Banking the fires
Looking just a little bit like the old days, the Mt. Washington Cog Railway's two operable steam locomotives sit on the shop track in front of the line's century-old, legacy shop building, as crews bank the fires for the evening. With the line primarily using diesel-hydraulic locomotives these days, you'll seldom see both of these engines hot at the same time, and certainly not in early May, when this photo was taken. On this particular day, both locomotives were needed for a special event, involving a memorial service for one of the railroad's long-time steam engineer's who had passed away recently.
Astute observers will note that aside from the different paint schemes, there is one significant difference between #2 and #9. The "Deuce", which had its origins back in 1875, has a cab that is level with the track, while the 9, which was built in 1908, has an angled cab, which is aligned with the angled boiler and therefore more level for the crew when on the hill. The latter arrangement is probably a bit easier on the crew. When mentioning the manufacture dates of these locomotives, I am always careful about the words I use, because virtually nothing you see here was actually present when the locomotives were manufactured. These engines are a bit like "George Washington's Axe." The handle has been replaced three times and the blade replaced twice.
Banking the fires
Looking just a little bit like the old days, the Mt. Washington Cog Railway's two operable steam locomotives sit on the shop track in front of the line's century-old, legacy shop building, as crews bank the fires for the evening. With the line primarily using diesel-hydraulic locomotives these days, you'll seldom see both of these engines hot at the same time, and certainly not in early May, when this photo was taken. On this particular day, both locomotives were needed for a special event, involving a memorial service for one of the railroad's long-time steam engineer's who had passed away recently.
Astute observers will note that aside from the different paint schemes, there is one significant difference between #2 and #9. The "Deuce", which had its origins back in 1875, has a cab that is level with the track, while the 9, which was built in 1908, has an angled cab, which is aligned with the angled boiler and therefore more level for the crew when on the hill. The latter arrangement is probably a bit easier on the crew. When mentioning the manufacture dates of these locomotives, I am always careful about the words I use, because virtually nothing you see here was actually present when the locomotives were manufactured. These engines are a bit like "George Washington's Axe." The handle has been replaced three times and the blade replaced twice.