Mt Washington Cog- 9 piece switch 2 of 3
One of the most interesting mechanical aspects of the cog railway were the 9-step turnouts, added to the railroad in 1941 to help modernize operations. There were nine separate steps involved in throwing one of these turnouts, which were of course made decidedly more complex by the presence of the center rack rail. In the photo you can see how the diverging route took the train up and over the other set of rails. I understand these have since been replaced with a more modern automated turnout that essentially slides the desired set of geometry into place from the side.
Check out this neat video on YouTube showing one of these old turnouts being thrown: www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBdCN7Ssuc0
Mt Washington Cog- 9 piece switch 2 of 3
One of the most interesting mechanical aspects of the cog railway were the 9-step turnouts, added to the railroad in 1941 to help modernize operations. There were nine separate steps involved in throwing one of these turnouts, which were of course made decidedly more complex by the presence of the center rack rail. In the photo you can see how the diverging route took the train up and over the other set of rails. I understand these have since been replaced with a more modern automated turnout that essentially slides the desired set of geometry into place from the side.
Check out this neat video on YouTube showing one of these old turnouts being thrown: www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBdCN7Ssuc0