# Mt.Washington Cog Ry...



## steamtom1 (Jan 2, 2008)

Took a little trip to Mt. Washington last week. Here are a few pics, and vids...










*View from the base* 












*Getting Started*














*Jacob's Ladder*











*Switching a Cog Ry gets interesting.*

 
 







 
 
*Approaching the summit*


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## eheading (Jan 5, 2008)

I enjoyed your scenes from the Mt. Washington Cog Railway. Brought back great memories. We have taken that railroad to the top of Mt. Washington many times, and I always love the trip. It is hard for me to believe that they are slowly converting it to diesel after over 100 years!! Did you see any of the little diesel engines they are using??

Ed


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## steamtom1 (Jan 2, 2008)

It was my first time at Mt. Washington, and I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get to ride in front of the steamer. The steamer was fully booked for the three days I had to spend in New Hampshire, so I had to settle for one of the diesels.

In retrospect it was better for me to get the pictures and videos, so it wasn't so bad after all. Next time I will plan ahead.










*Mt. Washington Cog Diesel*










*Jacob's Ladder from the Diesel* 

We weren't the only ones taking pictures. There was a film crew from _*The Travel Channel*_. I might be on TV! 












*The Travel Channel Film Crew*


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## hcampbell (Jan 2, 2008)

Hmmm, diseasels and purple cars. 
How the mighty have fallen. 

Harvey C.


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## wchasr (Jan 2, 2008)

Did not realize tht they were dieselizing? Personally however I'd love to ride it ... worry about motive power choices the next time. Howvere knowing ahead I may just try to arrange a trip around getting to ride behind steam.... 

Hmmm? My sister lives out that way...her fiance has a condo near Conway NH. 

So does my sister in law.... wrong part of Mass but closer than W NY state. 


I feel a "planned" trip coming up. 

Thanks for sharing the photos! 

Chas


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## lotsasteam (Jan 3, 2008)

watching te steamcog loco i noticed 2 cylinder on her right(enginerside)so it looks to me its a 4 zylinder (mallett type) loco ,also i noticed the front and rear cog wheel mechanism? 
manfred


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## markoles (Jan 2, 2008)

I rode that in 92 and remember the old switches. Something like 9 moving parts. The new brakeman was being trained by the old one and we had to get in to the hole and reline the switch in time for the upbound train to pass safely. It seemed pretty close, even though the train was only doing something like 4mph. 

While I love steam engines, I can understand why they are switching to diesels. The environment above tree line on Mt. Washington is unique and fragile. Some of the vegetation that grows up there only exists there. Why take a chance of completely ruining it so that a handful of steam fans can smell coal smoke? Are they still letting people drive to the summit or do they have to take a bus?


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## markoles (Jan 2, 2008)

Manfred,

If I recall correctly, the steam locomotives are technically 0-2+2-0 locomotives. A single expansion locomotive vs a Mallet type, which is double expansion. I don't think the running gear is articulated under the boiler, either.


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## steamtom1 (Jan 2, 2008)

It looked to me like the steam cylinders were not even connected to the wheels of the locomotive. It looked like they only drove the two cog wheels. But I could be wrong.


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## rwjenkins (Jan 2, 2008)

I'm pretty sure only the cog wheels are driven, and the running wheels free-wheel on the rails, so I guess that would be something like a 2-1-0+0-1-2 wheel arrangement, and no they are not articulated. The valve gear on these things is just a simple eccentric for each cylinder with no reverse linkage or cutoff, since they climb the mountain full-ahead and reversing is done by gravity. 

Engine no. 9 "Waumbek" was given a number of efficiency-enhancing modifications in recent years, including a feedwater heater and an L.D. Porta-designed blastpipe and petticoat that reduced her coal consumption to somewhere around half that of the other engines. They also tried converting her to burn biodiesel for a while, but she has been converted back to coal. Unfortunately, I guess it wasn't enough to keep the railroad from going the diesel route. They typically run the first train of the day with steam, and then the diesels take over for the rest of the day, except when additional trains are needed. One of the steam locomotives was listed for sale on Ebay not too long ago, but didn't get any takers.


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## mack505 (Jan 2, 2008)

I haven't had the chance to see the new locos in person yet. I did find it interesting that The Cog chose to design and build their own Dismals, instead of working with one of the established manufacturers. I know they're The World's First Mountain Climbing Railway, but there are other cog/rack systems in the world using diesels.


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## steveciambrone (Jan 2, 2008)

On the Mount Washington Cog Railway both the wheels and the Cog gears are driven and on the same axle. The engines crank shaft drives the axles via gear reduction. 

Thanks 
Steve


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## Britstrains (Feb 24, 2008)

I was up there a few weeks ago and took the steam engine up to the top it was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. Probably the best train ride I have ever taken.


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## Kovacjr (Jan 2, 2008)

My last trip up there a few years ago we rode Kroflight. When we went there were no special steam trips. How long has the steam been limited?


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## Belpaire (Feb 15, 2008)

Posted By steveciambrone on 04 Aug 2010 06:10 PM 
On the Mount Washington Cog Railway both the wheels and the Cog gears are driven and on the same axle. The engines crank shaft drives the axles via gear reduction. 

Thanks 
Steve 

Actually the wheels are not fixed to the axle, they are free to rotate because they are a different diameter than the cog wheel and would wear out very quickly otherwise.

The reason for the need to design their own diesels is because they are the only Marsh system cog railway in the world. The rest of the cog (rack) railways in the world are of more refined varieties and to me lack a certain rickety coolness.


While the days of seeing 5 or 6 active steam locomotives at once may be gone, try to go sooner that later as steam may not be around a whole lot longer. 


Roger


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## steveciambrone (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Belpaire on 05 Aug 2010 05:42 AM 
Posted By steveciambrone on 04 Aug 2010 06:10 PM 
On the Mount Washington Cog Railway both the wheels and the Cog gears are driven and on the same axle. The engines crank shaft drives the axles via gear reduction. 

Thanks 
Steve 

Actually the wheels are not fixed to the axle, they are free to rotate because they are a different diameter than the cog wheel and would wear out very quickly otherwise.

The reason for the need to design their own diesels is because they are the only Marsh system cog railway in the world. The rest of the cog (rack) railways in the world are of more refined varieties and to me lack a certain rickety coolness.


While the days of seeing 5 or 6 active steam locomotives at once may be gone, try to go sooner that later as steam may not be around a whole lot longer. 


Roger 


Sorry roger but you are incorrect, the wheels and the cog gears are the same effective diameter, meaning the contact surface of the wheel and the engagment point on the cog are the same diameter. If you look at a close up picture of the axle or looked in the museum you would see a axle, wheel, and cog assembly as one piece with the wheel pressed onto the axle and has no separate bearings for the wheels, the axle itself has bearing to the frame. Furthermore in the yard area the rack in the center of the track is not present, and the Locos still traverse under there own power in the yard.

I have a picture of the axle assembly if you want me to email it to you.

Steve


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## Garry Paine (Jan 2, 2008)

Fascinating. What do the turnouts in the yard look like? (How do they clear the cogs?) 

Garrett


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## mack505 (Jan 2, 2008)

The shop area uses a transfer table. I've never seen much of a yard there.

As you can see in the video above, the switches on the line are quite ingenious. Does anyone have video of the operation of the old style ones?


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## mack505 (Jan 2, 2008)

I really should search before I ask. Here's the old style switch in action:


And a different view of the new style:


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## steamtom1 (Jan 2, 2008)

That switch is still there. It goes to the siding on which _*The Travel Channel*_ crew was parked while photographing us.

I really wondered how it worked. Thanks for the video. 











*Nine step switch*


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## Belpaire (Feb 15, 2008)

Steve,
Not to argue but if you look at your photos you will see that at the ends of the axles there are locking collars that hold the wheels on, complete with protruding set screw. You will also likely notice grease squeezing out from between the collar and the wheel. Even if the flanged wheels and the cog wheel had the same effective diameter to start, any wear in the flanged wheel would not be equaled in the cog wheel and the wear would compound.

If you don't believe me, this is a quote from _They Said it Couldn't be Done, The Mount Washington Cog Railway and its History_ by Donald Bray "The wheels of the coach and locomotive are not used for propulsion nor for braking and only serve to support their weight and guild them along the track". There is a similar quote towards the bottom of this webpage http://cog-railway.com/03what.htm that says "The wheels simply turn on an axle and are not driven. All driving is accomplished by the cog gear meshing with the rack."

There are no yard tracks without rack rails.


No matter what though, the place is magical even though its soul is disappearing as the steam locomotives are being replaced. 


It is heartening to hear that the steam train was sold out three days in a row. Perhaps the management will realize that steam is a large part of the draw. The environmental concerns were met with the bio burning #9 but the lower thermal efficiency of steam coupled with the need for a fireman meant that it couldn't compete when it came to the bean counters.


Roger


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## Dr. J (Feb 29, 2008)

How do they manage to keep water over the crown sheet when the locomotive hits the level ground at the top of the hill, and the boiler is in a "nose down" attitude? 
Dr. J


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## rodblakeman (Jan 2, 2008)

Hey Tom, Thanks for posting these interesting pictures, I have just returned from a trip to Austria where we rode the Schafbergbahn. This rack railway is also 100+ years old and takes holiday makers to the high alpine viewing peak of the Schafberg about 1800 metre up. The line has a steepest gradient of 26% but the steam loco's cope very well. We were also lucky enough to see the "traverser" in action by the engine house. Some pictures posted here; 

http://picasaweb.google.com/wpandyr/MondseeSept#


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## wetrail (Jan 2, 2008)

Rod

What lovely pictures. The scenery looks spectacular and the little locomotives are very similar to what we had over here before most cog railways switched to diesel.

Thanks for sharing.

Jerry


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## iceclimber (Aug 8, 2010)

That is cool. I will be doing a winter ascent of MT. Washington in December. The Cog railway won't be open then, but thanks for the video and pics.


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## steamtom1 (Jan 2, 2008)

Great pictures and videos, Rod.

The line may be over 100 years old, but those steamers look new.

See you in a few months @ DH.


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## Belpaire (Feb 15, 2008)

They are some of the newest around, being built in the mid-90's. Very efficient with light oil firing, very well insulated and single man operation.


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## mack505 (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By iceclimber on 21 Sep 2010 12:21 PM 
That is cool. I will be doing a winter ascent of MT. Washington in December. The Cog railway won't be open then, but thanks for the video and pics. 
For a while The Cog was running ski trains as far as Waumbek tank in the winter. I'm not sure if they still do. There's no mention of it on their website.


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## markoles (Jan 2, 2008)

Iceclimber, be prepared for the worst and make sure you are prepared to bail. Mt. Washington is not to be messed with. We almost got trapped at the summit by an ice storm in early October 1996.


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## steveciambrone (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Belpaire on 23 Sep 2010 05:53 AM 
They are some of the newest around, being built in the mid-90's. Very efficient with light oil firing, very well insulated and single man operation. The Steam engines are Coal fired on the MWCR.

Steve


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## Belpaire (Feb 15, 2008)

Posted By steveciambrone on 23 Sep 2010 09:23 AM 
Posted By Belpaire on 23 Sep 2010 05:53 AM 
They are some of the newest around, being built in the mid-90's. Very efficient with light oil firing, very well insulated and single man operation. The Steam engines are Coal fired on the MWCR.

Steve


Sorry, I thought I had quoted SteamTom1, who was replying to Rods photos of the Schafbergbahn. 

Yes, after a brief stint with burning bio-diesel in #9, all of the MWCR steamers are coal fired.


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