Alumni Profiles

Cog Railway engineer Larry Barrett '72 prepares for a trip up Mt. Washington.

In the days before Nintendo, many children used to picture themselves growing up to become a railroad engineer. Larry Barrett '72 no longer has to put away childhood fantasies. After a long career that included raising Morgan horses and selling mutual funds, Barrett has what he calls his "dream job" as an engineer on the Mt. Washington Cog Railway.

From May through October, Barrett drives a coal-fired steam locomotive 2.8 miles up to and down from the summit of Mt. Washington, which at 6,288 feet is New England's tallest peak. The cog railway is the world's first and oldest, launched in the 1860s by a prosperous businessman-inventor who saw the potential for tourism in the heart of the White Mountains. Seven trains continue to ferry thousands of curious visitors to the wind-swept peak, their engines driving spur gears that lock into a cog rack lying between the two rails. "It's the only type of train that could get up such a steep slope," says Barrett. A conventional train can manage a grade of perhaps 4 percent; at the steepest part of the cog railway, the grade is 37 percent, and passengers at the front of the coach are 14 feet higher than passengers in the back.

Barrett starts his work day at 7 a.m., inspecting his train and overseeing the loading of the ton of coal that will be needed for each trip. During the ascent, the fireman shovels coal into the firebox while Barrett makes valve adjustments, adding water—1,000 gallons in all—to keep the steam pressure at 150 pounds. A brakeman watches the track ahead for obstacles; in May and October, it's likely to be snow. "It's a bad mountain," Barrett points out. Along the route are monuments marking where climbers have died. "The challenge is making peace with the mountain, making it up and back safely. It's a rush. Once you get a taste of the cloud, and smell the cold, you're hooked."

Years ago, before UNH, Barrett was a "cogger," working his way up from fireman to engineer. Last year, when the new management asked if he'd like to work there again, he didn't need to be asked twice. For the rest of the year, Barrett works at Bretton Woods, a ski resort operated by the railway's owners. It's an ideal arrangement for anyone who likes the outdoors, and during the summer, two of his five sons work alongside him, as his fireman and brakeman. Barrett, a devoted father, is delighted: "What a deal, to work with your own kids."