Not the most efficient means of transportation, but just “getting there” was the goal at the time these locomotives were built. The locomotive has to stop for more water half-way up the mountain. Here’s some of what I learned: The six mile trip up and down the mountain requires two thousand pounds of coal in the hopper and another 1,000 gallons of water to produce the steam. When we arrived at the station today, maintenance was being done on one of them and I was able to chat with the guys working on it. Looking for the CLOSEST Hotels near Mount Washington Cog Railway Save 10 w/ Insider Prices on Cheap Mount Washington Cog Railway Hotels. Even now, however, one of the steam powered locomotives is used to power the first car up the mountain each morning. For environmental impact reasons, biodiesel locomotives were added to the growing fleet in 2008. And the trained eye of a railroading enthusiast will see remnants of the railroading era scattered along the right-of-way. The railroad grade was consistent with a few brook crossings that required wooden bridges. It’s also where you can buy tickets or meet your tour guide. Today the Mt Washington Branch is officially abandoned, but the section from Fabyans to the base of the Cog Railway can be followed. Your Tour Includes: Roundtrip motorcoach transportation, boxed lunch, admission onto Mt. The Marshfield Station is rich in history, as shown in its (free) railway museum and gift shop. MT Washington Cog Railway (Randolph, NH). Around 1910, coal was introduced to power the steam engines on the locomotives. Washington summit and the cog railway are the attraction’s main draw, the Marshfield Base Station is where the train ride departs from. For the first forty years of the Cog’s operation, wood-fired boilers powered the train to the 6,500 foot summit. After three long years of construction, this unique railway opened in July of 1869. For my friends back home in Southern California, think of this as the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway on steroids! But once I boarded, there was no turning back!

With an average grade of 25 (some sections approach nearly 38), it’s also the. The Cog is the first mountain-climbing cog railway in the world. Riding this thing was like being on a roller coaster in slow-motion. Today, more than 150 years later, the Mount Washington Cog Railway continues to thrill passengers from all over the world with its dramatic ascent to the summit of the highest peak in the Northeast.

Insane! For a guy like me who’s complained to you about heights and bridges for the last two and a half years, you’re probably wondering what got into me. A powerful locomotive pushes the single passenger rail car up the mountain’s steep grade…a 38% climb at one point! Think about that for a minute. Washington…the highest peak in New England. Washington Cog Railway is the world’s first “mountain-climbing” cog railway and it’s one of the two steepest in the entire world! It takes more than an hour for it to climb just a couple of miles to the top of Mt. Washington, the highest point in New England.ĪLL ABOARD! The Mt. Powerful locomotives push rail cars up a steep grade to the top of Mt.

Mt washington cog