Photographer Bob Krug
Bob Krug’s visit to the Mount Washington Cog Railway in New Hampshire certainly fits the description of going the extra step to creating a great railroad image.
With Mountain Washington transitioning primarily to biodiesel locomotives for motive power, Krug wanted to take advantage of an opportunity to photograph one of its two operationally maintained steam locomotives on the mountain. Krug rode the cog railway the day before this story would unfold, mapping out the location of the exact shot he envisioned.
“I had ridden the steam train the day before and I noted the exact time— 9:40 a.m.— that the up-bound train was traversing Jacob’s Ladder trestle which, at 37.4%, is the steepest grade on the route,” says Krug.
With optimal weather for the next day, Krug consulted his Appalachian Mountain Club White Mountain trail guide and map, and determined that he could access Jacob’s Ladder on foot by hiking the Jewell trail to where it meets the Appalachian trail. He would then follow the Appalachian trail to the Westside trail, which crossed under the cog railway near the top of the Long Trestle.
“This is already above the tree line on Mount Washington, so from the Westside trail I could parallel the cog track, and bushwhack [and] rock hop down approximately 600 vertical feet to reach Jacob’s Ladder.”
“That routing on foot gains 2,800 vertical feet in about 3.7 miles before the final rock hop downhill. I reckoned I could hike it in 4 hours, which extrapolated to a trailhead departure time of 5:00 a.m. the next day. That gave a little bit of extra time to figure out my exact photo location, of which I already had formed a good idea having scouted it from the train,” he says.
When he began the hike at 5 a.m., it was still dark and he relied on a flashlight for the first mile up Jewell trail. Otherwise, his estimates and preparation were spot-on. “ … I arrived at Jacob’s Ladder about ten minutes ahead of my estimate,” says Krug.
Not long after reaching Jacob’s Ladder, Krug heard the train whistle signaling the departure from Marshfield Station. Under clear skies and with favorable lighting, Krug waited for the steam train’s arrival.
“I heard the train whistle off from Marshfield Station at the foot of the railway, and with a big smile on my face, [I] got the shot I wanted: steam going uphill on Jacob’s Ladder.”
“It took me 4 hours to get back down to my car. I retraced my steps down the Appalachian and Jewel trails, getting some bonus shots of the biodiesel trains, and the steam train coming back downhill.”
Krug says considering the recon reconnaissance on the day before, and 8 hours of strenuous hiking on the day of the photo, he invested considerable time and sweat equity to ‘get the shot.’
Getting the shot is a series of Trains.com articles highlighting the travels of individuals who go above and beyond to capture great railroad images, like hiking several miles for the perfect overlook, or driving hours out of the way in search of something special. If you have a similar experience trackside and want to share your story, please send it to chase.gunnoe@outlook.com. Please be sure your story includes photographing trains from a safe distance and does not involve trespassing on railroad property.
