Another scoop on the grates. Fireman Art places another scoop of soft coal on the grates in the firebox of Mount Washington Railway Company #9 "Waumbek", as he fires the 11:30 AM trip to the summit on a beautiful day in late September. The ascent will take just over an hour and consume nearly a ton of coal and 1,000 gallons of water. Just ahead, the 25% grade of Cold Spring Hill awaits. At the top of it lies Waumbek Tank, the sole source of water on the hill. There, the engine will stop to top its tender's 700 gallon tank, and from there to "the roof of New England", it will be a continuous work-out, stoking the fire perhaps every 10-15 seconds. Running one of these vintage cog locomotives is nothing like a mainline steam engine. First and foremost, it is loud. Without hearing protection, you'd damage your hearing. Second, it is rough....I mean like riding a jackhammer for an hour rough. These engines have no suspension to speak of, so unlike the passengers, who get a smooth ride in the coach, it is anything but in the locomotive. You feel EVERYTHING. And did I mention that you really have to pay attention to your footing? The footplate on these engines is pretty small and it would be frightfully easy to fall off the locomotive. Needless to say, with the steep, rocky terrain ahead, there's no good place to fall off. Having spent quite a bit of time with the small cadre of long-time "coggers" who operate the surviving pair of steam locomotives here, I have a new appreciation for what they go through on every trip. They do it because they love it....and because they are keeping alive a tradition that has been in place for more than 150 years. Fireman Art? He's been climbing the "rock pile" for 45 of those years.
Beautiful mountain scenery has made this small state a draw for rail buffs to ride the Mount Washington Cog Railway and the Conway Scenic, among others.
