Mt. Washington Cog Railroad with a fully open car of travelers.
Affectionately known as the Cog, the Mt. Washington Cog Railroad was the first rack-and-pinion-style railroad to be built to ascend a steep mountain slope, specifically Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. Work began on the Cog in 1858 but was interrupted by the outbreak of the American Civil War. Work resumed in 1866 and the Cog began carrying tourists to the peak of Mt. Washington. The Cog was the brainchild of Sylvester Marsh. Locals thought his idea was insane and doomed to fail, but the Cog is still in operation today. No worries, though. Today’s rail cars are not the open-sided, hang-on-for-dear-life cars seen in this photograph.
Next, we have workers with a tall order to fill…..
