Well, this looks safe!

[Fairfield]

Stay in your own states stop ruining ours.

Well, we are certainly going off topic here. But I'd like to counter that the argument that "The Old Ways are the Best Ways" isn't necessarily a good life guide. Diversity, not exclusivity, is the way to a healthy life--as well as a healthy economy. As a neighbor from Maine, I must say that while I am sad that the ACW wrecked the economy of Maine to the point that it has become "vacationland," I must admit that visitors to Maine bring another point of view that is invigorating. And remember that the tourists and visitors who come here are the ones who recognize what a unique and beautiful place northern New England is.

 

[13 IL Cav & 64 GA Inf]

NH Civil War gal
Please don't be enticing more flat landers into our state.its summer and we are already flooded with Mass holes.

Haha!

 

[1SGDan]

Well, we are certainly going off topic here. But I'd like to counter that the argument that "The Old Ways are the Best Ways" isn't necessarily a good life guide. Diversity, not exclusivity, is the way to a healthy life--as well as a healthy economy. As a neighbor from Maine, I must say that while I am sad that the ACW wrecked the economy of Maine to the point that it has become "vacationland," I must admit that visitors to Maine bring another point of view that is invigorating. And remember that the tourists and visitors who come here are the ones who recognize what a unique and beautiful place northern New England is.

I get the money helps business but they bring all the wrong things with them. This is my home for my entire life and I see it being destroyed.

 

[TallTallMan]

I recently watched Brian Steel Wills talk about soldiers dying from falling off of the tops of train cars. Ouch.

 

[1SGDan]

I recently watched Brian Steel Wills talk about soldiers dying from falling off of the tops of train cars. Ouch.

15th New York Engineers -
Private Patrick Donnelly Killed by falling from the cars June 16, 1863

 

[Fairfield]

\

I have a battle buddy who lives in Walpole and it definitely is beautiful country up there. Unfortunately what you're experiencing up there has been going on out west with people fleeing the Peoples Republic of kalifornia. Southern Florida has been overrun with Yankees and Cubans. Charleston and Myrtle Beach are in the process of losing their identity too to Yankees from NY, NJ, CT. So yes, the south has been invaded again and this time they're there to stay.

Internal migration is a 2-way street. An old Maine historian (it may have been Earl Marriner) wrote that Maine's greatest gift to the nation has been its sons and daughters. New Englanders have spread all over; I lived in the midwest for many years and found the small towns there are plotted out like New England villages. When I researched the ACW soldiers from this town, many went to other states after the war (some were a credit to their new communities while others were not such welcome additions). I myself am "from away"--I came north from Georgia many years ago whereas a good friend (with roots in Massachusetts and Vermont) lives happily in Atlanta. This is healthy because no one group has all the answers nor can any single locality lay claim to being Nirvana on Earth; together maybe we can figure this out. Or, in other words, a cake made only of a single ingredient is missing something.

 

[1SGDan]

Diversity, not exclusivity, is the way to a healthy life

Never want to be accused of exclusivity, but inclusiveness should not mean surrendering your identity to those that want to change it.

 

[Fairfield]

Like

Never want to be excused of exclusivity, but inclusiveness should not mean surrendering your identity to those that want to change it.

Surrender is your choice.

 

[captaindrew]

Well you've certainly derailed the Cog, I do believe that's what this thread was about

 

[Lubliner]

Well you've certainly derailed the Cog, I do believe that's what this thread was about

A big train wreck, OMG.
Lubliner.

 

[1SGDan]

Surrender is your choice.

Not when you are being forced from your home because of the ridiculous money they are willing to spend on summer homes or to escape the over taxation of their own states.

 

[Old Soldier]

Coming in late - I have two points.
1) This is a COG railway IOW the locomotive drives a gear which meshes with the cogs within the track, not the wheels. It won't slide backwards. Note that there are no brakes on the visible wheels - they were on the drive shaft.
2) Photographers were also rather rare so a photo opportunity was not to be missed. Camera exposure in these days was loooooooooooooooong - hence the lack of smoke from the stack. There was no such thing as an 'action photo' until after 1914. Many of these people would have normally have been seated but this is an arranged photo. This was carefully posed. The train was stationary and the people all stood up so they could be seen on the photo. They were a lot safer than many think.

 

[captaindrew]

Coming in late - I have two points.
1) This is a COG railway IOW the locomotive drives a gear which meshes with the cogs within the track, not the wheels. It won't slide backwards. Note that there are no brakes on the visible wheels - they were on the drive shaft.
2) Photographers were also rather rare so a photo opportunity was not to be missed. Camera exposure in these days was loooooooooooooooong - hence the lack of smoke from the stack. There was no such thing as an 'action photo' until after 1914. Many of these people would have normally have been seated but this is an arranged photo. This was carefully posed. The train was stationary and the people all stood up so they could be seen on the photo. They were a lot safer than many think.

An interesting part of the trip is the way down. The coach is not physically attached to the locomotive. The locomotive pushes the coach up but on the way down the brakeman is in control of the coach. He or she keeps the coach a few inches away from the locomotive on the way down, they get quite a workout.

 

[CavRTO]

Several years ago My wife and I drove up the mountain. The drive down was white knuckle especially when some guy driving a caddie Escalade coming up thought he owned the road at one of the tight turns. For some reason railroad wasn't running that day. But even if it was we wouldn't have taken it since my wife has vertigo.

 

[Old Soldier]

An interesting part of the trip is the way down. The coach is not physically attached to the locomotive. The locomotive pushes the coach up but on the way down the brakeman is in control of the coach. He or she keeps the coach a few inches away from the locomotive on the way down, they get quite a workout.

It is similar to conventional railways of the time. For freight, although the wagons were coupled together, the conductor ('guard' in Britain) in the brake car spent some time operating the brake as none of the other wagons had brakes fitted that could be operated under way. This could involve the train slowing down at the top of a gradient while the conductor/brakeman and assistants ran alongside the wagons applying the hand brake - and again at the bottom to 'unbrake'! It also helped to preserve coupling too!

In early days, passenger coaches had brakesmen ('porters') who operated the lever brakes on each coach. They sat on top or (USA) at the covered end platforms of the coaches. These gave way to screw brakes, but there was always a brake coach (guards van/coach) at the tail end to provide all wheel braking and also in the middle of long or heavy trains. This was superceded by all-wheel braking using vaccuum or air (Westinghouse) train braking systems. This started around 1870 in the USA and about 1880 in Britain

 

[Flag Guy]

Three weeks ago my wife and I took the cog train up to the top of Pike's Peak. 14,100 feet up, 19 degrees and snow on the ground. The NH cog train ride got mentioned by our guide on the way up. Wonderful pictures!

 

[13 IL Cav & 64 GA Inf]

Three weeks ago my wife and I took the cog train up to the top of Pike's Peak. 14,100 feet up, 19 degrees and snow on the ground. The NH cog train ride got mentioned by our guide on the way up. Wonderful pictures!

"Cool" in more ways than one!

 

[Jack7171]

I visited several times both driving and taking the cog railway,,and I remember hearing about the workers riding devils shingles down from the summit after working all day

History of Mount Washington Cog Railway's Devil's Shingles. — The Mount Washington Cog Railway

At the end of the long workday on Mount Washington, many track workers descended on slideboards known as Devil’s Shingles.

www.thecog.com

 

[1SGDan]

Yuengling Brewery
You are already on my side.

 

[Lubliner]

Note that there are no brakes on the visible wheels - they were on the drive shaft.

I once owned an old 1963 Ford bread truck (panel van) that had the emergency brake system as a lever that would tighten a brake ring around the drive shaft. It is the only one I have seen. Pretty neat.
Lubliner.