#THE COG RAILWAY PLUS#

He eventually established himself as a merchant plying the provision-and-meat trade routes-notably incorporating the recently completed Erie Canal-between the Ohio backcountry and the eastern cities. At age 19, and over the course of three grueling days, he walked to Boston in search of employment. The ninth of 11 children and the recipient of only the most rudimentary schooling, Marsh nevertheless advanced his lot through hard work and persistence. Marsh had been born in Campton, less than 60 miles (as the crow flies) from Mount Washington, in the foothills of the White Mountains. Portrait of Sylvester Marsh in The Bay State Monthly (May 1885), as reproduced by The Project Gutenberg. Wandering through the alpine meadows and glacial cirques, Sylvester Marsh came up with an outrageous idea. Once the storm passed, they managed to arrive at the top after all.

#THE COG RAILWAY PLUS#

Washington is just one of the вЂњNorthern PresidentialsвЂќ-connected peaks bearing the names of early American presidents (the others: Adams, Jefferson, and Madison, plus Clay).ДЇorced to temporarily abandon their push for the summit, the pair quickly sought some natural shelter. At 6,288 feet, Mount Washington soars above New HampshireвЂ™s White Mountains. Sylvester Marsh, a 49-year-old entrepreneur, found himself and a friend temporarily lost on the tallest mountain in the Northeastern United States during a storm in 1852. Ascending to above the tree line and into the clouds, with each trip the railway invokes the imagination of its creator. Make sure to stop for some pictures at Upper Ammonoosuc Falls, an impressive rocky cascade and popular swimming hole just a few yards off the road.On a day when the peak is shrouded by mist, passengers on the Mount Washington cog railway feel like they really could be on a railway to the heavens. Even the drive along Base Station Road is beautifulвЂ“ every twist and turn reveals new perspectives on the Presidential Range. Located in the heart of the majestic White Mountains region of northern New Hampshire, Marshfield Base Station is 6 miles east of Route 302 on the western face of Mount Washington. And with a nod to its steam heritage, the railway also continues to operate a pair of coal-fired steam engines in the warmer months, both well over a century old.

With an average grade of 25% (some sections approach nearly 38%), itвЂ™s also the second steepest! Motive power is primarily provided by a fleet of seven powerful biodiesel locomotives, each custom designed, built and maintained on site.

The Cog is the first mountain-climbing cog railway in the world. Today, more than 150 years later, the Mount Washington Cog Railway continues to thrill passengers from all over the world with its dramatic ascent to the summit of the highest peak in the Northeast. High praise indeed from the man whose grand circus occupied the primary spot. Barnum proclaimed in 1869 as he stepped down off the train and marveled at the view from Mount WashingtonвЂ™s rocky summit.

The cog railway