The Lookout Mountain Incline Railway is a 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm ) standard gauge inclined plane funicular railway leading to the top of Lookout Mountain from the historic St. Elmo neighborhood of Chattanooga, Tennessee . Passengers are transported from St. Elmo's Station at the base, to Point Park at the mountain summit, which overlooks the city and the Tennessee River . It is just a short drive to three of Chattanooga's main tourist attractions, Ruby Falls , Cavern Castle, and Rock City . The railway is approximately one mile (1.6 km) in length ( single-track except for a short two-track passing loop at the midway point, allowing operation of two cars at one time). It has a maximum grade of 72.7%, making it one of the world's steepest passenger railways. It obtained Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark status in 1991. The cable system for the cars was made by the Otis Elevator Company .
6-670: The Lookout Mountain Incline Railway (Incline No. 2) was opened on November 16, 1895, by the Chattanooga Incline and Lula Lake Railway and functions as a major mode of transportation to the top of the mountain. It was the second of two inclines constructed on Lookout Mountain; the first was the Chattanooga and Lookout Mountain Railway (Incline No. 1), which operated from 1886 to 1895 and dismantled in 1900. Service
12-681: Is now operated by the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority , the area's public transit agency. The Incline Railway is a well-known and beloved Chattanooga landmark; the railway has been depicted in numerous regional and national publications, including being on TV, most prominently on Larry the Cable Guy 's Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy in February 2011. The railway
18-665: Is one of the main tourist attractions in the Chattanooga area, totaling over 100,000 visits annually. The top station features an observation deck and a gift shop. This United States rail–related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about transportation in Tennessee is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Chattanooga and Lookout Mountain Railway The Chattanooga and Lookout Mountain Railway
24-461: Was a historic, 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm ) standard gauge railroad that operated in the southeastern United States. The company was chartered in 1887 and started operations in 1889, running from Chattanooga, Tennessee to the Lookout Inn , a hotel at the summit of Lookout Mountain, Tennessee . The railroad was apparently not a financial success as it
30-631: Was abandoned in 1899. It was subsequently purchased by the Chattanooga Railway and Light Company and rebuilt for electric streetcar operation in 1913. Regular daily services ran on this line until 1920, when services were reduced to operating only on days that the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway was shut down for essential repairs. This substitute service ended in 1924, but the line remained in place until sometime after August 28, 1928, when mountaintop car service
36-410: Was disrupted twice by fires that destroyed the powerhouse, upper station and cars stored there overnight (the first fire occurring on December 13, 1896, and the second on March 24, 1919). Both fires put the railway temporarily out of service, substitute service being provided by the Chattanooga Railway and Light Company's Lookout Mountain route. The railway was sold in the 1940s to Southern Coach Lines and
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