Re: Progress on Pikes Peak Cog Railway project

drgw0579 Wrote:
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> But there's something about trying to get steam up
> that mountain. Yes, I know the Mt Washington line
> still runs steam; my parents took me there at a
> very early age. But that's not even 7000 feet
> high.

Correct. The summit of Mt. Washington may only sit at 6,288 ft. MSL, but the Cog Railway there is TWICE as steep as the Pike's Peak line, with an average grade of 25% and a maximum of 37.4%. The mountain also experiences some of the worst weather on the entire planet. An average of one person per year dies on that mountain, from a variety of perils. The highest sustained wind speed ever measured with a (semi) conventional anemometer was recorded there in the 1930s at 231 mph. The Cog Railway now has safety rules that prohibit trips to the summit when winds exceed 70 mph, although snow and ice generally doesn't stop them.
>
> Getting the train up
> the 14,114 mountain might as well be like trying
> to get it to the moon.

It is interesting that you should make that comparison. When Sylvester Marsh applied to the NH State Legislature for a charter to build a railroad to the top of Mt. Washington in 1858, they thought the man was nuts. The leadership joked that while they were at it, they would also grant Mr. Marsh a charter to build it to the moon. That nickname stuck. For much of its existence, the Mt. Washington line has been known as the "Railway to the Moon."


/Kevin Madore