The Mount Washington Cog Railway

There are certain things that are on my must-have list for this website and The Mount Washington Cog Railway is one of them. There are infinite other gems to explore across New Hampshire, but The Cog Railway has had a definite pull to experience it.

My daughters had purchased me a gift certificate to go up The Cog Railway during the winter but somehow life created plan B for a summertime adventure. I joked that this summer felt like a bad camping trip with all the rain we had. This day would turn out to be a gem.

This post seems like another one where the pictures and video can do the majority of the talking for me. Train Master, Andy Vilaine, offers a great introduction in the video. I hope you enjoy the video and pics below. I envision a drive up Mount Washington Auto Road at some point as well to add another angle to this incredibly scenic area.

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Brief History of The Cog Railway

One day, in 1857, a man by the name of Sylvester Marsh decided to hike Mount Washington with his pastor.  Sylvester had become a very successful businessman within the meat packing industry at this point in his life and was feeling in the mood for an adventure.

As Sylvester and his pastor climbed Mount Washington, they encountered severe weather above the tree line. They were able to scramble to the Tip Top House (built in 1853) and seek shelter overnight. The next day, the weather broke and Sylvester determined that there had to be a safer and easier way for others to enjoy the majesty of Mount Washington and the surrounding beauty of the White Mountains.

The locomotive was at the peak of its rise in revolutionizing the transportation industry at the time. Sylvester determined that it would be the mode of transportation to carry excited travelers to the peak of Mount Washington.

Like many visionaries, Sylvester was criticized and ridiculed for his dream, but eventually, he persisted and created the cog and rail system that is used across the world today. Most rails and trains use friction and gradual changes in elevation to navigate, Sylvester’s idea was to use a toothed wheel called a cog and have it drive itself along a center track that the teeth ride in. Think of it as a bicycle cog where the bicycle chain is laid out between the two outer rails. With this method, the train could navigate the average 25-degree pitch up the mountain.

The Mount Washington Cog Railway still remains true to Sylvester Marsh’s vision to provide safe tourism to the top of New England’s highest peak. See train master, Andy Vilaine, and his great introduction to the Mount Washington Cog Railway in the video above.

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WOMEN’S VISION HYBRID HOODY

The Waumbek Station

We were the first train up the mountain and were optimistic for clear skies and views at the summit. It was a very foggy ride but it added to the sense of adventure and anticipation for the ride to the top. The first leg of the journey brought us to the Waumbek Station where we filled up with water for the remainder of the trip. Waumbek station sits at 4,000′ and is the destination for Winter passengers. The actual water tank for the fillup is at 3,800′.

Jacob’s Ladder

Jacob’s Ladder is another engineering marvel within the story of The Mount Washington Cog Railway. At the 4,725-foot mark, Ethan Allen Crawford and his crew began the daunting task of constructing a trestle to navigate the rocky terrain. When completed, the trestle would be 300′ long, sit 25′ from the surface, and pitch at an incredible 37.41% grade!

Mount Washington Summit

As we chugged closer to the summit, the winds picked up and we could sense the fog beginning to break up. Shortly after the Lizzie Bourne memorial marker, the Mount Washington Observatory revealed itself against a beautiful blue sky! Lizzie Bourne was the first recorded female to perish on Mount Washington. The 23-year-old was hiking with her Uncle and cousin in 1855 and the weather took a turn for the worse. They were only a few hundred feet from the Tip Top House.

We were glad to have dressed warmly for the summit! There is a weather station in the Adams Summit Building that tourists can check as they just walk in. At the time, we were experiencing wind gusts of 55 mph! Researching the stats for the day,  the temps were 43 max and 35 min, the average wind speed was 34.4 mph and the max was 59 mph.

Mount Washington has been called the “home of the worst weather on earth.” In 1934 the highest wind speed ever recorded was registered at 231 mph. In February of 2023, records were set with -47 degrees and a wind chill of -108 degrees.

We had about an hour to explore the summit before needing to board for the descent. We felt very fortunate to have captured a beautiful day for our trip. The rain seemed relentless over the summer but this day would turn out to be gorgeous.

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The Descent

We had a much better view of things on our trip down the Cog Railway. We had great seats by the open entryway door which allowed me to get unobstructed pics and video.

I’m always on the lookout for New Hampshire Historical Markers when out exploring. It has been a lot of fun finding them and they usually lead to some other adventure I wasn’t expecting. Michael Bruno’s book, “Cruising New Hampshire History” is a great resource.

I highly recommend adding The Mount Washington Cog Railway to your New Hampshire bucket list! It is really a two-for-one as you get to experience and learn about both the Cog and Mount Washington. Marshfield base station offers a restaurant, museum, and gift shop that are all worth a stop.

Check out my post on Plymouth, New Hampshire for another adventure in the White Mountains Region.

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Until the next post: “Live Free and Explore!”