Lookout Mountain Incline Railway

Lookout Mountain Incline Railway
A view down the 1-mile (1.6 km) length of the railway from the top of Lookout Mountain
Lookout Mountain Incline Railway is located in Tennessee
Lookout Mountain Incline Railway
Lookout Mountain Incline Railway is located in the United States
Lookout Mountain Incline Railway
Location3917 St. Elmo Avenue, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37409
Coordinates35°0′28″N 85°20′8″W / 35.00778°N 85.33556°W / 35.00778; -85.33556
BuiltNovember 16, 1895 (128 years ago) (1895-11-16)
ArchitectJosephus "Jo" Conn Guild Sr.
NRHP reference No.73001774[1]
Added to NRHPApril 26, 1973

The Lookout Mountain Incline Railway is a 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge[2] 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.[3] 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.[4] It obtained Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark status in 1991. The cable system for the cars was made by the Otis Elevator Company.

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. ^ "Trams of the World 2017" (PDF). Blickpunkt Straßenbahn. January 24, 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 16, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  3. ^ Wohlfarth, J. (2007). See Rock City. Cincinnati Magazine, Vol. 41(Issue 1), P39-40, 2p.,
  4. ^ Directions and FAQ