A cog (or “rack”) railroad is a special type of train system designed to climb very steep hills or mountains. Unlike regular trains that rely on smooth wheels and rails, these trains use an extra gear-like wheel that interlocks with a toothed rail (the “rack”) in the centre of the track. This gear prevents slipping backwards and gives the train the grip it needs to safely ascend and descend slopes that would be impossible for normal trains.

The Mount Washington Railway averages a 25% grade, with Jacob’s Ladder reaching 37%. That’s extremely steep! You don’t notice it much while seated, but if you try to stand, you’ll find yourself leaning forward and bending your knees to stay upright.

Unlike a much older technology, a funicular, which uses cables to pull cars up and down a slope, balancing two cars on the same cable, a cog train relies entirely on its own power to climb. If the decision were made today, a modern funicular like the one in Innsbruck might work. But in the 1860s, the distance and rugged terrain of Mount Washington made a funicular impractical, if not impossible.

Sylvester Marsh was a remarkable man. Born in New Hampshire as the ninth of eleven children, his formal education was minimal based on the current standards: just three winter months each year in a rural school, but his hunger for science and technology was huge. At 19, Marsh left home and walked 117 miles / 188 km to Boston, where his hard work and entrepreneurial spirit brought success in the meatpacking business. As the American West opened, he moved to Chicago, where his patented methods for preserving raw meat with corn earned him wealth and fame.

But Marsh’s true legacy is not in meatpacking: he’s the inventor of the first mountain-climbing cog railway. The idea began in August 1857, when Marsh and a friend hiked Mount Washington. The peak is infamous for sudden storms and hurricane winds, some of the strongest ever recorded. Marsh learned this the hard way. Starting under clear blue skies, they were soon caught in a violent storm with freezing rain and near darkness. They barely made it to the Tip-Top House at the summit. Marsh thought, “There must be an easier way to hike this mountain,” and from that day on, building a railway became his mission.

Cog railways weren’t new. In fact, the first railroad in England used one. But no one had applied the concept to mountains. Marsh spent a year experimenting before petitioning the New Hampshire legislature for a permit to build a railway to the summit. His proposal was met with ridicule and “a universal burst of laughter.” One legislator even joked that Marsh might as well build a railroad to the moon. Still, since Marsh was funding the project himself, he received a five-year permit.

Construction didn’t start immediately; Marsh faced a major lawsuit in Chicago, defended by none other than Abraham Lincoln. After resolving that, Marsh returned to New Hampshire in 1863, and the work began, while he was still refining the technology for performance and safety. He knew he needed lightweight locomotives to reduce power requirements and patented the first-ever airbrake, which would use compressed air to stall the train. This was critical since the cog was the only thing preventing a slide downhill.

Building the railway was a technical challenge. The remote location and steep grades demanded innovation and overcoming a limited budget. Marsh prioritized quality for the cog rack by ordering it from the best manufacturer in Boston at a cost of one-third of the entire project. Outer rails were cheap, though, and wooden trestles replaced stone bridges to save money and time.

A fun fact: the workers had to hike up the mountain to get to their working location, which would consume a big chunk of their workday. To speed up the descent, someone invented a sliding board that attached to the cog rail. It would reduce the trip from hours to minutes and became so popular that workers held races. The fastest descent of the three-mile slope was 2 minutes 45 seconds! But it was extremely dangerous - some didn’t make it alive - and the practice was eventually banned.

The railway opened to the public on July 3, 1869. Marsh calculated he needed 100 passengers per day for profitability, and luckily, demand met that. He built a nice hotel, others followed, and soon a thriving hospitality industry appeared. Main railroads from Boston, New York, Montreal, and beyond connected to the Mount Washington Railway, bringing thousands of tourists. About 5,000 passengers per year rode to the summit. it was a huge success!

The Mount Washington Railway inspired Switzerland. Marsh generously shared his patents and advice, which helped with the construction of a similar cog railway to Mount Rigi from Vitznau on Lake Lucerne. It opened on May 21, 1871.

Following the Mount Washington Railway’s opening in 1869, many more cog railways appeared worldwide over the next two decades: in Austria, Germany, Hungary, Spain, and even Brazil. North America saw only two: the Mount Washington Railway and the Pike’s Peak Railway in Colorado, which opened in 1891. Another achievement worth mentioning was the Pilatus Railway in Switzerland, opened in 1889. It remains the world’s steepest cog railway with grades up to an unbelieveble 48%!

Remarkably, despite Mount Washington’s extreme weather, its railway operates year-round. During the summer season (May to October), biodiesel trains depart for the summit every hour. Steam locomotives also run, though less frequently: typically only for the first and last trips of the day. In winter (mid-October to early May), trains operate only as far as Waumbek Station at 4,000 feet / 1,219 km, with three to five departures daily.

Not to sound cliché, but this railway truly stands as an example of human ambition and innovation. From its completion in 1869 to inspiring similar railways worldwide, it still remains an engineering marvel and a unique way to experience one of the harshest yet most beautiful mountains on Earth. If you have the chance, I highly recommend taking the ride. It’s a thrilling experience: low-tech yet safe, and a memorable way to reach the summit.