Meet Old Peppersass, the killer locomotive you can still see in New Hampshire

Old Peppersass’s Fatal Plunge During Railway Anniversary Celebration

The 1929 celebration of Mount Washington Cog Railway turned tragic in just minutes.

Old Peppersass, the 1866 locomotive that built the railway, was making a special run for the 60th anniversary when disaster struck. As the train made its way down Jacob’s Ladder, a cog tooth broke loose.

Soon after, the train jumped the track and raced downhill out of control.

The crew leaped to safety, but photographer Daniel Rossiter, just 33 with a new wife and baby at home, fell to his death while trying to save his camera.

Today, the rebuilt Old Peppersass stands at the railway’s base station in New Hampshire, a silent witness to that fateful day.

Boston & Maine Railroad Brought Old Peppersass Back for a Special Day

The Boston & Maine Railroad took Old Peppersass out of retirement for a big event in 1929. Workers at their Concord shops fixed up the old 1866 train after it appeared at the 1893 World’s Fair.

Railroad bosses wanted the original engine to help celebrate the Mount Washington Cog Railway’s 60th birthday on July 20, 1929. Old Peppersass hadn’t run since 1878, spending years as a display at fairs and museums.

VIPs waited at the top for a fancy celebration meal.

Jack Frost and His Son Joined a Team of Journalists for the Historic Ride

Jack Frost drove Old Peppersass that day. His name fit perfectly for someone working on New Hampshire’s cold mountain.

Frost brought his son along for the special trip. Several reporters came to write about the anniversary for their newspapers.

Daniel P. Rossiter, a 33-year-old photographer from Ludlow, Vermont, came to take photos for the railroad.

He brought expensive camera gear for the job, hoping the high-profile work would help his growing career and support his young family.

The Climb Up Mount Washington Started Without Any Problems

Old Peppersass handled the first part of the trip really well.

The upright boiler that made the train look like a pepper sauce bottle worked just like before, leaning with the steep slopes.

The engine’s 19-cog drive wheel fit perfectly with the ladder-like track, using the original Marsh system to climb steadily.

People watching from below felt proud seeing the world’s first mountain-climbing cog train working again. Everything went smoothly during the first part of the climb.

The Train Conquered the Steepest Section of Track on the Mountain

Old Peppersass reached Jacob’s Ladder, the hardest part of the railway at mile marker 2. 25.

This section had a 300-foot wooden bridge standing 25 feet above the rocky ground, with a very steep 37. 41% grade.

Train experts called Jacob’s Ladder the steepest railroad bridge in the world and the most amazing part of the entire railway. The train tackled the same tough section that tested building crews back in 1868.

A Small Broken Tooth Led to Big Trouble

The trouble began during the trip down from Jacob’s Ladder when a tooth broke off one of Old Peppersass’s gear wheels.

This small break made the train jump up and land to the right of the track, throwing the old engine off course. The 63-year-old train only had old-style friction brakes, which didn’t work in this emergency.

Engineer Jack Frost tried hard to slow the runaway train but couldn’t stop it from speeding up. Gravity took over as Old Peppersass raced toward the station below.

The Crew Made Split-Second Decisions to Save Their Lives

Jack Frost quickly saw they couldn’t stop the train and told everyone to jump. Frost and his son leaped from the speeding engine, both breaking bones when they hit the ground.

The journalists also jumped to safety as Old Peppersass picked up speed.

Almost everyone got away from the runaway train except for one person – photographer Daniel Rossiter. As the train rushed toward certain crash, Rossiter stayed on board, creating a life-or-death situation.

Recovery Teams Found Rossiter’s Camera Ready to Take a Picture

Daniel Rossiter waited too long to jump because he tried to save his expensive cameras stored in the train’s tender.

As the railroad’s official photographer for the event, he might have thought pictures of the crash could make him famous. His wife Ann waited at home in Ludlow with their newborn baby girl Constance.

The photo job with the railroad meant a lot to Rossiter’s young family. His high-end camera gear was both his job and future.

Old Peppersass Took Its Final Plunge With Rossiter Still Aboard

The train kept going faster down the steep Jacob’s Ladder section with Rossiter still on it. The runaway engine jumped completely off the track and fell off the bridge into Burt’s Ravine below.

Rossiter fell to his death as the train crashed into the rocky ravine. He was the only person who died in the accident.

The crash broke Old Peppersass into many pieces when it hit the rocks.

The boiler didn’t burst during the violent crash, which stopped an explosion that could have caused more damage.

Recovery Teams Found Rossiter’s Camera Ready to Take a Picture

Railway workers and investigators climbed down into Burt’s Ravine to get Rossiter’s body and check the wreck.

They found his camera set up and ready to take a photo, suggesting he planned to take pictures of the crash until the end.

Crews carefully gathered all the broken pieces of Old Peppersass from the ravine floor to study them. Their search showed that a broken cog tooth caused the first problem and the tragedy that followed.

News about the crash spread quickly.

Railway Officials Rebuilt the Historic Locomotive Piece by Piece

Despite the heavy damage, the railway decided to put Old Peppersass back together using its scattered pieces. Workers carefully rebuilt the train’s parts to fix the historic engine for display.

The rebuilding process showed both how strong the original 1866 design was and how much the railroad valued its history.

Old Peppersass would never run again, but the restoration saved the train as a piece of American history.

Old Peppersass Still Stands as a Monument to Triumph and Tragedy

You can see Old Peppersass today at the Mount Washington Cog Railway’s Marshfield Base Station. The locomotive greets visitors as a reminder of both innovation and loss.

Daniel P. Rossiter joined the list of people who lost their lives to Mount Washington’s dangers.

The 1929 accident pushed the railway to improve safety measures and equipment standards. Old Peppersass continues to draw crowds at special events and festivals.

Its story lives on as an important chapter in American railroad history, showing how quickly a celebration can turn to disaster when machinery fails.

Visiting Cog Railway Base Station, New Hampshire

The Cog Railway Base Station at 3168 Base Station Road in Bretton Woods offers free access to its museum, gift shop and viewing areas where you can learn about the tragic 1929 Old Peppersass derailment that killed photographer Daniel Rossiter during the railway’s 60th anniversary celebration.

The historic locomotive’s broken cog tooth caused it to crash into Burt’s Ravine. If you want to ride the train, buy tickets online ahead of time and arrive 45 minutes early.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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