Lets Ride! Episode 1: The Mount Washington Cog Railway! Riding steam to the summit in peak foliage!

A new series coming to Joes Junction called 'Lets Ride!'. Throughout this series, we'll explore some of the most scenic rail rides in the country. From the rolling hills of the southeast, to the steep Mountains and valleys of the Appalachian Mountain Range; and hopefully in the future, some of the most gorgeous tourist railroads in the western United States! This series will start out focusing on the eastern US, with some of the best tourist railroads found here, along with a few different Amtrak routes that cover some gorgeous scenery.

In this, the first episode of the series, we'll take a ride to the summit of the highest peak in New England on the Appalachian Mountain Range, Mount Washington. Located in New Hampshire, this peak is the center of attention for the White Mountain National Forest. With the summit reaching 6,288 feet above sea level, the views from atop the mountain are most impressive, and on a clear day, you can see well over 100 miles in all directions; into Maine, Vermont, and Canada to the north.

The Mount Washington Cog Railway is the oldest cog railway in the world, having started operations some 151 years ago in 1869. To put that in perspective, that was the same year that the Suez Canal was finished; and also, the Transcontinental Railroad was completed. After a gentleman by the name of Sylvester Marsh hiked to the summit of the mount in 1853, he decided there should be a better way for others to enjoy a trip to the top. So he made it his mission to do just that, and in 1858, was granted a charter from the state of New Hampshire to begin construction.

Averaging a 25% grade, with some spots approaching 40%, this was going to be no easy feat, and dealing with the ever changing weather as they gained elevation proved to be quite the challenge. The Mount Washington Cog Railway was officially formed in 1866, and Marshfield Station was born shortly after. Over the next 3 years, the crew of nearly 300 men would work their way to the summit, some 3,500 feet above Marshfield, building just shy of 4 miles of track in that time. One of the most daunting builds along the way is what is still to this day known as 'Jacobs Ladder'. This was a left-curved trestle, nearly 300 feet in length and 25 feet off the ground; and on top of that, the steepest portion of the line, coming in at a 37.5% grade! To this day, it still holds the title as the 'Highest & Second Steepest' railroad trestle in the world.

This was completed in October of 1868, and by the dawn of the new year, tracks had been laid to the Tip-Top house at the summit, marking the end of a grueling 3 year construction project. When first opened, The Cog featured an all steam locomotive roster, with 9 in total delivered over the early years. As parts, and skilled hands become more and more scarce, the railway had to do something about the ever aging fleet of steamers, and in 2008, that all changed. With a hefty price tag of $750,000, the Mount Washington Cog Railway built, in-house, the first bio-diesel locomotive to lend a hand. After successful testing of the first diesel was completed, the fleet began to expand, now rostering 7 diesels on site, with #8 in the works. While the diesels are now the main power for trains, the cog still sticks to its roots, and runs a pair of steam excursions every day; one in the morning and another in the evening.

In this video, we'll watch first from the base station as they prepare our steam train for an 07:30 departure from Marshfield Base Station. From there, we'll catch a few clips as we continue toward the summit. Things were pretty clear when we left the base, and by the time we got to the top, the clouds had rolled in; so there weren't too many views to be seen. As we descend, you'll see as we meet a couple of the diesel trips about a mile up from the base station before continuing back to the bottom. After arriving, I took a few minutes to watch the 11:00 diesel trains depart the station and start their trip to the summit.

Hopefully this series can shine a light on not only some of the more popular train rides out there, but some of the smaller ones that people may not know about!

Hope Everyone Enjoys!