Long Trestle
After transitioning off the Jacob's Ladder Trestle, Mt. Washington Cog Railway trains tackle this stretch of track, known as "Long Trestle", with an average grade of 25%....which is damn steep! The trestle is not named for someone named Long, but is so-named purely because of its length. This structure affords the passengers an awesome view of the 1900 ft. deep Burt Ravine on the left side of the train. Folks who are squeamish about heights might want to avoid sitting on the left side here, as it's a pretty steep drop-off. A quick look to the right reveals that we're pretty much reaching the tree line here. This is the last of the Krummholtz. From here on up, this mountain is nothing but grass and granite. There is a reason it is called "The Rockpile."
In this image, you can see the results of the recent re-railing effort undertaken by the railway. For over 100 years, the rails used here were 25 lb. light rail, spiked to support timbers (called "side pieces"), which sat on top of the ties. The side pieces were necessary to build the rail up to the height of the cog rack, which also sits on similar support timbers (called "center pieces.") Needless to say, the additional lumber supporting the rails was a constant maintenance headache. The light rail also made for a rougher ride and was never designed to handle the heavy diesel hydraulic locomotives in use now, or the increased train traffic. To improve the situation, the railway has replaced all of the 25 lb. rail with 100 lb. rail, which is tall enough to no longer require the side pieces. The track is now more robust and the ride is smoother. The cog rack still sits on support timbers, but unlike the rails, it has to be replaced periodically, as it does wear out, so the wood is replaced when this happens. Why was the cog rack elevated to begin with? Mainly because the gearing for the cog wheels on the steam locomotives hangs below the level of the wheels which ride on the rails, so both the rails and the cog rack needed to be tall enough to allow the gears to clear the cross-ties. Got all of that?
Long Trestle
After transitioning off the Jacob's Ladder Trestle, Mt. Washington Cog Railway trains tackle this stretch of track, known as "Long Trestle", with an average grade of 25%....which is damn steep! The trestle is not named for someone named Long, but is so-named purely because of its length. This structure affords the passengers an awesome view of the 1900 ft. deep Burt Ravine on the left side of the train. Folks who are squeamish about heights might want to avoid sitting on the left side here, as it's a pretty steep drop-off. A quick look to the right reveals that we're pretty much reaching the tree line here. This is the last of the Krummholtz. From here on up, this mountain is nothing but grass and granite. There is a reason it is called "The Rockpile."
In this image, you can see the results of the recent re-railing effort undertaken by the railway. For over 100 years, the rails used here were 25 lb. light rail, spiked to support timbers (called "side pieces"), which sat on top of the ties. The side pieces were necessary to build the rail up to the height of the cog rack, which also sits on similar support timbers (called "center pieces.") Needless to say, the additional lumber supporting the rails was a constant maintenance headache. The light rail also made for a rougher ride and was never designed to handle the heavy diesel hydraulic locomotives in use now, or the increased train traffic. To improve the situation, the railway has replaced all of the 25 lb. rail with 100 lb. rail, which is tall enough to no longer require the side pieces. The track is now more robust and the ride is smoother. The cog rack still sits on support timbers, but unlike the rails, it has to be replaced periodically, as it does wear out, so the wood is replaced when this happens. Why was the cog rack elevated to begin with? Mainly because the gearing for the cog wheels on the steam locomotives hangs below the level of the wheels which ride on the rails, so both the rails and the cog rack needed to be tall enough to allow the gears to clear the cross-ties. Got all of that?