NORTH CONWAY, N.H. — The owner of the Mount Washington Cog Railway is proposing stationing railcars near the summit of the mountain to serve as overnight accommodations and a restaurant.
The Associated Press reports owner Wayne Presby’s project would cost nearly $14 million, and would station 18 cars at an elevation of about 5,800 feet from mid-May through mid-October. Nine sleeping cars would accommodate up to 70 guests.
The project was presented earlier this month to the Mount Washington Commission, and Presby says it has the support of the state. The plan would include piping sewage down the mountain; in exchange, the Cog railway would agree not to pursue further expansion at the summit.
Presby had proposed a 25,000-square-foot, 35-room hotel at the summit several years ago, but that proposal was scrapped in the wake of criticism from environmentalists and hikers.
