They said Sylvester Marsh was crazy, and maybe he was - crazy like a fox. His vision to begin building the first mountain-climbing cog railway in the world became reality in 1866, inspired by the grandeur of Mount Washington and the desire to allow many others to enjoy it. Now, 145 years after the "Railway to the Moon" (as it once was called) began operating, a new documentary by New Hampshire Public Television explores the history of the iconic Mt. Washington Cog Railway, from its founding visionary Sylvester Marsh to the present day, and all the dramatic moments that have tested the existence of this engineering marvel. The railroad was intended to be a draw for tourists - to allow people to see the awe-inspiring beauty of the highest peak in the Northeast and to reach its summit. Sylvester Marsh, through ingenuity and inventiveness, created the world's first cog railway that could climb miles and miles of elevation, fighting gravity and inertia. On July 3, 1869, "Old Peppersass" became the world's first cog-driven train to climb the 6,288-foot Mt. Washington.
