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For safety, it uses multiple braking systems. The light engine is geared down to attain the power needed. Note how the boiler is mounted at a slant on the frame so as to be level while climbing the grade.įour outer wheels support and guide the engine. The cogs are driven by the steam pistons of the locomotive through a system of gears. The locomotives and cars are equipped with cogs (gears) that engage the rack. Located in the center of the steel rails is a rack. On top of this wooden trestle, two light steel rails are laid in a method similar to standard railroad construction. The 2.8 miles of track are built entirely on wooden trestle. Sylvester Marsh's design was a revolutionary solution to the problem. That is to say, the track at the steepest point rises at the rate of 37 feet for every 100 feet it goes forward. The average grade is 25% with the steepest being 37.4%. The model contains about 7,000 parts and took about 150 hours to build.Ī conventional railroad could never get a train and a load of people up Mt. The trestle is 10 feet long and faithfully replicates the 25% average grade. This model, built mostly with Meccano parts made in Liverpool, England, is electrically powered from a hidden outside third rail on the far side. A cog railway has large cogs (gears) underneath the engine which engage a toothed rack strip in the middle of the track, providing the necessary force to propel the train. With a maximum grade of 37% and an average grade of 25%, an ordinary train would not have sufficient traction to climb the steep slope. It is now a National Historic Engineering Landmark. Washington Cog Railway and White Mountains tourism flourished. The Boston Transcript called the first mountain-climbing cog railway in the world "one of the greatest wonders of the time", and both the Mt. Send us feedback.On July 3, 1869, a steam-powered train made its maiden journey to the top of 6,288-foot Mount Washington in New Hampshire. These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cog railway.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. USA TODAY, 1 July 2019 Clark would hike to the top, call them from telephones at the visitors center, then take the cog railway or hitch a ride to the bottom with a car on the Auto Road.īilly Baker,, 21 June 2019 NBC News, Festivities for the July 3 birthday of the world’s first mountain-climbing cog railway are scheduled at the base station from 11 a.m. Recent Examples on the Web The mountain today is a popular attraction for tourists, who ascend the top via hiking trail, precarious auto road or popular cog railway.įox News, 29 June 2022 Dropped from consideration was a billion-dollar cog railway, a transportation staple that has virtually eliminated private automobiles in some of Europe’s famed alpine destinations.īrian Maffly, The Salt Lake Tribune, 25 June 2021 The cable car service first opened in August 1970 after almost three years of works to replace a cog railway, its website said.
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