mount washington cog railway

I have been to the New England states many time and seen about everything. Once I even took a driving trip to the top of Mt. Washington. On my last visit I realized that I had never been on a cog wheel train and obviously had not been to the top of Mt. Washington on it. So off we went. This was mid October and even at the base it was pretty nippy outside. The very slow train ride up the steep hill to the top gave a close up view of the mountain. At the top the wind was blowing fiercely as usual and blowing little pieces of snow and ice around. There was not too much view due to the weather but it was fun being there and visiting the displays. For the trip down the chairs in the cab were reversed so we were facing downhill. Don't miss this experience as it is pretty unique.

If you do the 18 hours + flights from Australia to the east coast of the US, you try to pack in as much as you can into the holiday. Needless to say, the 2nd steepest cog railway in the world had to be on the list of things to do. The Brakeman cum tour guide was almost worth the price by himself. The weather station at the top has a sign about the it having experienced the highest recorded wind speed. Even on the relatively benign day we went, it was pretty windy, so take a coat. It is probably not something that we will ever do again, but we are glad we did it. Now for Switzerland and the steepest cog railway!

Highly recommend. We were hesitant at first due to the cost but are very glad we decided to go. Trip was a lot of fun, and educational. There is a lot of history with this railway and it is a must see. Provides some fantastic photo opportunities. While it is true you only get an hour at the top, we felt this was more than enough time. We lucked out that it was clear at first when we arrived, but the clouds came in quickly. Be sure to check the forecast! The guides were very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about both the train and Mount Washington. Tip: Arrive well before your scheduled time (1hr or so), there is a museum at the base that provides a good introduction. There is also a cafe to grab a quick bite.

We picked up the details where we were staying and again was warned if you are doing this take a warm coat with you as it is so much colder at the top of Washington mount than at the base at Bretton Woods Station. Yes it was expensive but if you are in New Hampshire from the UK this is a must as you will never see anything designed like this cog railway in the UK. They have a good museum, restaurant and gift shop at the station showing you how the first cog railway idea was born and how it has evolved since then to what is there now. Outside is a display of steam pumps and steam engines along with the very first cog engine design nick named the pepper pot due to its large funnel.We traveled on the diesel loco with just one carriage attached and inside with us was the guard who is also the brakeman and our guide telling us all about everything that can be seen on our journey up and back down. As we rode the last train of the day we went up in daylight and as you then have plenty of time before you line up again to ride back down you come down as the sun sets and it goes dark. Which is a sight we are so glad we witnessed from the summit and also as we made our way down.I will write another review of the summit and what it contains but let me finish by telling you that to ride up and down a mountain feeling and hearing every cog notch on the track as it moves the engine flywheel teeth move along to the next is a strange feeling!But these engines, the drivers and the brakeman travel up and down all year round and a cog has not been missed yet so you quite safe? We have photos for you to see as we thoroughly enjoyed this ride and again are so glad we have rode the Mount Washington cog railway.Thank you for reading this John & Sue Webb Eastbourne UK.

Popped over to the cog whilst skiing at bretton, well worth a trip up on the train and skiing down. Bit pricey but fun.

The first cog railroad every built. Interesting museums at both the base and the summit and spectacular views of the White Mountains and interesting how the terrain and climate changes as you approach the summit home of "The Worst Weather in the World"

This is very different from your average train ride. Before we started the ride the weather at the base of the mountain was mild. The billowing steam coming from the train swirled in and all around the train like a smoky monster. Pushing up the almost vertical mountain was so exciting, if you stood up on your feet on the most vertical part of the ascent or decent your body leans forward or backward. The trees appear to start to lean forward which was interesting and very cool to experience. The conductor/tour guide was very informative dressed up in uniform. when we reached the summit the weather was drastically different. The wind was whipping and so was the rain. We had to start our decent a little earlier than expected for safety sake. If you're looking for something different and exciting this is for you.

We paid for a 1:00 reservation but actually did not leave until 2:30. There is an issue with dependability. The visibility was clear at 1:00 but became cloudy by 2:30. Still a nice train ride. It is much colder at the summit. There is quite a bit of smoke and ash that blows in the open window in front of where you sit. Best option is to sit on the left side going up and the right side going down. Be ready to board on the way down or you will end up with the worst seats that has the ash blowing in.

We thoroughly enjoyed our ride on the cog railway. We arrived earlier than we expected and were able to get an earlier train.Our guide was informative and fun.We were lucky with the weather - very cold but clear. The scenery was spectacular.Definitely a great experience !

The ride up Mount Washington by train is very enjoyable. Once there, the view is really beautiful, except on misty days (get info first). I was unfortunate to get a boring guide (don't remember his name). I was also unlucky to go on a day when the train had problems going down, so we had to wait a LONG TIME to start our trip back. Funny, they never said a word when we were buying the tickets (though they already knew it) and hid this fact from us even as we were going uphill. In fact, they even hurried us to be back on time, though they KNEW they were way behind schedule. Nothing of that should discourage you, as the attraction is the view, not the lousy Cog Railway Company.

A very enjoyable ride on the cog railway, despite the snow! We were only allowed to go on the half way journey as the weather was closing in, but the scenery was spectacular, when we could see it! The conductor/guide was very knowledgable, and added to our enjoyment of the experience. The shop and cafe were pleasant and served their purpose. We did go at a very low point in the season ( beginning of November.) high season I think it would be very congested.

It started with driving through the scenic mountains to get to the depot. The train is so unusual. It goes straight up the high incline. To be so vertical it had to be specially designed . It is not like any other train or ride. You could look straight down into the valley. The train was so vertical, it was hard to stand and take pictures. At the top is a weather station, a bunk house and a museum. All are interesting. It has some of the highest winds in the USA. Therefore, the buildings had to be specially designed. Base level was also very interesting. There was another museum and beautiful grounds to explore. I really enjoyed my stay.

Really fun! I am slightly afraid of heights but I was fine on this. And, I was afraid we would go back down the mountain backwards, but they switch the seats so you are always facing forwards. Really beautiful views!

We arrived there early one morning in October for a trip up Mt Washington on the cog railway. The day was perfect sunshine and a blue sky. We caught the first trip up at 8.00am. This is the only steam trip up, all the rest are diesel. Trip up takes about 45 minutes with some great views the higher the train climbs. Gift shop and a eating place at the top. Very large viewing area and a museum. Trip down takes about the same time as going up.When we arrived at the top I found that you can drive up to the top, but that would be not as much fun as going up on the train.The locomotive propels the one carriage up and pulls that carriage down. Carriages I think accommodate about 60 odd people.Recommend to anyone, catch the first train.

Interesting experience on the Cog Railway this Thanksgiving. In the winter, the train only goes about half way up the mountain. The whole round-trip takes about an hour. The day we went was cold and snowy. The train itself was interesting. When we got up the mountain and got out we were surprised to find that there was no platform to stand on. We were literally standing on a snow covered mountain side -- and, given the weather, we were sliding around quite a bit. It was also VERY cold (3 degrees) so we could not stay on the mountain for long. Because it was snowy, the visibility was poor. Together, the poor visibility and the very brief experience mid-mountain made for a less than impressive experience. That being said, I think this has the potential to be a wonderful outing under the right weather conditions! The staff was incredibly friendly.