I don't quite get the Cog hiker-animosity thing. The railway is an historical treasure for New England and truly unique in many ways.
They're off coal and on diesel (by popular demand). They facilitated the electrification of the summit and as a result no more roaring diesel generators in the portico. And their access road "trail" has been quite popular with some commercial guides as a winter route to the summit.
In addition their footprint on the mountain and at the summit is a lot smaller than the Autoroad's swath of pavement and expansive parking lots. And in one trip they can deliver more people to the top using a lot less energy than equivalent automobiles would consume.
So what's not to like?
Please explain...