Climbing toward the clouds
Here's a not-often-seen view of a Mt. Washington Cog Railway train on the 37.4% grade of Jacob's Ladder Trestle, as viewed from ground level. In this frame from May of 2009, we see M-1, the very first diesel-hydraulic locomotive built by the railway, heading for the summit, and about to enter a cloud deck that is enveloping the upper reaches of the mountain. The M-1 went into revenue service in early 2008 as a proof-of-concept vehicle, and by the middle of that year, the railroad had made a decision to begin building a fleet of locomotives just like her, with a plan to replace the steam locomotives in regular hourly service, by mid-2009. When this image was captured, M-1 was still the only diesel on the line, but two additional units, called M-2 and M-3, were just weeks away from making their debut. With the ability to make the summit in 40 minutes (vs. over an hour for a steam engine), and the ability to come down just as fast, the railroad would only need three of these beasts to handle operations on all but their busiest days. In ensuing years, the railroad would build 4 more of these units.
Climbing toward the clouds
Here's a not-often-seen view of a Mt. Washington Cog Railway train on the 37.4% grade of Jacob's Ladder Trestle, as viewed from ground level. In this frame from May of 2009, we see M-1, the very first diesel-hydraulic locomotive built by the railway, heading for the summit, and about to enter a cloud deck that is enveloping the upper reaches of the mountain. The M-1 went into revenue service in early 2008 as a proof-of-concept vehicle, and by the middle of that year, the railroad had made a decision to begin building a fleet of locomotives just like her, with a plan to replace the steam locomotives in regular hourly service, by mid-2009. When this image was captured, M-1 was still the only diesel on the line, but two additional units, called M-2 and M-3, were just weeks away from making their debut. With the ability to make the summit in 40 minutes (vs. over an hour for a steam engine), and the ability to come down just as fast, the railroad would only need three of these beasts to handle operations on all but their busiest days. In ensuing years, the railroad would build 4 more of these units.