Sylvester Marsh (1803-1884) was an American merchant and inventor who designed and built the Mount Washington Cog Railway in New Hampshire, the first mountain rack railway. He conceived the idea in 1852 while climbing Mount Washington, and although he was ridiculed as Crazy Marsh, he obtained a charter on June 25, 1858. The line formally opened on August 14, 1868 and reached the summit in July 1869. Marsh invented the particular form of locomotive, cog rail and brakes the railway used, an approach to climbing steep grades that later rack lines followed.
Facts
FAQs
Was Sylvester Marsh the first person to propose a railway up Mount Washington?
Walter Aiken proposed it and built a model first; Marsh is credited with launching the railway.
Not quite. The American Society of Civil Engineers says the inventor Walter Aiken was thought crazy when he proposed a railway to the top of Mount Washington, and that Aiken built a model of the roadbed and track with a cog rail system. Marsh is credited for launching the Cog Railway and bringing Aiken's ideas to fruition, which is why he is remembered as the builder of the first mountain climbing railway.
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Sources
1. Sylvester Marsh (Wikipedia)
sylvester-marsh lead, life dates
Sylvester Marsh (September 30, 1803, December 30, 1884) was an American merchant and inventor
sylvester-marsh lead, life dates (death)
Sylvester Marsh (September 30, 1803, December 30, 1884) was an American merchant and inventor
sylvester-marsh lead, nationality
Sylvester Marsh (September 30, 1803, December 30, 1884) was an American merchant and inventor
In Group: Railway Inventors and Industrialists, Lead sentence
Sylvester Marsh (September 30, 1803, December 30, 1884) was an American merchant and inventor who designed and built the Mount Washington Cog Railway.
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