A Mount Washington Cog Railway steam engine descending to the base station.
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The original #1 Mount Washington Cog Railway steam engine which was taken out of service after an accident.
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A Mount Washington Cog Railway steam engine.
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Each engine has a name.
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Usually there is an engine and only one car in a consist.
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A Mount Washington Cog Railway steam engine ready to go.
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A Mount Washington Cog Railway steam engine taking on water. During a trip they will use 1,000 gallons of water.
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Getting up a head of steam causes a lot of smoke and cinders.
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Note the slanted boiler.
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There is only one track so at this siding consists coming down move onto the short spur and let the ascending engines go up. At a second switch, the reverse occurs.
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My wife at the summit of Mount Washington after an hours ride.
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The engineer, as they are called in the states, leaves the cab.
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A Mount Washington Cog Railway steam engine.
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A Mount Washington Cog Railway tender loaded with coal.
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At the summit of Mount Washington and ready to descend. Little coal will be burned on the way down since the engine will use negative air pressure (like a jake brake) to slow its speed. The coach is not connected to the engine and the brakeman in the coach slows its descend with braking to match the engine's speed.
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Waiting to descend.
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The weather station on the summit of Mount Washington.
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Passengers start to assemble for the trip down..
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Mount Washington rightfully boasts of the worst weather in the world.
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Waiting by the coach.
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The coaches are painted different colors.
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The brakeman hard at work controlling the matching the speed of the coach to the engine. The engine acts as a brake but the coach must also be braked to avoid running up on the engine.
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Waiting on the siding for an ascending consist.
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Our consist and the red one in front of us are descending. We are sitting on a siding or spur waiting for the yellow consist to pass.
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The ascending consist is struggling to make the grade.
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The fireman is shoveling more coal for sure.
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At the end of each trip the engine must be serviced.
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At the end of each trip the engine must be serviced.
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Another engine starts up the mountain with a full head of steam. The cinders fly once again.
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Riding on this cog railway gives you at real sense of the live steam engines and what it takes to make them go, especially up a 37% grade.
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It takes a lot of coal to make this engine go.
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