ML>I have heard of that one.  I don't know if it is a cog railway or not.  But
ML>it has "stairstep" cars, like you described, then it very well may be a cabl
ML>railway.
ML>Cog railways generally won't run on grades in excess of 50%, due to the
ML>tremendous stress on the running gear.  Usually, in cases like that, a rail-
ML>road will opt to use a cable railway, which can ascend extremely steep
ML>inclines.
ML>One example of this is the (now closed) Mount Manitou Incline.  It was a cab
ML>railway, although very short (about 3/4 mile), running from Manitou Springs
ML>to the top of Mount Manitou, about 9000 feet.  But when it was running, it w
ML>the steepest incline in the world, with a grade of 96%!
ML>I hope I'm not boring you with train talk.  But you might be able to tell th
ML>I am a train buff!  ;>
Not at all! I'm a train buff also, albeit not to the extent that you
might be. I know that the Mt. Lowe had some sort of help in the center
of the rails. Whether it was a cable or a cog, I don't know. There is a
rare book entirely about that one ry, but I havn't yet found it in used
book shops. The author, Spencer Crump wrote others about LA's defunkt
1100 miles of interurban ry's and it briefly covers that one.
I would say that it's safe to assume you have been to Forney Museum in
Denver? I was always impressed by the massive stature of the Big Boy,
but that one there is in a poor state of decay. Cheyenne has a better
restored one and their are 6 others elsewhere around the US.
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