A Train Ride UP Lookout Mountain

The weather cleared in the morning and we decided to take a trip to Lookout Mountain on the Georgia border. The first thing we did is take a ride on the Incline Railway up to the top… Straight up to the top!

“During the railroad boom of the 1880's, a luxury hotel resort was developed on the mountaintop that was serviced by a simple narrow gauge railway. However, in November of 1895, a new, broader gauge passenger railway simply known as "The Incline" opened to easily whisk residents and visitors up and down the steepest part of Lookout Mountain.

Built by John Crass and the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway Company, The Incline is a technical marvel that at its extreme reaches an incline of 72.7%, making it one of the steepest passenger railways in the world. The original coal-burning steam engines were replaced by two 100-horsepower motors in 1911, but other than that the railway hasn’t changed very much in its more than 100 years of operation.

Today, The Incline still attracts people from around the world and has carried literally millions of residents and tourists up and down historic Lookout Mountain. Hop aboard and enjoy a ride on ‘America’s Most Amazing Mile’ today!” from ridetheincline.com

When we got on the train, I was puzzled as to why the floor was stairs and why there were windows on the ceiling???

We settled into our seats and relaxed to enjoy the trip…

It didn’t take long before it all started to make sense…

the trains work on a pulley-like system

   

now the ceiling windows make perfect sense!

nearing the top

That’s why we needed steps on the floor!

You get a much better sense of the steepness of the tracks once you reach the top! And you get a real trust in the brakes!

The view of the valley below was lovely from the top!

 

And so were the houses! The residents use the incline in inclement weather or in emergencies…

There is also another military park and museum…

  And before we knew it, it was time to head back down and on to our next destination…

here’s what makes the whole thing run 

It seems a whole lot scarier going down!

I don’t think I’d want to live right on the tracks…