The Incline Railway is a popular Chattanooga tourist destination. We rode for the first time this spring and really enjoyed the unique experience. Guests board a slanted train car at the bottom of iconic Lookout Mountain and take a 10-minute ride to the top. The track reaches a 72.7% grade, making it one of the steepest passenger railways in the world, according to the attraction’s website.
The ride was beautiful. If you know much about Mr. Handsome and me, we always make a point of learning the history of the places we visit. We were fascinated to discover that the current track has been in operation since 1895. There had been an older track that opened in 1887 and ran until 1899. That means that when Teddy Roosevelt visited the Incline in 1905, during the middle of his presidency, he rode the very same track that we did.
The cars on the Incline Railway have been swapped out multiple times over its long history. The current ones were installed just before the pandemic, in early 2020. The first cars, which were wooden, were pulled by cables manufactured by the John A. Roebling’s Sons Company, the New Jersey company famous for making the Brooklyn Bridge cables.
At the top of the Incline Railway sits a station with beautiful views of Chattanooga.
I hear about all these accidents on rides and I’m 70 yrs old. I would be afraid to get on this.
Looks scary and fun!!!