“All Aboard!”

15 minutes before your scheduled departure, you’ll be lined up at your gate, ready to board. You may have even already met your engineer and brakeman– we know you have lots of questions about the train and the mountain, and we try to answer as many of them as we can before departure time. We’ll check your tickets and help you find your seats, so settle in- the fun’s about to start!

Your brakeman (or brakewoman) is stationed out on the front deck for the up- mountain trip to the summit. Their primary job is to act as the engineer’s eyes, paying close attention to the track ahead, signaling the engineer across the switches, and being ready to stop the train if an animal or a hiker gets a little too close. On the way up the mountain we engage the Sprag clutch, a hydraulically powered safety mechanism that prevents the coach from rolling backwards.

But they are also knowledgable and entertaining guides, and will provide plenty of fascinating information about the railway, the mountain and the region.

On the return trip down the mountain, the brakeman will be at the brake wheels at the other end of the coach. On steam trains, we use the coach brakes to help the engineer keep the train at a constant speed. Our powerful biodiesel locomotives use hydraulic pressure to bring the train down at the proper speed, so the coach brakes are only used to stop the coach in place.

After a quick introduction and safety orientation, our dispatcher will clear your train for departure. The brakeman will give the engineer the “ALL CLEAR!” signal, and with the deep hum of a powerful biodiesel engine, or a blast of smoke and steam, your excursion to the top of New England is under way!