The Second Greatest Show on Earth

By Linda Tancs

When circus magnate P.T. Barnum saw the view from the summit of New Hampshire’s Mount Washington, he proclaimed it “the second greatest show on Earth.” The view is still thrilling visitors who take the Mount Washington Cog Railway (known as the Cog) to the Northeast’s highest peak. The world’s first mountain-climbing cog railway, it uses a Marsh rack system and both steam and biodiesel-powered locomotives (depending on the season) to carry tourists to the top of the mountain for panoramic views of New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Canada and the ocean. The roundtrip journey from Marshfield Base Station (on the west side of the mountain) is just under three hours.