love with their jobs. Inside the locomotive, an engineer mans the locomotive, while another shovels the coal into the flames to keep things moving. We pulled away from the station, pushed by the chugging steam locomotive (the locomotive and the coach aren’t technically “connected,” making the experience even more exciting) and the adventure began! A quick look back at the station. He obtained a charter to build the railway in 1858, but thanks to the Civil War, work didn’t begin until 1866. Everyone thought he was crazy (you “might as well build a railway to the moon” he was told), but Marsh was undaunted. ![]() After retiring, he returned home and came up with the idea for the railway, which was always intended for tourists, while climbing (and nearly perishing on) the mountain in 1852. Marsh had grown up in Campton, NH but made his fortune in Chicago’s meat-packing industry. Those who love the Cog are indebted to its founder, Sylvester Marsh. It’s hard not to feel like a kid again at the sight of a colorful steam train blowing its whistle under a plume of steam and smoke as it chugs along a winding track, especially when the surrounding landscape is as green and rolling and beautiful as the White Mountains of New Hampshire. ![]() Leaving the station in steam train Ammonoosoc with brake man Tom. They have limited runs, usually first thing in the morning, so if you’ve always wanted to experience the sights and smells (and bumps!) of steam, plan your visit accordingly!įor our adventure, we’d be going about halfway up the mountain in one of the steam trains, then unloading and hopping aboard a diesel train for the remainder of the trip. The steam locomotives use a ton of coal, and 1,000 gallons of water to get to the top, and the journey takes an hour (the diesel only about 45 minutes). They don’t come cheap, but keeping the Cog running and thriving is worth it. ![]() Since 2008, the Cog has also added five biodiesel locomotives, which offer a smoother, cleaner, and faster trip to the summit. The diesel trains are designed and built on-site just for the Cog. Some of them, the oldest, are old-fashioned coal-fired steam locomotives. The Mount Washington Cog Railway has several trains in its fleet. Waiting to board the trains on the platform. The nickname is because it resembled an old pepper sauce bottle. Also on display is outside is Old Peppersass, the first locomotive to reach the summit of Mount Washington on July 3, 1869. The Marshfield Base Station just a few miles from the Omni Mount Washington Resort at Bretton Woods is a lovely destination in its own right, located 2,700-feet above sea level and with an on-site restaurant, gift shop, small museum and (free) views of the trains heading up and coming back down. Step up and get your tickets for the ride of a lifetime! The Cog was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1976.
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