Mt Washington Cog Railway

I have never posted to this particular forum before.
My girlfriend and I went to the Cog Railway in New Hampshire, USA a few weeks ago. We took the first steam excursion at 9am. It left for the top just after the first diesel left for the top.
One steamer and three diesels operate during the summer weather. The mountain was clear at the top for three consecutive days which is somewhat unusual.
I have some pictures and videos but if you search You Tube for Mt Washington cog railway you find many better videos.
Three of the turnouts are now hydraulically operated. The turnout near the top is still a nine step process as far as I know. We were standing at the rear of the car and could feel the heat form the loco. We could sit, we just did not want to. We sat on the way down.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBdCN7Ssuc0 Not my video.

The two at the passing siding up on the mountain are operated by solar energy.
At the top. 6,280 feet.

Max angle, about 37 degrees.

Hydraulic turnout at the base.

First loco.

Rich

 

Here is a photo of the loco that was used. The fireman at the water stop and at the top would get out with his adjustable wrench and check different parts of the loco to make sure certain fitting were secure.
Diesel pusher plate. The reason for the chain. It the car was completely at the top or down below at the storage place, the chain was used to pull the car when it was on a level part of the track. At the top with our car, the loco needed to pull the car back a little until gravity took over. Gravity is not just a good idea, it is the Law.
The brakeman in the car, controlled the down trip. The loco is slightly behind the car and is not used to hold back the car until we get back to the station. The brakeman has to operate two large hand wheels on the way down.
Diesel cog.

Our loco.

Leaving the base. I took these videos the day before our trip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsCnhT9i7xQ
At the pasing track. Lots of soot from the loco.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=538xGmcPC84
Ariving at the top. We are above the tree line.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id8H71-xb2Q
Rich

 

Brakeman doing his thing on the way down. Yes, a lot of noise and vibration.
One hour trip up and about one hour on top, a little under and hour coming down.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XxdEhf-Ir0

Low angle shots of the steamer leaving the base.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvAx0p06Yc8

Rich

 

Rich, thanks for your photos and videos. They brought back pleasant memories from 20 years ago when my wife and I last rode the Cog. Perhaps I shouldn't say "pleasant" - it was mid-May, 45 and overcast at Base, and 22 with heavy snow at Summit. Still, it was lots of fun with lots of hot cocoa at Summit House.

We were told that for the downhill run, the brakeman controls the car speed with its brakes, holding the car just off the engine's buffer plate, while the engineer runs the engine flat out to keep ahead. He said the engine's only job during the downhill is to block the car from running away in case the car's brakes fail.
Dunno if it was true, but it made a good story for all the tourists. :tb-tongue:

 

Rich, thanks for posting your coverage of the Mt. Washington operation. I surely would love to visit that place but am now so far away.......:tb-sad:

 

Boy this forum really upsets me. I had typed a response and when I went to post it i was told I had to sing in and my page was saying I was signed in. Lost everything I had typed. I am about ready to give up on supporting this site. I have to remember to copy everything into a word document. If I forget, I sometimes loose everything and just forget about what i was going to say.
This is the only forum out of fifteen I belong to that this happens.

Rich

 

Mt Washington

Yeah, it was deliverd to the railway around 1936. Do a You Tube and Google search for mt washington locomotives and you will get info. The cogs have to be replaced at cetain intervals.

Rich

 

Rich, I am not sure about all of the details of signing in, and I'm sure you can remain signed in. We don't want to lose you. Ken, can you help here? I forgot what it takes to remain signed in. :tb-sad:

 

when you log in Always click the box "Remember me" or that will happen It happened to me a few times but ever since I clicked that box during sign in smooth sailing...

 

The forum

I will try that. I have never used that option in any forum, including my three email addresses.
Having been a machine/electronics worker for many years i have always had a safety conscious attitude and that extends to the Internet.
I do not sign in to a forum until I have something to say and then sign out right away.
My Firefox browser is configured to clear ALL private data, cookies and history every time I close the browser. I have to sign in to every forum but that is not an issue. This procedure keeps me from getting lazy and leaving an unguarded PC.
Since I am a terrible speller I try to copy text to a Open Office document and do a spell check, then copy back to the forum. Sometimes I inadvertently close out the word processor and find the forum has timed out and have to remember what I was saying and find all the Hyper links again.


Rich

 

Rich, you must "Allow" the TrainBoard Cookie to remain logged in, even with the Remember Me option. TB stores your login information in its Cookie. Otherwise you will be logged out each time you leave the site.

I don't know about FireFox, but with Internet Explorer you have the option within Internet Options Privacy to Prompt for all First-Party Cookies and Block all Third-Party Cookies. This way you can be selective with the sites you Trust. However, if you set up Internet Explorer to Delete History each time you sign off, you will erase all Cookies and other settings that you had established during that last Internet session.

 

Ok, thanks. I just have to remember to click the "remember me" box. Sometimes I forget and when I go to post, I get a message that I cannot post and no way to login again, though the page says I am still loged in.

Rich

 

Ok... now to get back on Subject here, When i first heard about the Cog, ive always wanted to go to it, but now i dont. Heres why, I read in a magazine about the biodeisiel and now they have one steam powered train a day, AT 9AM!!!!
Thats just a rip off...

 

We went up in the morning a few years ago. When we got about halfway up, it socked in completely, couldn't see a thing.

Later that day we drove over to a ski area some distance away and rode a gondola up to do a little sightseeing. There in the distance was Mt. Washington. It was crystal clear at the top. Talk about bad timing on our part.

Now that they appear to be retiring most of the steam fleet, I doubt we will ever go back, even if we happen to be in that neck of the woods.

 

Ive learned the hard way not to get Bachmann trains, I bought a Pennsy K4 and it broke after 6 months of working. Im getting a Broadway Limited Paragon 2 PRR I1sa for my standard frieght trains, i also have a roundhouse NYC 2-8-0 and a MTH UP Challenger.

 

I removed the offensive word from my messages. I will not use the word again in any forums. Too many with tender sensibilities. Some keep their soap box nearby so I have to be careful.


Cheers


Rich

(mod note: this post refers to earlier posts that have been deleted by the mod.)