October 18, 2019
Newport & Narragansett Bay Railroad Co. ~ First Class

Today’s ride is aboard the Newport & Narragansett Bay Railroad Company’s Autumn Harvest Luncheon train. This is the shortest train ride of any of the seven excursion trips I’ve booked, but what the heck – I’m always up for a good meal on a train.



Newport & Narragansett Bay Railroad Engine and cars
Photo courtesy of the Newport & Narragansett Bay Railroad Co.

Alas, this train was a disappointment right from the get-go. The dining car I was assigned to was configured with all 2x2 seating, with passengers sitting two people side by side facing the backs of the two people sat ahead of them.



Odd seating arrangement in our dining car


Our car appeared to be almost entirely filled with a large tour group whose two busses were parked just outside. Perhaps because I was a single traveler, I was shunted off to the very last table at the rear of the car. Thereafter I was pretty much ignored while the couples seated in front of and across from me appeared to enjoy much more attentive service. I’m not a guy who expects to be fawned over, but the disparity in service was quite egregious. Perhaps service was based upon the perception of gratuities after the meal.

Eventually I got the attention of a server who brought me a bottle of the local Narragansett Lager. The beer was priced at $6.00 a bottle while the cocktails ran from $10 to $12 each.



Still life with Narragansett Lager


As part of the booking process, you pre-order your entrée or main meal selection. This train offered a choice of a New England Pot Roast, a Turkey Dinner or some kind of vegetarian offering. I’d opted for the New England Pot Roast. When our meals were delivered – mine the very last – my portion was quite small relative to the impressive turkey dinner served to the folks across from me. Worse, both the meat and most notably the potatoes were on the cool side of tepid.



Not so good pot roast


The ride itself rolled from Portsmouth Junction up the shoreline of Aquidneck Island to the Hummocks township, located at the very tip of the island. Total one way distance was 5.5 miles for a total round trip distance of 11 miles. Train speed averaged about 5-7 mph and the scenery was comprised of mostly dark green bushes and trees. There was not much in the way of fall colors. The highlight of the trip for me was a nice view of the impressive Mt. Hope suspension bridge, which opened 90 years ago in 1929.



The Mt. Hope Suspension Bridge


Oh well – not every trip can be perfect. And, for what it’s worth, I never would have known about the Newport & Narragansett Bay Railroad if I hadn’t ridden it. Now that I have, well, once is enough for me.

Right! My next train ride will be on the famous Mt. Washington Cog Railway, located way up in the northern part of New Hampshire. I took a couple of days to get there, driving at a leisurely pace through Massachusetts and Maine. Arriving in the nearby community of Jackson, NH, I checked into The Lodge at Jackson – as nice a small property as I have ever stayed. The location, the room, the staff and the service were all top notch.

After dropping off my gear, I hopped back in the Sorrento and drove another 35 miles up the road to the railroad station at the base of Mount Washington.



Mt. Washington (6,288’) as seen from US 302


October 20, 2019
Mount Washington Cog Railway ~ Coach Class

The Mount Washington Cog Railway is the world's first mountain-climbing cog railway. It is the second steepest rack railway in the world (after the Pilatus Railway in Switzerland) with an average grade of over 25% and a maximum grade of just over 37%. The railway is approximately 3 miles long and ascends Mount Washington's western slope, beginning at an elevation of about 2,700 feet and ending just short of the mountain's summit of 6,288 feet.

A variety of departures are available throughout the day. Most are operated by biodiesel engines, but two departures are operated by the railroad’s older steam locomotives. I booked a seat on the 3:30pm steam train.



My train awaits at the Mt. Washington station


One of the steam engines used to push us up the mountain


Situated just ahead of us were two separate biodiesel trains, each towing just a single railroad car. Each car was manned by a guide/brakeman. Our guide was a colorful character named Eli. He did a great job regaling us with stories about the railway, its history and the train’s operation.



Colorful cars of the Mt. Washington Cog Railway


All Aboard! Let’s head up the mountain!


At 3:30pm the whistles blew and all three trains commenced the journey up the mountain. We were informed that the steam locomotive climbs the mountain at about 3 miles per hour and descends at a little over 4 mph. It takes it about an hour to make the journey up the mountain and only about 40 minutes to descend. By contrast, the biodiesel engines can make the uphill journey in as little as 36 minutes. So that’s why they were ahead of us. Here are some pictures from the ascent.



And we’re off!


Climbing up Mt. Washington
You can see the tracks above the water tower


Climbing up Mt. Washington
As we climbed higher, snow and ice began to accumulate alongside the tracks


Climbing up Mt. Washington
Near the top, it became so icy that we were unable to go all the way to the terminus


Because of the snow and ice, we were unable to make it to the traditional turnaround point where a large visitor center complete with restrooms and a café is located. Instead we stopped about 700’ short, so we were close enough, given the circumstances. We spent about 15 minutes up there and boarded four climbers who didn’t feel like hiking back down the mountain. The outside air temperature was in the high twenties and our car was not heated, so most of us were pretty happy when we finally commenced the journey back down the mountain.



Descending Mt. Washington
Note the angle of the window relative to the scenery


The view from inside our car


Descending Mt. Washington ~ Whoa, Nellie!


Bidding adieu to Eli, I left him a nice tip and then sped back down the road to Jackson. Just a stone’s throw from my hotel was a wonderful Irish pub called The Shannon Door. I was immediately taken with the old wooden interior and even more so by the excellent food, music and company. Tourist season was over for the most part and the crowd in the pub was a great mix of young, old and in between. I spent a pleasant couple of hours there before heading back to the lodge and calling it a night.