With the help of a 135-year-old train, novice and intermediate skiers can now try out the highest peak in the Northeast. For the first time, the Mount Washington Cog Railway is operating during winter months, functioning as a chugging, smoke- and steam-spewing ski lift. The world's oldest operating cog railway takes riders about halfway up the 6,288-foot mountain, where they can ski or snowboard down a narrow, groomed mile-long stretch alongside the tracks.

Lou Keller of Stratton, Vt., boards the cog railroad train with his skis. (Concord Monitor photo/Jason Arthurs) Zoom Purchase Photos Online

"I think it's a pretty neat idea that you can say you've skied Mount Washington," said Martha Wilson, a spokeswoman for the nearby Mount Washington Resort. "Traditionally it's something only really advanced skiers do."

Advanced skiers may want to stick to Tuckerman's Ravine on the east side of Mount Washington, which has no lift and requires skiers to hike several hours up an often nearly-vertical surface. But for those who want bragging rights without the work, the slope along the cog railway offers the comfort of an enclosed, heated train instead of a chilly ski-lift ride.

"It's cool because it's not cold," said Ashley Forge, 17, a junior at Franklin High School. She and her cousins, Alice and Doug Dionne of Franklin, agreed that when they feel a little lazy, they'll come to snowboard at the cog rail slope.

And the appeal of the train alone has attracted non-skiers to Marshfield Station, where the train begins its ascent every half hour.

Kate Hart, 65, of Grantham, England, was glad she could enjoy Mount Washington and the train even though she does not ski.

"It's such enormous history, and they're such enthusiasts, aren't they, the people that run this railroad?" Hart said.

Many of the railway workers, including engineer Joe Eggleston, have worked on the cog for more than a decade - until now, only in warm weather. With about 20 passengers aboard on a recent weekday afternoon, Eggleston yanked the whistle cord in an engine called Kancamagus and, with a huge grin on his face, started the 10- to 15-minute climb. Once a minute, Bruce Houck tossed a shovel full of coal into the firebox, where a massive orange flame heated water. The steam provides the power for the engine to push the passenger car up the mountain.

When the train reached a steeper incline, Eggleston bore down on a floor pedal that released some of the steam pressure. The train jolted and jerked forward as the teeth of the cogs hooked into rungs in the center of the track, rocking the 18-ton engine up the slope. Steam filled the engine room where Eggleston sat, obscuring all but his blackened gloved hand that pulled another shrill whistle out of the train.

To prepare the railway for winter operations, the tracks have to be shoveled and scraped free of ice. A

snow blower is also available to help with the work. A snow-making system was also installed to run the whole length of the slope, from the Waumbeck Platform down to Marshfield Station.

In the two weeks the cog ski train has been running, it has not yet brought more than 100 people on a single day. But it can carry up to 70 people in each of four available cars.

Some skiers at the mountain last week were disappointed that they couldn't ski from a higher point on the mountain.

"I came all the way up the track, and I wanted to see the view," said Lou Keller, 54, of Stratton, Vt. "This is like a work horse with blinders on."

In coming years, the slope may be extended up the tree line, since there is another third to a quarter of a mile of slope beyond Waumbek Platform that is already cleared and ready for skiing, said Wayne Presby, president of the railway.

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