The Cog Railway Disaster: White Mountain National Forest

Summary

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National Park After Dark Podcast

Episode: The Cog Railway Disaster: White Mountain National Forest
Hosts: Danielle LaRock & Cassandra Yahnian
Date: July 6, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode of National Park After Dark delves into the harrowing Cog Railway disaster of 1967 on Mount Washington, located within New Hampshire's White Mountain National Forest. Hosts Danielle and Cassie craft a gripping narrative of engineering ambition, extreme mountain weather, and catastrophe—shedding light on one of the darkest chapters in New England's history. Blending historical context, personal stories, and reflection on safety advancements, the episode aims both to intrigue and to caution, all while celebrating the enduring legacy of public lands.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Awe and Anxiety of Riding the Cog Railway

• The episode opens with vivid imagery of riding the world’s first mountain-climbing train, climbing the windswept slopes of Mount Washington.
• The track’s steepness, especially at Jacob’s Ladder with a mind-boggling 37.4% grade, regularly unnerves passengers:

  “Every instinct tells you that this is too steep for a locomotive.... Even the calmest passengers find their minds drifting to the same unsettling what if—the brakes fail? What if the engineer can't stop the train?” (00:02)

2. Hosts’ Personal Connection and Confessions

• Cassie reveals she’s never actually ridden the Mount Washington Cog Railway or summited Mount Washington, despite being a New Hampshire native, to Danielle’s shock and amusement.
• This playful, confessional exchange brings levity and relatability to the episode:

  “I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I’ve been waiting to tell you for, like, eight years.” – Cassie (03:46)
  “You know what we’re doing? We’re hiking up there, and then we’re going to take the cog down to save our knees.” – Danielle (04:50)

3. Historical Context: Building a Railway Against the Odds

• The cog railway was the brainchild of Sylvester Marsh, who, after nearly dying on a hike, envisioned a way for the masses to safely experience the mountain.
• Marsh was initially ridiculed—“Crazy Marsh”—but persevered to create a groundbreaking rack-and-pinion railway against extreme weather and skepticism.
• Danielle provides personal trivia about Mount Washington:

  “It recorded 231 mile per hour wind speeds, which is the highest ever recorded on Earth, which is really cool. And that happened in 1934, and it’s yet to have been broken.” (08:49)

4. Tourism and the Development of the Summit

• Mount Washington rapidly became a tourism hotspot in the 19th century; iconic hotels like the Summit House and Tip Top House were constructed against the odds, catering to adventurers and the wealthy.
• The railway made the perilous ascent accessible, cementing the mountain’s reputation and inspiring similar railways worldwide.

5. The 1967 Cog Railway Disaster (~20:10 – 44:00)

• Setting the Stage: On September 17, 1967, the final, overcrowded passenger car (designed for 56, carrying 85–90) begins its descent. Enthusiastic tourists—families, newlyweds, soldiers—pack the car, unaware of impending doom.
• Catastrophe Strikes:
  • A misaligned track switch at Skyline (near Jacob’s Ladder) derails the engine, uncoupling it from the passenger car, which becomes a runaway sled down one of the steepest grades in the world.
  • Brakeman Charlie Kennison’s desperate attempts to halt the car are futile. Some passengers, in terror, jump from the moving car onto unforgiving granite to save themselves.
  • After just 500 feet, the passenger car derails, crashes, and is torn open—resulting in scenes of chaos, injury, and panic.

Notable Accounts:

• Passengers and rescuers recount harrowing, selfless acts:

  “A doctor…with a broken back, saw his daughter trapped beneath the overturned rail car and not breathing. He dragged himself across the rocks…began performing CPR. Miraculously, both him and his daughter survived.” (35:43)
  “Among the chaos, Ralph witnessed a young couple trying to help a severely injured passenger, despite the fact that their own child was dead beside them.” (31:04)

Casualties and Response:

• 8 killed (including 3 children); 70+ injured.
• Massive emergency response ensues; small rural hospitals adapt to treat the wounded.
• Overcrowding, paradoxically, may have cushioned the impact for some:

  “The tightly packed passengers may have acted as kind of a cushion for each other in the actual impact, which is really morbid—but that was their…[opinion].” (44:51)

6. Investigation and Aftermath (41:17+)

• Primary Cause: Human error at the Skyline switch; exact mechanism of misalignment remains debated (potentially complex manual operation, not hiker tampering).
• Immediate Reforms:
  • Trains must come to a complete stop at switches; visual confirmation required.
  • Additional crew oversight; eventual modernization with hydraulic, solar-powered switches.
• Long-term Impact:
  • The railway’s safety protocols and global rail engineering standards change in response.
  • The legacy of “Crazy Marsh” and Jitney Lewis, whose manuals and procedures shape modern mountain railways.

7. Modern Cog Railway and Lasting Legacy

• New bio-diesel engines, remote-controlled switches, and improved safety procedures have been implemented, but the railway remains a living museum of both achievement and tragedy.
• The hosts encourage listeners not to avoid the cog today—emphasizing technological progress and stewardship.
• The story stands as both a caution and a commemoration of those who lost their lives and those who ensured no such disaster would happen again.

  “More than a century and a half after the first locomotive chugged towards the clouds, the cog railway continued its journey up Mount Washington, carrying with it both an extraordinary engineering legacy and the lessons learned from one of the darkest days in its history.” (50:39)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Cassie’s confession:

  “I feel like a weight has been lifted… I’ve never been to the summit of Mount Washington.” (03:38)

• On the 1967 disaster:

  “The only thing carrying them down one of the steepest railroad grades in the world was a passenger car with no engine in front of it… Panic erupted.” (26:48)

• Account of tragedy and heroism:

  “A doctor…with a broken back, saw his daughter trapped beneath the overturned rail car and not breathing. He dragged himself across the rocks on his stomach…began performing CPR. Miraculously, both he and his daughter survived.” (35:43)

• Reflection on risk and consequence:

  “On a railway built into the side of one of the most dangerous mountains in North America, even the smallest mistake could have devastating consequences.” (45:58)

• Closing reflection:

  “Every train that climbs the mountain today is also a reminder of the generations of workers, engineers, rescuers, and passengers whose experiences shaped the railway into what it is now.” (50:28)

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Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:03 | Evocative introduction—what it feels like to ride the Cog today | | 03:13 | Hosts’ personal reveal—Cassie’s confession about never summiting | | 08:49 | Mount Washington’s weather superlative and the magnitude of its engineering feat | | 12:24 | Historical roots: Sylvester Marsh and the inception of the cog railway | | 20:10 | The day of the disaster: Setting, families, and atmosphere | | 26:48 | Catastrophe: Derailment, panic, and desperate acts | | 29:31 | The aftermath, rescue efforts, first-person survivor and rescuer accounts | | 35:43 | Survivor stories of bravery—father and daughter rescued | | 41:17 | Rescue operation, hospital response, and investigation begins | | 44:51 | Discussion of overcrowding, impact on survivors | | 50:39 | Cog railway’s legacy: safety reforms, modernization, ongoing tradition | | 55:44 | Hosts’ reflections on the coverage, listener recommendations |

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Tone & Style

• Conversational & Relatable: The hosts’ candid exchanges and humor soften the gravity of the tragic story, making for an engaging and approachable listen.
• Respectful Storytelling: They treat survivor and victim accounts with care, aiming to preserve personal stories lost to headlines.
• Balanced Perspective: While not shying from the dark history, they emphasize legacy, environmental stewardship, and the spirit of exploration.

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Summary Takeaway

This episode artfully intertwines the legacy of innovation, disaster, and resilience woven through the history of Mount Washington’s Cog Railway. Both a poignant cautionary tale and a celebration of human ingenuity, the story stands as a reminder to respect nature’s extremes and never underestimate the consequences of human error—while also honoring those who strive to make wild places safer for all.

Transcript

[A]

Riding the COG Railway, the first mountain climbing train of its kind anywhere in the world, is one of the most iconic ways to experience Mount Washington, home to some of the most extreme weather ever recorded on the planet. The brightly covered rail cars, painted in shades of red, blue and purple, with their polished wood interiors and matching benches, feel like stepping back in time in many ways. They are officially completed in 1869. The railway has carried generations of visitors up the western slopes of Mount Washington. As the train steadily climbs higher, the scenery transforms. Outside the windows at the summit, passengers step out into a world unlike the one they left behind. At the base of the mountain, they're greeted by a windswept landscape of bent, bare granite, scattered boulders, and hardy alpine plants clinging to life in one of the harshest environments in North America. On a clear day, the views stretch for more than 100 miles across New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, and even into Canada. But just as often, thick clouds race over the summit, swallowing the landscape in seconds as fierce winds whip across the exposure peak, making it immediately clear why Mount Washington has earned its infamous reputation. After snapping the classic summit photo and exploring the Sherman Adams Visitor center, complete with exhibits, gift shops, and even a post office where visitors can mail letters from the top of New England, most travelers prepare for the trip back down the railway. But for many passengers, the most nerve wracking part of the journey isn't the climb to the summit or the or even facing the mountain's legendary winds. It's stepping back aboard the train for the descent. From the summit, the COG railway begins its long descent back to the valley below. At first, it feels impossible that a train can travel down a mountainside this steep. The track averages a 25% grade, already steeper than most expert ski runs. And at one infamous section known as Jacob's Ladder, it reaches an astonishing 37.4%, rivaling the steepest double black diamond ski slopes. As the train tips forward and gravity takes over, every instinct tells you that this is too steep for a locomotive. Even the calmest passengers find their minds drifting to the same unsettling what if the brakes fail? What if the engineer can't stop the train? What will I do if something goes wrong? For most passengers, those fears are only passing thoughts. But in 1967, they became a reality. Welcome to National Park After Dark.

[B]

Hello everyone, and welcome back to National Park After Dark. I'm Danielle.

[A]

And I'm Cassey. And if you are new here, we should let you know that we are from New Hampshire and this is a home park for us that we're going to be telling a story from today.

[B]

Is this a safe space?

[A]

Is it. It's not a safe story.

[B]

I have to tell you something. I have to tell you something.

[A]

You've never ridden the cog.

[B]

Not only have I never ridden the

[A]

cognitive, you've never been to the summit of Mount Washington.

[B]

Yes. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Daniel.

[A]

That can't be true.

[B]

It is. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I've been waiting to tell you for, like, eight years.

[A]

No, no. We've done so many episodes here.

[B]

I know. I should, like. I'm like, is it too far gone? Should I just, like, keep this lie going? But you should have.

[A]

I don't know how to react. Oh, my God. Oh, my gosh.

[B]

Unless I was an infant or a small child and not.

[A]

Which does not count. Even.

[B]

Which does not count. Just like I've never been to the Grand Canyon because I was five when I went to the Grand Canyon, and I don't count that.

[A]

But I knew about that.

[B]

I know.

[A]

I want to listen back to.

[B]

Is this the end of us?

[A]

I wouldn't know, but I want to listen back to our old episodes to hear you pretending that you knew what I was talking about when I talked about. I mean, the top of Mount Washington.

[B]

I feel like I get. I get it, you know? Like, I've been around Mount Washington. I've seen Mount Washington a bunch of times from surrounding summits.

[A]

I don't know how to feel about this.

[B]

I'm so sorry.

[A]

All I can think is that we're going. We're riding. You know what? You know what we're doing? We're hiking. We're hiking up there. And then we're going to take the cog down to save our knees. And also because this story won't traumatize you unless you take the cog. So I feel like we should be on the same part because. Same wavelength. Because now I feel like I'm traumatized from knowing this story about the cog railway disaster as I have ridden it several times and I've been up there several times, and now I feel like you have to experience it with me.

[B]

Okay, that's fair enough.

[A]

We're going this summer. This summer. If this is an emergency, if I've ever heard one in my entire life.

[B]

Okay, I'm here.

[A]

I'm coming back. I can't be in this cold weather. If anyone is listening in there in Wyoming and Idaho and this area. Oh, my God.

[B]

How do you do Is.

[A]

I think it's unseasonably cold for this time of year. I'm not sure, but I was in snow this morning. I drove through a snowstorm this morning and it is kind of currently June 29th. As we are recording this.

[B]

We got on a zoom this morning and Cassie and I have been on like separate vacations over the last week, so we haven't really like had any meetings or whatever. We get on our first meeting in days without seeing each other. We all pop on at the same time. I'm legitimately like sweating. I'm in a tank top. I'm like sun kissed, glowing.

[A]

It's dewy.

[B]

It's nice. I look over at Cassie's little square. She has a sweatshirt on with a puffy over it.

[A]

And my wood stove was on because it's so cold here. So I'm dreaming of Mount Washington weather.

[B]

Okay, well, now that we've cleared the air, I would like to just let the record show I have been on a cog before to Pike's Peak.

[A]

It's not. Does not count.

[B]

I'm sorry. I just want to. That's like being like, I haven't been

[A]

on Mount Washington, but I did go hiking in Washington State.

[B]

That. It's not the same thing. Hold on. Let's do a couple fast facts here

[A]

about cogs, because the New Hampshire cog railway is the first one in the whole world.

[B]

Yes. However, the cog in Pikes Peak is the highest cog railway in the world. 9 mile scenic journey up the 14,115 foot summit of Pikes Peak. Okay, yada yada. I just wanted to say, like, I. Okay, I don't need to defend myself anymore.

[A]

I'm sorry. You've been on a cog, but not the Mount Washington one?

[B]

No, certainly not. Okay, so this one was founded in 1889 and successfully reached the summit for the first time on June 30, 1891. And that's that on Pikes Peak cog,

[A]

which is not where we're going today. And oh my God, we're planning a trip. I'm planning a trip for us.

[B]

We're. You guessed that pretty quick.

[A]

I knew it immediately. As soon as you were like, I have a confession to make. I was like, oh, no. I could just see it. I could see it in your face.

[B]

I'm just trying to be honest.

[A]

I literally have in here. So of course we have both been to Mount Washington.

[B]

Think again.

[A]

Oh, my God. I have to rewrite this entire script. I'll be right back. Um, all right, well, this is new to me.

[B]

Breaking news.

[A]

Breaking news.

[B]

I'm.

[A]

I'm thrown off completely. But I guess I will change my intro that I started here. I was like. I was like. So, of course, we have both been to Mount Washington. Um, and of course it's a staple in our experience.

[B]

Of course, it's one of the cornerstones of my entire personality. Yeah. Wow. Everyone knows that about me. I love summiting Mount Washington.

[A]

Yeah. And you've done it a lot. That's so crazy. All right, we're going to get into the story because the cog railway, as I mentioned, is the first of its kind in the entire world, and it's in New Hampshire, which is exciting. And what makes it extra special is because Mount Washington, if you have not listened to some of our past episodes or if you're not aware, is known for the worst weather on the entire planet. And it recorded 231 mile per hour wind speeds, which is the highest wind speeds ever recorded on Earth, which is really cool. And that happened in 1934, and it's yet to have been broken. So them building this cog railway was a big deal because it was known for the worst weather in the world. And of course, because I love New Hampshire and I love the White Mountains, it's one of my favorite places to visit. And I know there's a ton of people who visit. When I've researched it in the past, there's over 3 million people who visit every single year. I figured since I love it so much and we love the White Mountain so much, I want to traumatize you all today by a really horrific story of the cog railway, which is a staple in your experience when you go visit Mount Washington and will be a staple in Danielle's experience when we go and she gets to ride the cog. So we will, yeah, totally dive into this story and hopefully you'll still want to ride the cog railway after this story, because it is really cool. And I will just preface that the technology that exists at the cog is much different today than in this story. So if you are heading to Mount Washington and you are planning to ride the cog, please don't let this story deter you. So let's start kind of at the beginning. For nearly 100 years, from its opening in 1869 until 1967, the Mount Washington Cog Railway carried passengers safely up and down one of the most dangerous mountains in North America. Families boarded the small train expecting breathtaking views, fresh mounted air, and the unforgettable thrill of climbing nearly straight into the clouds aboard the world's first mountain climbing cog railway to the summit of Mount Washington at 6,288ft. Which reminds me, we're going to have to get a summit photo together because you don't have a summit photo and we need a summit photo.

[B]

Okay. Well, I've never been to the top, so I'm ashamed. I'm sorry.

[A]

Doing it. You don't have to be ashamed. I'm actually a little excited the more I think about it.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

This was operating safely for a hundred years. So few people realize the dangers that could happen there. But on September 17, 1967, the side of Mount Washington became one of the deadliest train disasters in New England's history. Despite the disaster we are going to dive into during this episode, today, the cog railway is still one of the most iconic attractions in New Hampshire with upwards of 150,000 people. Mine, not Danielle. Riding it every single year.

[B]

I'm never gonna live this town. I'm sorry. I'm dead.

[A]

So a little bit of backstory on this train. This historic train climbs three steep miles to the summit of Mount Washington, which of course, is known for some of the worst weather of the world, where they actually have hurricane force winds batter the summit for more than a hundred days per year, which is pretty crazy. I do want to just talk about the railway and its history a little bit and why it's even on Mount Washington and how that started.

[B]

So.

[A]

The railway was originally built in the 1860s after a businessman named Sylvester Marsh nearly died while hiking Mount Washington with his pastor during a recreational trip through the White Mountains. At the time, the White Mountains were exploding in popularity as one of America's first major tourism destinations. Wealthy travelers from Boston and New York flocked to New Hampshire by train each summer to escape crowded industrial cities and experience the region's dramatic scenery, cool mountain air, and luxurious grand hotels that that were rapidly appearing throughout the region. And of course, now if you go up to New Hampshire, there are a ton of historic hotels. And of course, one of those main ones is the Mount Washington Hotel, which I think is kind of the prime example of luxury hotels that were popping up in northern New Hampshire at this time. So as tourism was Booming in the mid-1800s, reaching the summit of Mount Washington became one of the ultimate travel accomplishments in the Northeast. It was like, this is the largest mountain, it has the worst weather in the world. If you get up here. That is was an achievement. And it kind of became something that the rich and wealthy were like, yeah, let's go up there.

[B]

It's like a badge of honor type of thing.

[A]

Truly. Now you get a sticker. But back then you got like, you're like, I'm rich. I got to the summit of Mount Washington. And now you get to put a sticker on your car that says this car climbed Mount Washington or. Yeah, yeah, they sell those stickers.

[B]

Yeah. You don't get a sticker if you hike it. No.

[A]

Which is kind of messed up when you think about it because hiking it is way harder than driving up the road. Yeah. Although the road is kind of sketchy. I feel like summer has two seasons. There's hiking season and there's grilling season around our house. If we're not outside exploring somewhere, Al is usually outside standing over our grill. Since I'm a pescatarian and Al eats meat, we've actually found butcher box to be a really easy way to keep both of us happy. I can stock up on wild caught seafood while he gets the beef and chicken that he loves. And it all arrives in one box. Butcherbox delivers 100 premium protein options straight to your door. From grass fed beef to wild caught seafood, it's all raised and sourced the right way. No antibiotics, no hormones, no fillers, just clean, reliable protein. You can feel good about serving. And especially during grilling season, that quality really matters. Better meat means better flavor, fewer mistakes on the grill, and meals that actually live up to the moment. Whether you're hosting friends or just making dinner at home. I also really love how customizable it is. I we can build a box that actually fits both of our diets. It ships free and they even include recipes, grilling tips, and exclusive deals. It takes one more thing off our plate during an already busy summer. As an exclusive offer, new listeners can get their choice between free ribeyes for a year or ground beef or chicken breast for life plus $20 off when you go to butcherbox.com npad that's right, your choice of ribeyes for a year or ground beef or chicken breast for life plus $20 off your first box and free Shipp. That's butcherbox.com NPAD don't forget to use our link so they know that we sent you. This episode is brought to you by IQ Bar, our exclusive snack sponsor. IQ Bars are better for you. Clean plant protein bars packed with fiber and brain boosting nutrients and zero added sugar. You no longer have to choose between healthy or delicious snacks. One thing that's always a challenge for us is finding snacks that actually travel well, whether we're driving between national parks, catching flights, or spending long days out hiking. Easy to end up grabbing whatever's convenient. I've really loved having IQ Bars on hand because they're made with simple ingredients you can actually recognize. And the number one ingredient is almonds. They don't have that overly sweet, chalky protein bar taste, and they're easy to throw in my backpack whenever we're heading out for the day. With over 20,000 5 star reviews and counting, more people than ever are starting their days on the right foot with IQ Bars, brain and body boosting bars, hydration mixes, and mushroom coffees. And right now, IQ Bar is offering our special podcast listeners 20% off all IQ Bar products, plus get free shipping. To get your 20% off, text park to 64,000. Text park to 64,000. That's park to 64,000. Message and data rates may apply. See terms for details. So to capitalize on this growing tourism craze, entrepreneurs somehow managed to construct entire hotels directly on top of the summit of Mount Washington, decades before modern roads or machinery existed there. In 1852, the Summit House was built near the top of the mountain to shelter exhausted travelers who made the difficult climb by foot, horseback, or carriage. Just one year later, in 1853, the Tip Top House was completed nearby using massive granite stones hauled up the mountain by hand and stacked into thick walls capable of surviving the summit's brutal winds and freezing temperatures. And the Tip Top House is actually still up there. I've never been in it, but it's just. It's very close to the summit sign, and I think it might be like a gift shop. It's always been closed every single time I've been there, but there's remnants of here, and you kind of see and you're like, whoa, that was a hotel at one point, because it does not look like it could have been. It literally looks like it is. And it looks like a rock shelter. It doesn't look like a hotel at all.

[B]

Yeah, hotel is probably a generous term.

[A]

Yeah. So these were. These hotels were built both out of necessity and opportunity. There were tourists who needed food, warmth, and shelter after enduring the dangerous ascent. And businessmen recognized that people were willing to pay for this once in a lifetime experience. And they also realized that eating and sleeping above the clouds on the highest peak in New England could make them some serious money. As tourism continued to grow, developers searched for even easier ways to bring visitors to the summit. In 1861, the Mount Washington Auto Road first opened as a carriage road, climbing 7.6 miles to the top of the mountain, making it one of the oldest man made tourist attractions in the entire United States. Long before modern guard rails or paved highway was put onto the otter road that we know today, travelers braved the steep mountain route by horse drawn carriage to reach the summit hotels and experience Mount Washington's famous views and dangerous weather firsthand. When Sylvester Marsh hiked and reached the peak of Mount Washington, the weather quickly turned to life threatening conditions. Thick clouds, freezing wind and blinding weather force Marsh and his pastor to seek emergency shelter at the Tip top house during the storm. And he was pretty shaken by how quickly this weather turned. He's like, it was a beautiful day, it was great, like we made it to the summit. It was hard, exhausting, but great day. And then suddenly it completely shifted to something could have turned fatal. He came up with this idea that he wanted to have some other way of transportation to get to the top so everyday people could experience Mount Washington without maybe possibly having to risk their lives or, or hike it. So his idea was that he wanted to put a train on Mount Washington. At the time, most people thought that this idea was absurd. Building a steam powered train capable of climbing one of the steepest mountains in the Northeast sounded imposs. And critics actually mocked Marsh relentlessly nicknaming him crazy Marsh and joking that he might as well build a railway to the moon. Okay, like this is Boswell, you know, everything started with a crazy idea.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

And now there's one in Pikes Peak and Mount Washington. So anyway, Marsh is coming up with this idea. He wants to build this train on Mount Washington, but everyone's calling him crazy. But Marsh pushed forward anyway, designing a revolutionary system that allowed trains to grip the mountain as they climb grades far too steep for traditional railroads. Some sections of Mount Washington, as I mentioned earlier, reach grades as steep as 37%. That's so steep that passengers looking out the window could feel as though the train was climbing straight into the sky. So you're literally just like chugging along straight uphill. Construction crews battled brutal terrain while building elevated tracks directly onto the mountainside, including the infamous Jacob's Ladder. A trestle suspended high above the rocky slope became the steepest railroad trestle in the world at the time. After delays caused by the Civil War, the Mount Washington Cog Railway officially opened in 1869 as the world's first mountain climbing cog railway. Today, riding the cog is considered a classic white mountain experience. But while riding down the steep Mountainside, it's easy to imagine, as I mentioned earlier, the nightmare scenario. Every passenger tries not to think about the derailment or the train losing its grip on the mountain, only to plummet uncontrollably towards the valley below. I don't know I wrote that because that's things that I think about. Maybe other people don't have anxiety like that, but whenever I've sat on it, I've been like, looking out, I'm like, all right, just work, please. But in 1967, passengers on the Mount Washington Cog Railway didn't have to imagine it because they lived it. On the afternoon of September 17, 1967, families crowded aboard the final passenger train of the day descending from the summit of Mount Washington. The day had been filled with unusually beautiful weather and many visitors had lingered at the summit longer than planned, enjoying the clear skies and sweeping views of New England's highest peak. As a result, the last train down the mountain was packed well beyond its seating capacity. A passenger car built for 56 people on this day carried somewhere between 85 and 90 passengers. Tourists stood shoulder to shoulder in the center aisle, gripping seatbacks and overhead supports as the train prepared for the descent. Some leaned towards the window to photograph the endless layers of red, orange and gold beginning to spread across the White Mountains for the sunset. Children pressed their face against the glass while passengers laughed, chatted and pointed towards distant peaks fading into the afternoon haze. Newlyweds, families on vacations, retired couples and sightseers from across New England and beyond were all crammed together for the ride down the mountain. Among those passengers were George and Mary Buxton, a middle aged couple from New Jersey who had saved for years to finally visit the White Mountains and ride the legendary cog railway together. Nearby sat Army Private Harry Romich. He was a 23 year old from Hinckley, Ohio, vacationing in New Hampshire with his 19 year old wife Paula before reporting to Fort Lewis, Washington to ship out for the military duty in Korea. 7 year old Eric Davies from Hampton, New Hampshire rode the train alongside his family while 15 year old Beverly Richmond traveled to Mount Washington from Putnam, Connecticut. 22 year old Shirley Zorzi had made the trip from Lynn, Massachusetts, while Charles Usher, a 55 year old from Dover, New Hampshire boarded alongside dozens of tourists excited to experience the famous railway. At sunset, the passengers packed into the overcrowded rail car had no idea that they were about to become part of one of the most deadly disasters in the mountain's history. At 5:10pm the train began descending the steep western face of Mount Washington. Inside the locomotive cab sat an engineer in training, Supervised by a more experienced engineer named Gordy chase. While most passengers were enjoying the ride, Harry rosemich found himself growing increasingly uncomfortable. Looking around at the packed aisles and crowded seats, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was simply too much weight aboard the train. As the train car headed down the steep grade, Something about the descent just didn't feel right to him. Unlike traditional railroads at the time, the cog railway relied on a specialized cog and rack system to safely travel the mountain's impossibly steep grades. And this system was a large tooth gear beneath the train Locked directly into a center rack rail Running between the tracks, Allowing the locomotive to carefully control both the ascent and descent. Without that grip on the mountain, the train could easily become a runaway sled on the steep mountain side. In the 1960s, the railway also depended On a complicated series of manual operating switches Carved into the mountain, so ascending and descending trains could safely pass each other on a single track. So I think that's really important to note, that the train going up and the train going down Is both on the same track here. Because the center rack rail Made standard railroad switches impossible, Brakeman had to physically reposition heavy steel rail sections by hand each time a train needed to move onto a siding. So it basically just, like, moved to the side, Allowed the other one up and down, and it was all very manually done. One of the most important of these passing points Was the skyline switch, which was located on the mountain near jacob's ladder, the steepest section of track on the entire railway. Just over an hour earlier on that same day, the same train had safely climbed through the skyline switch on its way to the summit. So crew members had no reason to suspect anything was wrong. What they didn't know was that somewhere ahead of them, One improperly aligned switch waited on the tracks. As the train descended towards the skyline switch, it slowed slightly, but never came to a complete stop, following standard operating procedures at the time. Inside the crowded passenger car, People continued chatting, Pointing out the sweeping views of the white mountains Glowing in the late afternoon light. Then, without warning, the locomotive slammed into a misaligned switch Inside the crowded passenger car. A violent jolt rippled through the train, Throwing passengers against seats and into one another. Harry Romish looked towards the front of the train Just in time to see the locomotive Suddenly lurch off the track. In an instant, the engine that had been guiding them down the mountain Disappeared from view, Tumbling down the rocky slope below. For a split second, confusion filled the passenger car. The coach continued rolling downhill, and many passengers had no idea what had just happened. Then the horrifying realization spread. The locomotive that had been attached to them was gone. The only thing carrying them down one of the steepest railroad grades in the world was a passenger car with no engine in front of it. And when they realized this, panic erupted. Almost immediately, passengers screamed and grabbed onto seats, windows, and each other. As the rail car continued accelerating downhill. Parents pulled children close. Taurus, who moments earlier had been admiring the view, now stared out the windows in horror. Some shouted, while others sat frozen in disbelief. Farther down the mountain, another cog train was slowly climbing towards them. Passengers aboard the ascending train suddenly saw a burst of smoke erupt near the skyline switch before realizing that the descending passenger car was no longer attached to its engine. For a terrifying moment, it appeared that the runaway rail car might slam directly into them head on. That railway car was gaining speed. Passengers screamed and grabbed onto seats, windows, and each other as the train violently shook beneath them. The sound of grinding metal echoed through the mountainside while the terrified people were thrown against the walls and into the aisles. Riding inside the passenger car Alongside the nearly 90 passengers was brakeman Charlie Kennison. As panic spread through the crowded railway car and the train began accelerating downhill, Kennison rushed to the emergency braking system, desperately trying to stop the runaway car before it picked up even more speed. But it was no use. Some passengers desperately tried to brace themselves, while others began kicking at the windows, hoping to escape before the train crashed. A handful made the desperate decision to jump from the moving rail car onto the jagged rocks below. Amid the chaos, Harry searched frantically for his wife, Paula, but he could no longer find her among the screaming passengers. Pac packed inside the car. And that, like, just. If you've seen photos of Mount Washington or you've been up there, if you look at it, and I encourage people, if you haven't, like, look up photos of it. The top of Mount Washington is just straight up Granite rock.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So to make that decision while you are careening down this mountainside on this railway car to jump out of it, that's a hard choice because you're not. You're definitely getting injured. There's not, like, maybe I'll land on a soft pasture patch of moss or grass, like, you are getting injured, especially when you're starting to move fast speeds. So the fact that people were actively jumping out of this train just shows, like, how serious this scenario just got. Then, just 500ft farther down the mountain, the passenger car finally derailed completely from the ascending train below, horrified passengers watched as a runaway railway car tore free from the tracks and appeared to launch into the air before slamming violently into the jagged rocks lining the mountainside. Inside the rail car, bodies were hurled against seats, walls, and one another as sections of the car crumpled and tore open. The force of the crash threw some passengers clear of the wreckage, while others became trapped beneath collapsed sections of the rail car. As dust, cola and debris settled across the mountainside, survivors began crawling from shattered windows and torn aluminum into a scene of devastation. Harry Romish regained consciousness, lying on his back with other passengers piled on top of him. Dazed and injured, he had no idea how he had escaped the train and where he was when he awoke to these people just on top of him. Around him, Injured passengers stumbled across the rocks in shock, while others screamed for missing family members and friends. Nearby, survivors pick through the wreckage, searching for coats and sweaters to drape over the injured. As the last daylight began slipping behind the mountains, the wind was starting to pick up across Mount Washington, and many of the wounded lay exposed on the rocky slope, bleeding and unable to move. Some wandered through the debris and shock, while others searched desperately for their missing loved ones. The ascending train that had watched the runaway rail car launch from the tracks and crash into the mountainside came to an immediate stop. Crew members and passengers alike rushed towards the wreckage. Among those to first respond to the scene was a passenger named Ralph Shackett. When he reached the wreckage, he found bodies and injured passengers scattered across the mountainside. Among the chaos, Ralph witnessed a young couple trying to help a severely injured passenger, despite the fact that their own child was dead beside them. Oh, my God. It wasn't long before the news of the disaster reached nearby towns throughout the Mount Washington valley. As reports of the derailment spread, rescue squads, ambulances, hospital staff, police officers and volunteers began mobilizing for what quickly would become one of the largest emergency responses the region had ever seen. On the mountainside, passengers from the ascending train joined railway employees in helping the injured. Those able to walk were guided away from the wreckage while rescuers worked to stabilize the most seriously wounded. The cog railway quickly transformed from a tourist attraction into a rescue operation, with trains carrying survivors and injured passengers down the mountain, while others were taken towards the summit and transported by the way of the Mount Washington auto road. As the first trainloads of injured passengers began arriving at the base of the railway, rescuers were waiting. Among them was Dan Noel of the North Conway rescue squad, who had been dispatched to assist with the growing emergency. Dan Was tasked with photographing victims, Documenting their injuries, and helping coordinate information between rescuers still working on the mountainside and emergency personnel waiting below. The first train to arrive was packed with injured but living passengers, Many suffering from broken bones, Severe cuts, and crushing injuries sustained in the crash. As dan worked among the arriving survivors, One father repeatedly tried to get his attention. Assuming the man was worried about an injured family member still on the mountain, Dan reassured him that rescue crews were bringing victims down as quickly as possible and that those with the most serious injuries were being evacuated first. The man stopped him and explained that there had been a misunderstanding. His daughter wasn't among the injured passengers still waiting to be rescued. She had actually died in the crash. This father had been trying to get his attention because he couldn't stand the thought of her being left on the mountain overnight and was begging for his help.

[B]

It's just heart wrenching, you know, it's horrible.

[A]

And I'm just, like, just reading this. A lot of this information I was reading, There's a lot of old news articles about it. I mean, this was in headlines everywhere. And it just really details a lot of the chaos that was going on In a lot of the firsthand accounts. And these are just. I wanted to include some of the firsthand accounts of people Because I think a lot of their stories got a little bit lost to history. But in these articles, there's, like, these small snippets of these people saying, like, this is what happened to me. This is what I saw. And his was. This rescuer was one of the people who came forward and was like, I was so busy. And then this horrible thing happened where this dad wanted this for his daughter. Another one of those accounts came from another person. So on the mountainside, survivors continued helping one another While they waited for rescue crews to evacuate the wounded. Among the passengers was a doctor traveling with his two young children. The crash left him with a broken back, but when he saw his daughter trapped beneath the overturned rail car and not breathing, he dragged himself across the rocks on his stomach to reach her. Despite his injuries, he began performing cpr. And miraculously, both him and his daughter survived. Wow, Just a broken back crawling across. Like, you see your kid, and that's pure adrenaline. I'm sure as soon as she was breathing again, he just, like, collapsed.

[B]

Oh, yeah, for sure. But, like, power of love, you know, like, truly makes you a superhuman.

[A]

Yeah. It's like those stories that you hear of people and they lift cars off their loved ones. It's like, how could a person I

[B]

Was like, don't tell me he lifted that crazy.

[A]

No. But he did get her out. By the time rescuers finished accounting for the passengers, eight people had been killed in the crash, including three children. With more than 70 others injured. Many victims had suffered catastrophic crushing injuries, and some bodies were so badly damaged that experience first responded. Responders struggled to process with what they were seeing. At first glance, many of the victims appeared severely burned, but the dark coating covering their skin was actually a mixture of coal dust, grease, and debris thrown across them during the crash. As survivors continued to be brought off the mountain, ambulances carried the wounded to Littleton Hospital, a small rural facility more than 30 miles away. The hospital had never faced a disaster on the scale. Yet, thanks in part to a recently developed mass casualty response plan, doctors, nurses, and support staff quickly transformed the facility into an emergency treatment Center. More than 70 patients poured through the doors that evening, many suffering broken bones, head injuries, deep lacerations, and crush trauma. Among them were George and Mary Buxton, the New Jersey couple who had spent years saving for their dream trip to the White Mountains. Mary, 47, required back surgery, but ultimately recovered. George, who was 49, suffered injuries to his head and shoulder. But despite the horrific crash, both survived and eventually returned home. Among the survivors were also the lead engineer, Gordie Chase, and brakeman Charlie Kennison, two of the crew members aboard the train that afternoon. Both men had been seriously injured. Chase suffered horrific burns to his hands, with rescuers describing those injuries as long strips of skin hanging from his fingers and palms, which they believe to have occurred as he desperately attempted to stop the train during its Runway descent. So he was just.

[B]

That's brutal. I mean, to just not. So what was he grabbing onto?

[A]

It seems like from when I was researching it, it kind of like, you know the e brake in your car. Yeah, it kind of feels like that was the. It's not exactly that, but that's like, the best way I can describe it is it's just like this big lever that he was pulling to try and break, but because there was no engine and had nothing else, and it was already on this steep, like, 37 grade or whatever it was, there was just too much gravity and force, but he, like, wouldn't let go. And it was just.

[B]

He was ripping his hands apart trying to.

[A]

Trying to stop that moly. And then Kennison was also badly burned and found in a state of shock after the crash. So those were the two employees that were on the railway car, and they were both horrifically injured. Harry and Paula ultimately survived the disaster with relatively minor injuries compared to many of the passengers around them, but the experience stayed with Harry for the rest of his life. After surviving the runaway railway car on Mount Washington, he refused to ride another train down a mountain. He's like, no, I'm good. And I feel like that is so fair.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

Like I survived it once, I'm not doing it again.

[B]

Not testing fate again.

[A]

Yeah, truly One thing you should know about my daily routine is that my dog Ember runs my life. Every single morning. She makes sure I get out of bed and take her for a long walk. And I wish that I could tell you it's because I'm incredibly disciplined and that's why we're out there. But really, it's because she refuses to let me skip it. But of course, now that we've been doing it for a while, I've grown to love it. Starting my day by getting outside and moving a little helps me wake up, clear my head, and gives me energy for the day. The only challenge is keeping that routine when I'm traveling because we're on the road a lot, especially this summer as I check off more western national parks. That's one of the reasons I've been so excited about Cachava's new travel path packs. I already drink cachava almost every day and now I can just toss a couple of packets into my backpack or into my car without bringing the whole bag with me. It's the same all in one nutrition shake I already love. Packed into convenient travel packs. Each one has plant based protein, fiber, greens, probiotics, electrolytes, vitamins and minerals, omegas, and so much more. Since making Cachava part of my daily routine, I've genuinely noticed a huge difference in my energy level, which makes it even more important for me that I can stick with that routine when I'm traveling. It makes it really easy to keep feeling my best no matter where I wake up. And if you're curious, I'm still loyal to the vanilla flavor, although I do like the other ones as well. Take your daily ritual with you. Go to kachava.com and use code npad for 15 off your first order. That's Kachava. K A C H A V A.com code npad dsw semi annual sale starts now. Twice a year. Tons of deals going fast.

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that get your budget. DSW let us surprise you. As rescue crews worked through the night and hospitals treated the wounded, attention slowly began turning towards a question that haunted the survivors. How had this happened? As investigators began examining the sequence of events, they focused on the Skyline Switch, where the disaster had started. As the train's lead engineer, Chase was responsible for checking the position of the switch as the train approached. He was also responsible for controlling the train's speed during the descent. Yet determining exactly what the crew should have seen proved more complicated than it first appeared. Other crew members, including Kennison, maintained that the switch appeared to be properly aligned. The center rack rail was often coated in dark grease, making subtle misalignments difficult to spot from a moving train, particularly in the fading light of late afternoon. So the fact that he thought it looked good didn't necessarily mean it. Something could have been wrong. As investigators pieced together the events of September 17, one question continued to haunt everyone involved. How had a switch that appeared to be correctly aligned just 75 minutes earlier suddenly caused one of the deadliest accidents in New Hampshire's history? In their investigation, they had realized that the train had safely passed through the Skyline Switch on its way to the summit earlier that afternoon. So it was sometime between that time that they had passed through the switch. 75 minutes had passed before they had been back down. Something had happened. Investigators considered several possibilities. Had someone accidentally misaligned the switch? Had it been tampered with? Or had the crew simply been unable to detect a subtle problem while descending the mountain? But all of those questions prove pretty difficult to answer. Contrary to what many people imagine, operating a switch on the cog railway was not a simple matter of pulling a lever. Former employees described the process as a complicated multi step operation requiring a precise sequence of actions. Some speculated that a hiker could have tampered with the switch, something railway employees claimed had happened before. But many doubted that explanation. Not only would a person have needed to access the switch, they would have needed to understand exactly how to operate it. So they're like, no, this is pretty difficult to do. A hiker's not just going to walk by and like, it's not a light switch where it's like, oh, you know, yeah. Investigators also examined whether the crowded passenger car contributed to the disaster. Because if you remember earlier I mentioned it was a 56 person car, but there was was close to 90 people that were there. But surprisingly, medical personnel and railway experts concluded that the extra Passengers likely had little impact on the descent itself. So they're like, no, that's not what happened. The train's braking system had been designed to control a locomotive weighing tens of thousands of pounds, meaning that the additional passengers wouldn't have really made a difference at all. In fact, some rescuers actually believed that the overcrowding may have unintentionally saved their lives. While the pack conditions created a dangerous situation inside the rail car, the tightly packed passengers may have acted as like kind of a cushion for each other in the actual impact, which is really morbid. But that was their. They're like, you know, they kind of.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And when you think about it, Harry woke up, like, covered in people and around people and they're like, kind of acted as a cushion to help for other people. Yeah. Despite the violence of the crash, damage to the railway was remarkably limited. Repairs were completed quickly, though the COG remained closed while investigators completed their work. While the railway reopened on October 5, which was like last, it was like three weeks later, new safety procedures had already been implemented. Trains were now required to come to a complete stop at every switch so crews could visually confirm track alignment before proceeding. Additional crew members were assigned to monitor the track ahead. And over the following decades, the railway gradually modernized and replaced many of the systems that existed on the mountain. In 1967, among those most affected by the disaster was former cog railway engineer and operations manager Norm Jitney Lewis, nickname for his talent, which his nickname was Jitney, nicknamed for his talent on the dance floor. Jitney had spent 18 summers working on the railway while teaching in Vermont. During the rest of the year, cogging had become a family tradition, and few people understood the operation of the railway better than he did. Over the years, he helped develop training materials, operating procedures and safety manuals intended to ensure every crew member understood the unique challenges of operating trains on Mount Washington. In a strange twist of fate, 1967 had actually been Jitney's final summer on the railway. He had left this job after his daughter had been injured in an automobile crash. But before departing, he completed one final inspection of the entire three mile line, walking the tracks and documenting their condition. In his report, written only weeks before the disaster, Jitney concluded that the track, locomotives, rail cars and operating procedures were all sound if properly maintained and followed. In his opinion, the only likely cause of a future catastrophe would be human error. When news of the crash reached him, Jitney was devastated. He was particularly troubled by reports that an engineer in training had been operating the locomotive under the supervision of Gordy Chase, a man Jitney later claimed he never approved to serve as an engineer. Whether or not Jitney's concerns were justified remains a matter of debate. But the tragedy reinforced a lesson he had spent his entire career teaching. On a railway built into the side of one of the most dangerous mountains in North America, even the smallest mistake could have devastating consequences. So he was like, hey, I don't approve of this guy he was training with. And I still conclude that this is human error. There was nothing wrong with the train was basically what he was saying. Five days after the crash, investigators reached their official conclusion. The derailment had been caused by a misalignment skyline switch and was ultimately attributed to human error rather than the mechanical failure of the locomotive, passenger car or the railway. Yet exactly how the switch came to be improperly aligned remained a question that continued to fuel debate for years afterwards. Decades later, Jitney completed the operation manuals he had spent years refining. Published as part of a three volume series set. Mount Washington Cog Railway 1950-1967 the Jitney Years. The work preserved the knowledge, procedures and stories of generation of COG railway employees. More than a century and a half after the railway first opened, thousands of men and women have worked on the mountain. Today, nearly 160 years after Sylvester Marsh was mocked for proposing a railroad up the side of Mount Washington, the COG is still carrying passengers to the summit every day during the summer. During the summer months, trains climb all the way to the top of New England's highest peak, while winter trips travel to the Wabach Station at 4,000ft. Visitors can explore the Sherman Adams Visitor center, stand on the rooftop observation deck, tour the historic Tip Top House Museum, learn about the mountain's extreme weather, or even mail a postcard from the summit post office bearing a special Mount Washington postmark. The railway has evolved dramatically since the days of the coal fire. Steam engines and manually operated switches. In 2008, the COG introduced biodiesel locomotives that reduce emissions while maintaining the character of the historic railway. Yet tradition remains alive on the mountain with century old steam engines still making occasional trips up the tracks. Modern hydraulic switches controlled remotely from the locomotive and powered by solar energy have replaced the manually operated system that can Contributed to the 1967 disaster. Additional track improvements, including a passing loop at the Wabach station have further reduced the need for trains to use switches during daily operations. Perhaps Sylvester Marsh's greatest legacy is that his once ridiculed invention changed railroading around the world. When the Mount Washington Cog Railway opened in 1869. It became the first mountain climbing cog railway ever built. Engineers from around the globe traveled to New Hampshire to study Marsh's revolutionary rack and pinion design. And within a few decades, similar railways began appearing in the Swiss Alps, Germany, Austria, Colorado, and beyond. Today, mountain railways carrying millions of passengers each year can trace their routes back to the steep slopes of Mount Washington and the determination of a man once nicknamed Crazy Marsh. The crash of 1967 remains the deadliest accident in the railway's history and a tragedy that forever changed how the COG operates. Yet every train that climbs the mountain today is also a reminder of the generations of workers, engineers, rescuers, and passengers whose experiences shaped the railway into what it is now. More than a century and a half after the first locomotive chugged towards the clouds, the cog railway continued its journey up Mount Washington, carrying with it both an extraordinary engineering legacy and the lessons learned from one of the darkest days in its history. And that is my story of the cog railway disaster on Mount Washington.

[B]

Wow. I'm, you know, it's a tragedy through and through, but based on your description and what happened, I'm surprised it's actually not more.

[A]

Yeah, I mean, the fact that 70 were. Were pretty horribly injured is a lot, but the fact that not more people died.

[B]

Yeah, I'm just thinking of, like, the boulder fields up there and just this train car off the tracks and flying through the air and crashing and twisted metal, and. I don't know, I just feel like it had the potential to be. To. To garner a higher death toll, and it did not, which is a small miracle. And it's a tragedy that people died and so many people were injured, but, man, it just felt like it had the potential to be so much worse, for sure. Oh, my goodness. Well, and I do want to redeem myself a little bit. I'll take this moment to say I have been proven wrong. Okay, well, you were. I was paying attention wholeheartedly. But I did text my mom, as one does, just to make sure, you know, my memory, we all know, is bad. And so I texted her and I said, hey, have we ever been to Mount Washington together, even if I was a kid? And she said, yeah, we took the cog railway. And I said, oh, how old was I? And she sent me a picture. She is the scrapbook queen. Okay. We have scrapbooks for so many different things. I think we have like, maybe 20 scrapbooks.

[A]

Mom's coming in with evidence right now.

[B]

Yep. And I'm sending It to you.

[A]

She has receipts.

[B]

This is. All right. They're embarrassing receipts, but they're receipts nonetheless. So she said I was 11, so this must have been if I was 11, turning 12. So this was probably 2012, because I would have turned 12 in December. And here we go. I'm sending you the scrapbook page.

[A]

Cause not only did 12, you were in college, but.

[B]

Oh, sorry. 2002. 2002. Not only are there pictures of me.

[A]

Oh, you're so little.

[B]

In a limited two camo tee and a double choker. Black plastic necklaces. I'm also. There's pictures of the cog. A cog brochure, as any good scrapbooker would do. You're at the summit, touching the summit sign.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

Well, the highest wind ever recorded by man was recorded here. There it is.

[A]

There you are. There you have it. Also, your mom looks exactly the same. She hasn't aged a day.

[B]

That's good news for me. Wonder.

[A]

That is good news for you. You should thank your mom. She has good genes.

[B]

You hear that, Mom? Yeah. So I do agree that we should go back because clearly I don't have a memory of this, and I.

[A]

It's nice to know you have physically been there. It takes the shock value a little out.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. We. We went through it a little bit. We did in the beginning there. I'm sorry. But we recovered. Yeah. We regained a little ground.

[A]

We're still doing a trip, for sure.

[B]

Okay. I'm glad you covered the story, though, because I feel like when you originally did the two episodes a few years ago on the White Mountain National Forest area, were they both on Mount Washington?

[A]

I know one of them was out in Mount Washington because I told the story of the rescuer who was killed in an avalanche.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Rescuing the two climbers who.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

So I. I'm trying to think of the other one I did.

[B]

Well, it was about the weather. Right. So it must have been. Or was that the same one?

[A]

That might have been the same one. We have to go in our catalog and look. Yeah.

[B]

Regardless, we. I think that's, like, when people started recommending this one, too. They're like, hey, there was a pretty big disaster on Mount Washington. You guys should look into it. So I'm glad we got around to it because for as many people who continue to ride the cog and are probably blissfully unaware that that happened.

[A]

I was. Every time I rode it, it.

[B]

You just rock their world.

[A]

Yep. Welcome to being traumatized.

[B]

The more you know, the more you suffer.

[A]

This is why I don't like planes. And now I won't like trains either. Nothing is safe.

[B]

No, nothing's safe. Yeah. Do you remember you took the cog, Right. At some point. Yeah, I'm sure. Yeah. Right. You already told me that. Do you remember if they do any sort of like. Because on the Pikes Peak one, they do like a little bit of. It's like a narrated type of tour.

[A]

Yeah. Each cart has a person in it that will chat with you and talk to you and tell you about the history. And I remember one time I was sitting on the cog and we were going down. So we had hiked all the way up and our knees and just legs were so tired. We're like, let's just take the cog down. Our car's in the parking lot at the bottom of the. Take 45 minutes an hour. Uh, so we. We did that. And I remember we. And the weather conditions were crazy. The wind was insane. And we were sitting in the car, just had started going. We're on one of the steeper sections going down. And he says, over. He's like, yeah, so. And I don't remember the exact. So don't quote me on the exact speed here, but he's like, yeah, today the winds are 72 miles per hour. And I was like, oh, wow. He's like, yep, we don't run if it's 73 miles per hour. And I was like, like, what? Like, that's really close. Like, what is the. What. What is the tipping point here? Like, what has to. How do we know we're not going to get to 73 mph at 72 mph?

[B]

Was he kidding with you? He must be kidding with you. I think.

[A]

No, that was really the weather condition.

[B]

Didn't feel like a joke.

[A]

No, it was. Didn't feel like a joke.

[B]

And I'm guessing they don't tell this on the tour.

[A]

I. This is the first time I heard the story. Was just researching it for.

[B]

I feel like it would be maybe a story to share after people are off the cog. I. I don't think that you'd want to share that.

[A]

Yeah. Like, right as you're approaching the bottom when.

[B]

Yeah. It's like, by the way. Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

You want everyone to have anxiety and start trying to jump out of the cog.

[B]

Probably because you don't know what that's going to do to somebody, like, in the moment.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And they don't have an opportunity to go somewhere else or get away from that situation.

[A]

Actually, if you told that story.

[B]

Yeah. While I'm not like, I don't want people to be like, oh yeah, that's an opportunity. They should do that. I don't think.

[A]

Yeah. But now everyone listening, you can go in informed and you can decide. Yeah.

[B]

All right. Well thanks so much for sharing and we'll see everyone next week. In the meantime, enjoy the view, but watch your back. Bye bye.

[A]

Thanks for joining us for another episode. We hope you learned something new and have another location to put on your list. If you want more NPAD content, make sure to follow along with our adventures on all socials at National Park After Dark.

[B]

For more stories just like this one with the added bonus of exclusive content, you can join us on Patreon or Apple subscriptions. If you prefer to watch our episodes, head over to our YouTube channel. And if you're enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate, review and subscribe on your favorite listening platform.

[A]

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