Cogscape - Cold Spring Hill. This shot may well depict one of the last times we'll ever see a steam engine on Mount Washington at 5PM. Sunday of Labor Day weekend is the last day of the operating season on which The Cog runs a 5PM departure. With clear skies and warm temperatures, ridership this day was very good and there were more folks remaining on the summit at the end of the day than the last train could accommodate. Accordingly, the railway dispatched a completely empty B-section, powered by Steamer #9, to retrieve the last of the patrons and bring them back to civilization. In the late afternoon sun, that trip was a magnificent sight to behold as it clawed its way from Marshfield Station to the Sherman Adams Building at the top. In this scene, she crests Cold Spring Hill, just short of the Waumbek Water Tank. On the right side of the photo, you can see a descending, diesel-powered train on the S-curve trestle called Jacob's Ladder...the steepest portion of the line at 37.4% grade. Just above Jacob's Ladder is Long Trestle, which disappears from your view with more than a mile to go to the summit. This railway is 3 miles long and has an average grade of 25%....the second steepest in the world.
