Here I am in Kancamagus after the round trip up/down the mountain. It was a ride of a lifetime inside an actual steam locomotive. Note the tilted boiler (which is level on the steep grades).
Mount Washington Cog Railway
In 1869, the Mount Washington Cog Railway was the world's first cog railway: an engineering marvel, a new technology of toothed cog gears, rack rails and tilted boilers. Today, you can still ride it to the top of New Hampshire's highest peak.
This shows the fireman's side of the locomotive. |
This shows the engineers side inside the cab of the locomotive. |
And finally, the firebox. Going up the mountain, the fireman remained busy the whole way. Going down, he was just along for the ride and didn't shovel once. |
This view shows how steep the grade really is. This was taken at Jacob's Ladder, the steepest section of the climb. |
Another view showing the grades along the line. It was pretty neat to hear and see those steam locomotives working hard. This is looking over the small tender of the locomotive I was in. |
A picture of the operation through the sepia lens on my camera. It looks right at home in a late 19th century portrait. |
The original steam locomotive, "Pepperpass", from 1869, when the tracks were first completed. It, too, has a tilted boiler. |
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