The world’s first mountain-climbing cog railway and only remaining cog railway currently operating in North America is celebrating its 155th anniversary. Mount Washington Cog Railway in New Hampshire’s White Mountains was founded by Sylvester Marsh, who sought an easier way for tourists to reach the summit of Mount Washington.
Completed in 1869 the 3 miles long railway utilizes a rack-and-pinion system to reach the 6,288-foot summit encountering a maximum grade of 37% along the way. The Mount Washington Cog Railway was an engineering marvel when it was first constructed and remains a truly unique experience in the White Mountains.
Celebration Details:
“Good sunny Friday afternoon Coggers– tomorrow, September 14, is the big day! While our special 155th anniversary celebration is completely sold out, we’ll be sharing plenty of exciting new content about the event over the next few days and weeks. First off, here’s a peek at what will be greeting visitors to the railway today, tomorrow, and many decades into the future: a grand new entry arch, designed, engineered and fabricated right here, by us! This thing is spectacular at sunset, and we’ll be sure to post much better photos as we get them.
Speaking of the event tomorrow, we will be running limited passenger service prior to the 2:00 start time The last regular public train leaves Marshfield at 11:00, which means the last down-mountain train will leave the summit at 12:45. HIKERS, HEADS UP: that means you should NOT climb to the summit assuming you can hitch a ride down with us. The few trains we’ll be running tomorrow will most likely be sold out, or nearly so, and there’s no guarantee that 1-way down tickets will be available to bring you off the mountain the easy way. FYI: 1-way down tickets are only ever sold at the summit post office, and only if seats are available. If you hike up, you must always be prepared, mentally and physically, to hike back down.”
Mount Washington Cog Railway FAQs:
- The Mount Washington Cog Railway is open year-round, although the State Park facilities at the summit are closed to casual visitors from late October through early May. When indoor shelter is not available, or if the summit is inaccessible due to severe weather, our trains terminate at lower elevations.
- Throughout the season, the Cog hosts events and offers various specials and discounts on select trains.
- A calendar providing train departure times can be found on our train schedule page. We strongly suggest you book your tickets in advance because capacity is limited and trains sell out on a routine basis. You may purchase tickets at the ticket office, but advance ticket purchase is recommended and available online up to the departure time of any train. Buy Tickets Online here.
- All schedules, fares and motive power (steam or biodiesel locomotives) are subject to change without notice. Rarely, trips may be shortened due to extreme weather without advance notice. In this event, passengers will be provided with a credit toward the purchase price of their ticket. See our Terms of Use on our Buy Tickets page for more details.
- Refund and cancelation policies, as well as other general ticket information can be found here.
- Children under 4 years of age, sitting on a ticketed adult’s lap, always ride-free.
- The Cog Railway primarily operates clean, environmentally friendly and efficient biodiesel locomotives. Coal-fired steam locomotives will generally be operated twice each day. View our train schedule here.
- Our coaches are historic in design, with short boarding steps and narrow door openings and aisles. However, every effort is made to accommodate special needs. Please call ahead for assistance.
- Marshfield Base Station and the State Park Visitor Center at the summit are both fully accessible.
- Guests with specially trained service animals are always welcome! As defined by the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), “a service animal is a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability. The task(s) performed by the dog must be directly related to the person’s disability.”
- Please be aware that the high elevation, shifting movement and sudden loud noises may have an effect on the animal. Always use your best judgment when bringing your service animal aboard.
- For the safety and comfort of our guests, staff and our train crews, pets or emotional support animals (ESA’s) are not permitted on our passenger coaches. Emotional support animals are not included or protected under ADA.
- Coaches are heated when necessary.
- Due to space restrictions, strollers, car seats, and coolers are not allowed on the train. Carry-on items must be small enough to fit on your lap.
- Bear spray, pepper spray and other pressurized irritants are prohibited on our passenger coaches at all times.
- Smoking is not permitted on any train or in any of our buildings at any time.
- Passengers may not carry alcohol on board at any time. (RSA 179.27)
- There are no restrooms on the train. There are restroom facilities at Marshfield Base Station, at Waumbek Station, and the Mount Washington State Park visitor center at the summit.