In 1868 Sylvester Marsh was one of the officers of the Mount Washington Railroad, along with J.E. The guest riders included a large group of railroad presidents and other managers. The first public trial trip of the engines upon the Mount Washington Railway, was on August 29, 1866. The death of an employee resulted in the railroad discontinuing that type of conveyance. A dangerous practice, they were able to slide down the 3 mile long track within minutes. The braking mechanism was an iron handle that gripped the flange of the rail rightly. Every piece of material for its construction (for both railway, locomotive and cars) had to be hauled up, through the woods by ox teams.ĭuring the building of the cog railway, the workmen figured out a way of “rapid transit” to get back down the mountain using wooden plank “slideboards” that they called “ Devil’s Shingles.” The slide-board was about three feet long and would rest lengthwise on the center rail. The railway was formally opened to the public Augwhen it was only completed as far as Jacob’s Ladder. The track and stations having cost about $150,000. Finally the work was completed in July 1869. The section to Waumbeck was completed in 1867 (3/4 mile), and to the top of Jacob’s Ladder in 1868 (1 mile). The three mile railway right-of-way up the mountain was acquired by eminent domain.įirst a turnpike had to be built to bring vehicles to the foot of the mountain (began in April 1866), following by the actual construction of the railway (began May 1866). The base station was located where the Ammonoosuc River flowed onto his property. In 1864-1865 he bought an inn called The White Mountain House and more than 16,000 ares of land in Crawford Notch. Additional patents were awarded for improvements he made in the original. 44,965, dated Novemis related to the atmospheric brake. His earliest patent was dated Septemand was for “locomotive engines for ascending inclined plans.” Another one, No. Sylvester Marsh was awarded several patents specific to the Cog Railway. The Cog Railway uses a “rack and gear” system that uses a toothed rack laid on the tie between the rails, and a gear on a driving axle of the locomotive that engaged the rack to secure between adhesion. (Reportedly one legislator suggested that he should also receive permission to build a railway to the moon). In 1858 he exhibited a model to the State Legislature, and received a charter to build it. Washington Railway but had to fight through much opposition and ridicule to get his project approved. He had already invented the mechanism to be used for the Mt. He had already built a funicular railway up Mount Holyoke in Massachusetts (about 1/10 of the height of Mt. Prior to this Sylvester Marsh had been involved in the meat-packing and grain-handling business. Finally almost completely exhausted, they came upon the Tip Top House. When night came, bad weather was upon them (hurricane winds, freezing rain, etc.) and they lost their way. Thompson, the pastor of the Eliot Church in Roxbury MA). In 1857 inventor Sylvester Marsh (1803-1884) climbed this mountain with a friend (Rev.
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