The A & B sections hit the homestretch
Just about an hour after departing Marshfield Station, the A & B sections of an 11 AM summit trip are now above Skyline, with the summit in sight, about 10 minutes running time away. For many years, when passenger demand is high for a given hourly departure, the Mt. Washington Cog Railway has elected to add second sections to their summit trains, assuming power was available. This kind of situation is less common during weekdays and more common on weekends and holidays. It is also more common at mid-day than early or late in the day. This particular scene was captured during the Fourth of July holiday period in 2008.
During the all-steam era, it was relatively rare to see more than two sections on an hourly departure, as the railroad typically held some power in reserve in case a spike in demand were to occur over several hours. Today, with the line primarily using faster, diesel-hydraulic locomotives, which can make the summit in 40 minutes, if needed, it is not uncommon to see 3 or even 4 sections on an hourly train during peak demand times.
The A & B sections hit the homestretch
Just about an hour after departing Marshfield Station, the A & B sections of an 11 AM summit trip are now above Skyline, with the summit in sight, about 10 minutes running time away. For many years, when passenger demand is high for a given hourly departure, the Mt. Washington Cog Railway has elected to add second sections to their summit trains, assuming power was available. This kind of situation is less common during weekdays and more common on weekends and holidays. It is also more common at mid-day than early or late in the day. This particular scene was captured during the Fourth of July holiday period in 2008.
During the all-steam era, it was relatively rare to see more than two sections on an hourly departure, as the railroad typically held some power in reserve in case a spike in demand were to occur over several hours. Today, with the line primarily using faster, diesel-hydraulic locomotives, which can make the summit in 40 minutes, if needed, it is not uncommon to see 3 or even 4 sections on an hourly train during peak demand times.