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Has anyone ever been to the Mount Washington Cog Railway? It looks pretty cool I think my family and I are going to try to drive up there and take a trip on the railway while in Vermont this coming Oct. I know the Cog is in New Hampshire, but since I am moving to Vermont, I thought I would ask my soon to be fellow Vermonters what they thought of the Cog.
Has anyone ever been to the Mount Washington Cog Railway? It looks pretty cool I think my family and I are going to try to drive up there and take a trip on the railway while in Vermont this coming Oct. I know the Cog is in New Hampshire, but since I am moving to Vermont, I thought I would ask my soon to be fellow Vermonters what they thought of the Cog.
While the Cog has a very interesting history and is indeed an engineering marvel it's very noisy and belches out alot of smoke. I prefer driving up the road on the other side cause you can walk around the summit and check out the incredible weather station which recorded the greatest wind speed ever at 231mph.
A couple of winters ago they operated the COG during the winter for skiers but the high cost and limited terrain resulted in not to many skiers using it.
That's just me so if your interested in checking it out you should.
I've been up it a few times. I find it utterly fascinating as a bit of living history. IIRC it is the oldest cog railroad and may be the first other than experimental tests. Be sure to bring enough warm or windproof clothes for the summit.
If you can get ahold of some old stereographs, you can really get a feel for how old it is, and the continuity of the Mt. Washington experience over the ages.
If you are interested in railroads, you should also try the Conway Scenic RR, which goes over the Fankenstein Trestle. The sterographs of the original trestle are frightening. That version looks like it had the thinnest steel supports and widest spans of any trestle I've ever seen.
In any event, a tour of the area is much more interesting if you learn about the history first.
I've never been on the Cog, but have wanted to try it. But if it's noisy and smokey as MRV states, I'll probably avoid it now! We've driven up once, but we've also climbed in the winter a couple of times.
I've been up it a few times. I find it utterly fascinating as a bit of living history. IIRC it is the oldest cog railroad and may be the first other than experimental tests. Be sure to bring enough warm or windproof clothes for the summit.
If you can get ahold of some old stereographs, you can really get a feel for how old it is, and the continuity of the Mt. Washington experience over the ages.
If you are interested in railroads, you should also try the Conway Scenic RR, which goes over the Fankenstein Trestle. The sterographs of the original trestle are frightening. That version looks like it had the thinnest steel supports and widest spans of any trestle I've ever seen.
In any event, a tour of the area is much more interesting if you learn about the history first.
I couldn't agree more and all of New England is full of history something that was missing when I lived out west. Being in the resort business I am fascinated by the "era of the Grand Hotels" in the Whites. The whole area is really amazing. I get alittle dismayed over the commercialization of The Flume and the outlet chaos of North Conway but probably cause I'm an old fart. The old village part of North Conway and the Flume ares till awesome places to check out.
It actually works out great for my family as I drop off my wife and two daughters at the outlets in North Conway and I get to play the rest of day in the mountains.
Last spring I camped for week to photograph the many waterfalls in the Whites, here are a couple of pics.
I camped only a couple of miles from the hotel and spent about 2 hours every evening sitting and waiting for something great to photograph. The last night finally, the light was right.
Sabbaday Falls...easy 10 minute hike from the road.
To bring this back to Vermont, for anyone who lives in Vermont and loves the outdoors, the Whites is an easy drive, throw in a couple of nights of camping or staying at a B&B/hotel it doesn't get much better. Just another reason why living in Vermont is so awesome!
At some points you can stand in the aisle and reach your arms out in front of you and touch the floor. It's that steep! It's a fascinating piece of living history and loads of fun. Yeah it belches a lot of soot but the drive up isn't necessarily any better. Fog can come in out of nowhere and make it so you can't see a yard ahead. Literally. I've had to come to a complete stop with every light on and shouting to prevent oncoming cars from hitting mine. You just stop and wait for it to clear.
Take the railway at least once. It's definitely, definitely, worth it.
I couldn't agree more and all of New England is full of history something that was missing when I lived out west. Being in the resort business I am fascinated by the "era of the Grand Hotels" in the Whites. The whole area is really amazing. I get alittle dismayed over the commercialization of The Flume and the outlet chaos of North Conway but probably cause I'm an old fart. The old village part of North Conway and the Flume ares till awesome places to check out.
Exceptional picture of the Mount Washington!
My family tries to go to Lake Mohonk every summer and we've been going since it opened. I have deep fondness for the grand resort hotels of that era. It's a pity so few are left. Someday I'll go to the Mount Washington and the Algonquin, but I really want to stay at Banff Springs. I like the sense of leisure of these old hotels and their sense of history. They're very different from resorts today and I appreciate that. Glad to see there's another fan out there.
My family tries to go to Lake Mohonk every summer and we've been going since it opened. I have deep fondness for the grand resort hotels of that era. It's a pity so few are left. Someday I'll go to the Mount Washington and the Algonquin, but I really want to stay at Banff Springs. I like the sense of leisure of these old hotels and their sense of history. They're very different from resorts today and I appreciate that. Glad to see there's another fan out there.
Probably shouldn't hijack the thread anymore but these hotels are amazing. I have never been to the Mohonk Mountain House but my uncle vacationed there every summer and from the pics it looks like an amazing place. Banff Springs is set in probably the most awesome mountain settings and it's sister hotel, Chateau Frontenec in Quebec City is also a resort icon. I grew up on Lake George and just up the lake was the Sagamore Hotel, another grand hotel that has passed the test of time and looks better than ever.
One of my favorite historical notes was that in 1944 the hotel was about to go bankrupt but the choice of the hotel as the site for a very important post war meeting of nations saved it from the demise of all the other grand hotels in the Whites.
NHPTV Productions: Secrets of the Mount Washington Hotel (broken link)
Nice photos. Stowe had a major hotel of the era. It took up almost one side of the main street. The mountaintop hotel on Mansfield wasn't all that much, although it was added on to over the years.
The hotel in California that is featured in "Stunt Man" and "Somewhere in Time" is another of the grande dames. There is a much smaller hotel in Mentone Alabama from the era that packs some of the atmosphere.
Remember that before cars and air conditioning, a lot of the upper middle class men would send their families to a hotel for a few MONTHS during the summer. Hotels in the mountains were much cooler than city apartments.
I do think we have a couple of nice old hotels in Vermont, not sure if they are the same level as the one we have mentioned but the Woodstock Inn and the Equinox come to mind. Any others in Vermont? No trains to the top like the Cog but the Equinox has a road to the top of Mt Equinox with great views.
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I think my family and I are going to try to drive up there and take a trip on the railway while in Vermont this coming Oct. I know the Cog is in New Hampshire, but since I am moving to Vermont, I thought I would ask my soon to be fellow Vermonters what they thought of the Cog.
