A ride on the Cog Railway

[snowmedic]

This past weekend we where in a hotel in Franconia NH for DD 10 end of school field trip. First, yes she is home schooled but she also goes to a homeschool co-op. Every year they have fund raisers to help pay for there trip, what they are short each family pays the difference. We opted to stay 2 extra days.

The Cog Railway climbs to the top of Mount Washington and is the first mountain climbing cog railway in the world.
Once the train leaves the base station it takes 1 hr to reach the summit, 6,288 ft.

The drive up I-93 to exit 40 to Bretton Woods NH is a beautiful drive. Just past Lincoln NH the interstate goes from 70 mph, 2 lane each way to 45 mph 1 lane each way through the Franconia notch. There are pull offs along the route for hiking, fishing and also a campground .

On to some pictures of the railway.

 

[tiggerdad]

Oh man, that is cool Vince! Nothing like that around here. My girls would like something like that.

Thanks for posting that.

 

[snowmedic]

 

[snowmedic]

Sorry the pictures are all jammed together, they where taken with, posted with my I phone. The pic of the computer screen is updated every minute. wind speed was 22 mph and the temp was 47 degrees. Visability was low, I took a pic but all you could see was cloud cover.

 

[tiggerdad]

231 mph! I would have thought a hurricane would of had that record but guessed wrong.

 

[snowmedic]

231 mph! I would have thought a hurricane would of had that record but guessed wrong.

That is crazy. I listen to America in the Morning on the am station, and in the winter months Mount Washington and Saranac Lake NY are the top coldest places in the US.

The railway has one steam engine that runs up the mountain once a day, the other engines are bio-diesel and use 16 gallons per round trip, 10 gallons up and 6 coming back down. The engine and the passenger car are not connected. The engine pushes the passenger car up the mountain, then coming back down the engine helps to slow the passenger car, but if the engine can't slow for what ever reason the the breakmen in the passenger car can slow and stop if needed.

 

[snowmedic]

! Nothing like that around here. My girls would like something like that.

Road trip!

 

[Teamubr]

I rode a cog railway to Pike's Peak a few years ago when we were racing in Denver. Just as impressive. Incredible engineering considering the era.

I've read a lot about Mt. Washington and the weather conditions. It creates its own climate. Incredible stuff.

j

 

[snowmedic]

I've read a lot about Mt. Washington and the weather conditions.

The train was only running half way up the mountain last weekend, Mothers day, because they recieved 22 inches of snow at the summit that weekend.

 

[bama_ed]

The cog railway on Mt. Washington is famous. I'm glad you got to ride it, snowmedic.

When our kids were younger we had a family membership at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in Chattanooga for several years which has three operating steam locomotives (one is usually in the shop for work). But light the fires, shovel the coal, fill the water tank, and these old locomotives come alive.

FWIW, the WDW locomotives burn fuel oil but use water to create real steam for the locomotion.

Thanks for the pics, Vince.

Bama Ed

 

[peg110]

231 mph! I would have thought a hurricane would of had that record but guessed wrong.

That was my thought too....

Wouldn't want to have been in there during that time. WOW!

It's only a little over 8 hour drive from here. Might have to consider a road trip.

 

[snowmedic]

231 mph!

Did you notice the chains in that picture? They are anchored to the ground then run up and over the building and anchored on the other side.

 

[snowmedic]

It's only a little over 8 hour drive from here. Might have to consider a road trip.

Once you get past Concord the scenery is really beautiful. We are planning a trip for the leaf peeping up through the notch. With all the mountain ranges that has to be a pretty site. Like I said there are plenty of campgrounds around. They are open on the weekends now but will be open full time on Memorial day.

 

[peg110]

Once you get past Concord the scenery is really beautiful. We are planning a trip for the leaf peeping up through the notch. With all the mountain ranges that has to be a pretty site. Like I said there are plenty of campgrounds around. They are open on the weekends now but will be open full time on Memorial day.

I have made the drive through NH a few times. Family in Manchester as well as a few trips to Maine. (Friend from Sabatus). It's absolutely GORGEOUS up there, but the winters can be brutal. Still, I think I could deal with it as long as I had a few (hundred?) acres to homestead on.

 

[ThistleMae]

I live in NH and have never done the cog. But...I've hiked the mountain. The view from the ridge line is simply gorgeous! I've camped up there and watched the July 4th fireworks at the Mount Washington Hotel, talk about spectacular. Yes, the weather can be treacherous. On one hike we had to rescue a young couple from the boulder field in the ravene. The girl, lost her pack and was sitting on a rock crying, saying she couldn't go any further. Her young companion, was not having any luck getting her to move. It was her first hike up to Washington for her 21st birthday. It was getting dark and the cold was about to set in. We had to tell her she had to move, and that it was critical to do so. We took her to our tent site, gave her a hot beverage and sent her and her cousin, who was equally unprepared, on their way to the bottom. They didn't even have a flashlight. People just ignore the warning signs (they are well posted) and are totally unprepared for the drastic weather changes. The weather here is unprecedented, and so many people just don't prepare for this type of trek. I will have to try the cog someday, as my hiking knees are no longer what they used to be. Thanks for this thread.

 

[lanejudy]

Thanks for sharing the pictures, snowmedic! It brings back memories of my dad who was so excited to ride the Cog Railway up Mt. Washington several years ago. DH just mentioned it the other day, too, as possible for next summer. We've driven through Franconia Notch several times on our way to Gunstock. Beautiful area!