It has an average grade of 25 percent, or 1,300 feet to the mile - the steepest rail line in the world. The railway climbs 3,719 feet from the base station to the summit.
A water-powered sawmill was erected on the Ammonoosuc River, and felled trees provided timbers for the trestles. Workers logged trees and built a cabin for their headquarters at the construction site. All construction supplies had to be hauled in small lots from Littleton, 25 miles away.Washington is considered to have some of the world's most extreme weather. Washington is 6,288 feet above sea level, the highest peak in the Northeast United States. The first train reached the summit on Jand has operated as a tourist attraction ever since. The route follows a prominent ridge that runs from the base to the summit. Work started in earnest in 1866 after the Civil War. Legend has it that an amendment was added offering permission to extend the railway to the moon. In 1858 Marsh applied to the New Hampshire Legislature for a charter to build and operate the steam railway and was granted permission in 1859. Aiken built a model of the roadbed and track with a cog rail system, but entrepreneur Sylvester Marsh is credited for launching the Cog Railway and bringing Aiken's ideas to fruition. People thought inventor Walter Aiken was crazy when he proposed a railway to the top of Mt. Its cog rail system allows the railway to overcome grades exceeding 37 percent. Washington Cog Railway was the first mountain climbing railway in the world.