Railway

Ever heard of Sylvester Marsh?
Me either.
I learned about him while visiting the Cog Railway in New Hampshire.

There's a saying about all journeys begin with a single step. Sylvester Marsh did exactly that when he and a friend hiked up Mt Washington. He had no idea just how difficult that climb would be.

It was dark. They were freezing. It hailed, and they got lost. Basically, the two almost died.
Never the less, it was worth the dramatic sunrise.

What a view.
So, Sylvester decided to build a way for future generations to get to the top a little bit easier.

Enter Cog Railway. 
People deemed him crazy. It wasn't easy, but he succeeded in doing something many thought he couldn't do.

Sylvester was given five years to build the railroad.

Workers found ways to have fun ...YIKES!

Umm...NO. Just, NO!

As close as I will ever get!

At one point, the mountaintop was a place for many to stay on holiday. There was a grand hotel, a post office, and a weather observatory.
There was even a newspaper publication called Among The Clouds. I likely would have worked there!

All was fabulous until a fire burnt everything to the ground. SIGH.
Automobiles came on the scene, and then there was that stock market crash. Not many wanted to take a ride to the top anymore.

So many factors happened to get to where The Cog Railroad is today. Basically, Boston and Maine gets out of the railroad business, Henry Teague then ran the railroad as an attraction, a 1930s hurricane ripped the tracks, Henry dies.
New owner. A derailment causes a death. Weather, which by the way, there is about 42 feet of snow a year! On and on the tension builds.

The whole story is fascinating. A tale of conflict and perseverance in the midst of incredible heartbreak.

"I think I can, I think I can..."

Had to take a photo! Yep...there it was flapping in the breeze, winking at me!

If you ever get to New Hampshire, take a ride on the Cog. You won't regret it.