No More Black Smoke

Concord Monitor ^ | September 3, 2008 | Margot Sanger-Katz

[Jim Noble]

It's been chugging up Mount Washington for nearly 140 years, with a steam engine powered by coal and trailing black smoke. But those days are over: On Saturday, officials at the Mount Washington Cog Railway will unveil a greener locomotive. The new train, which has yet to be named, will run the railway's historic track on a combination of biodiesel and ordinary diesel fuel.

To celebrate the newest incarnation of "Old Peppersass" - yes, that is the real name of the railroad's first engine - Gov. John Lynch and his wife, Dr. Susan Lynch, will attend the train's send-off at the foot of Mount Washington in Bretton Woods at 11 a.m.

Sparkling wine will be served before the new train climbs the mountain.

[Jim Noble]

I'm posting this for the last sentence. How perfect, as a 19th Century technological marvel is thrown away because it makes a little smoke in a wilderness, that sparkling wine will be served.

[raybbr]

Let's have a contest to name the train...

I say we call it "The Green Machine".

[Tarpon]

These people are nuts, before long they will be building bell jars to place over forest fires.

[230FMJ]

If the “Old Man of the Mountain” hadn’t fallen on it’s own, these nutjobs would probably have destroyed it because the granite was emitting too much Radon into the atmosphere. How discouraging to have “leaders” that behave like High School Sophomores.

[niteowl77]

How perfect, as a 19th Century technological marvel is thrown away because it makes a little smoke in a wilderness, that sparkling wine will be served.

Effete watermelons without souls, toasting one anothers' vacuousness.

Mr. niteowl77

[Sacajaweau]

We can name it “Pork”.

[GladesGuru]

Another factor may be that the engine needed a complete rebuilding. Boiler explosions do tend to attract such a large number of lawyer, after all.

As to the need to “reduce the smoke”, only sloppy intellectualizing, based upon the premises of enviro-socialism, could have so successfully scraped the bottom of the rationalization barrel.

“What fools the Liberals be.”

[Rebelbase]

I wonder how much tourist biz will fall off because it’s no longer a noisy, smoke belching, steam locomotive?

[libs_kma]

I went to NH years ago to visit a buddy who moved there.

I saw the old man in the mountain and rode the Mt. Washington cog train. Sad to hear that the old man fell off the mountain and the train is being replaced.

[grey_whiskers]

I thought this thread was about another topic entirely!

(Cue "Puffin' Billy" aka "Captain Kangaroo Theme")

Cheers!

[GonzoGOP]

"I wonder how much tourist biz will fall off because it’s no longer a noisy, smoke belching, steam locomotive?"

A lot. Railfan's love the old teapots. Might not want to have thousands of them hauling the freight and smoking up the suburbs, but on a tourist train they are the best. Heck put a wood burner on the run and call it an "Alternative & renewable fuel locomotive ".

[Roccus]

This is a damned shame!

[230FMJ]

I’m glad that you got to see New Hampshire before the Old Man fell and the Cog railway “went green”. It’s still a beautiful state, but the influx of Liberals from Massachusetts is changing the character of the state for the worse.

20 years ago I took my youngest daughter on a trip up the Cog Railway. It cost me almost a day’s pay even then, but it was worth every penny.

[Roccus]

Another factor may be that the engine needed a complete rebuilding.

There are more than one steam locomotive that climb this mountain....3 or 4 IIRC can be on the mountain at one time

Boiler explosions do tend to attract such a large number of lawyer, after all.

From the article it appeares that the new locomotive will still be steam, just not coal fired.

[NHResident]

The claim was that God put the Old Man up because he ‘made men’ in New England. I suspect that it came down because it’s no longer true. Just look at the evidence: 1) NH is ‘blue’ with 2 Dims as US Representatives, 2) ‘staunch Catholic’, pro-abortion, ex-Governor Shaheen leads the Dem race to replace current Senator Sunnunu, 3) Gov. Lynch re-elected governor is a virtual clone of Ohio’s Kucinich, 4)NH is rapidly becoming Massachusetts - North with it’s ban on in-door smoking, liberal courts and demands for a state sales tax.

[Roccus]

Fading RR history PING!

[hellbender]

The steam locomotives look like antiques but the machinery is rebuilt and not likely to blow up. Luckily I saw 2 engines passing each other on Mt. Washington, both putting out wonderful plumes of smoke a few years ago.

Here's a quote about Steamtown in Bellows Falls, VT:

Then, in 1970, Vermont passed air quality regulations which prohibited steam operations. Diesel locomotives were then used on Steamtown excursions, however, ridership fell dramatically.

[libs_kma]

My friend married a girl from Keene and he and I used to joke that he found one of the last conservatives left in NH.

It's a damn shame that Vermont and NH are filled with so many stinking liberals, because that's some beautiful country you have there.

[Roccus]

The soot and sulfur smell were part of the experience of riding the cog railway as much as the jerky motion. I've ridden to the summit three times and though I had no plans of returning, I still find this sad.

[rrrod]

Tar and feather the commies!