I N C L I N E R A I L W A Y

INCLINE RAILWAY

100th National Historic MechanicalEngineering Landmark

Chattanooga and Lookout Mountain, Tennessee

11 September 1991

Conquering Lookout Moun-tain is a classic story of man’squest to reach the summit ofan imposing mountain; how-ever, it was not themountaineer’s goal to reachthe summit merely because itwas there. It was, instead, thegoal of developing the moun-tain because of its potentialtourist revenue. The develop-ment was accomplished with the aid ofrail transportation, establishing tourismas the largest industry in Chattanooga.

Competition included two inclinerailways plus a broad gauge (4' 8 1/2"between rails) railroad. The winner wasthe one which could reach the summitthe fastest—the existing Incline #2.Construction challenges were over-come with innovative engineeringsolutions. Longevity of the Incline inChattanooga was achieved by recogni-tion that tourists were the major cus-tomers and that safety of operation wasof paramount importance.

Early view of Lookout Mountain

Historical Significance

The peculiar formation of LookoutMountain, rising 1500+ feet aboveChattanooga, formed a natural attrac-tion with a panoramic viewunsurpassed east of the Rocky Moun-tains. Residents of Chattanooga recog-nized its immense advantages as anadjunct to the city and for its purehygienic resources. To exploit thisopportunity, Colonel James A.Whiteside constructed a toll turnpike tothe summit in 1852, and in 1857 built

Umbrella Rock

the first hotel. Other hotelsfollowed. The mountain’s famespread and wealthy plantationowners and others flocked to thecool resort from the Atlanticcoast, New Orleans, Memphisand other points. Many naturalrock formations such as LookoutPoint, Umbrella Rock, Old Manof the Mountain, Rock City and,later, Ruby Falls, as well as thesite of the Civil War’s “BattleAbove the Clouds” added to thescenic beauty and interest. Italso offered a lower incidence ofsummer disease than the coastalplains.

After the Civil War, a competingturnpike, the St. Elmo Turnpike, wasbuilt in 1879 at a much easier gradewith the toll set at one-half that of theWhiteside road. The WhitesideTurnpike was one of HarrietWhiteside’s few sources ofincome after the Civil War,during which her hotel burned.She therefore began chargingadmission to what is now PointPark overlooking the Tennes-see River’s Moccasin Bend.An exclusive contract with onelivery service provided addi-tional income. This policyoutraged many visitors, but a Plan and Elevation of Incline #1court battle in 1883 ended withthe judge ruling in favor of theWhiteside family, upholding the rightof a property owner to selectivelyexclude anyone he desires from hisproperty.

A group of investors planned to retali-ate by building an incline railway to apoint below the bluff at Lookout Pointand constructing a four story hotel thatwould provide as good a view as thatfrom the bluff. To reach the summitwithout traversing the Whiteside prop-erty at the point, a narrow gauge (3'between rails) railroad, would beconstructed around the back side of themountain, reaching the summit nearSunset Rock. During the same period, acog railroad was proposed by thepresident of the Nashville & Chatta-nooga Railroad, J. W. Thomas. Awealthy Nashvillian, Colonel E. W.Cole, was enlisted to invest in theventure. The latter plan fell throughwhen property purchase arrangementswith Mrs. Whiteside collapsed. Eitherrailway would have provided a fast,

direct transportation link to the top ofthe mountain, which was believednecessary to develop the mountain areainto a summer resort.

It was first necessary to rapidlytransport people from downtown Chat-tanooga to St. Elmo at the base ofLookout Mountain. A streetcar lineusing horsecars was thus incorporatedfrom Chestnut Street to the Georgiastate line and completed by the end of1885.

The “Turnpike War” was rekindledagain in March, 1885, when the Ten-nessee legislature passed a bill whichprohibited discrimination against anyliveryman at any public place of resort.On July 25, 1885, Mrs. Whiteside andliverymen employed by her were foundin contempt of court and were orderedto open the gates of the Point to all.

Because of the Whiteside Turnpike, astraight route up the mountain for theincline was not feasible. Major W. R.King, stationed in Chattanooga withthe Army Engineering Department forTennessee River Improvements, thenconcocted a plan for a rail line to thesummit. The first Incline railway wouldstart north of the Whiteside Turnpike

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the Point. It then traversed sev-eral trestles and ended just southof the Point on the east brow. Itwas felt that this railroad wouldbe much more convenient, elimi-nating a horsecar ride fromdowntown, a two-block walk tothe Incline station, the ride on theNarrow Gauge Railroad and theopen-air Incline cars whichtraversed high, wooden trestles.

Surveys were begun in March,Lower Station of Incline #1

and go straight up the side ofthe mountain. After the pass-ing tracks, it would graduallycurve to the right in an almost90° curve to reach the base ofthe bluff. The maximum gradewas 33%, and the open-sided,low center-of-gravity, carsprovided a spectacular, ifscary, ride. The maiden tripwas made on March 12, 1887,and the Point Hotel was offi-cially opened May 28, 1888.

Narrow Gauge Railroad

The completion date for the NarrowGauge railway was July 1, 1887. Thisrailway was extended to Natural Bridgeand a hotel was built there by Septem-ber, 1889.

Prior to completion of Incline #1,competition emerged in February,1887, with the formation of a companyto construct a broad gauge railroad upLookout Mountain. The Broad Gaugewould allow passengers to embark inmajor cities such as New Orleans orNew York and step from the train at astation atop Lookout Mountain. Theright-of-way began at St. Elmo, goingslowly up the mountain and on a trestleover Incline #1 to a switchback on theback side of the mountain and then tothe summit at some distance south of

1887, and the line was opened on May29, 1888, just a day after completion ofPoint Hotel. To further spur interest inthe Broad Gauge, acreage had beenpurchased on the mountaintop and alarge land sale was held at the openingwith free passage.

Incline #1 intensified competition byoffering 15-minute service daily andten-minute headway service on Sun-days. For one dollar, a patron wasoffered round-trip passage plus a full-course meal in Point Hotel. This pack-age was countered by a plan to buildanother stylish hotel a few blocks southof the Point. The Broad Gauge ex-tended its line to a spot in front of theplanned hotel in June, 1890. Incline #1countered the competition by extending

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the Narrow Gauge line to NaturalBridge on September 28, 1889.

The Broad Gauge Railroad and the365-room Lookout Inn were marginaloperations—sometimes open, some-

Josephus Conn Guild, Sr., and LynnWhite. Mr. Guild was a civil engineer-ing graduate of Vanderbilt Universityin 1883. He later designed and builtHales Bar Dam on the Tennessee River,

among the first hydroelectricfacilities built on a navigablewaterway. He also constructedover one hundred municipalwaterworks and sewage sys-tems through the south.

The clearing of right-of-wayfor Incline #2 was begun onJune 20, 1895, and service wasinaugurated on November 16,1895. A 100- foot cut had to bemade at the bluff, and hand-

Point Park Hotel and Cravens House

times not. The cost of operating therailroad was probably high, and the Innhad to sustain itself on a seasonalsummer trade. Point Hotel recognizedthat it could not compete with LookoutInn, and dual rail was laid from NaturalBridge to the Lookout Inn, benefitingboth the Narrow Gauge/Incline #1 andBroad Gauge lines. The opening of thisline was March 2, 1894.

John T. Crass, a railroadman, realizedthat neither the Broad Gauge nor In-cline #1 provided fast, efficientservice to the top of the mountain.He envisioned a line which wouldgo straight up the mountain to theLookout Inn. A charter applicationwas filed for Incline #2 on June 1,1895, by an historical list of inves-tors: John T. Crass, the Whitesidefamily, Jesse Cravens, LynnWhite, and Jo Conn Guild, Sr.They also proposed a street rail-way at the crest to reach LulaLake and the now Rock City area.

Incline #2 was designed by

drilling for blasting was neces-sitated because of the hard sandstoneconglomerate. The maximum gradereached was 72.7 percent. To reducecompetition from Incline #1, HarrietWhiteside had stairs that connected thePoint Hotel with Lookout Point re-moved on November 20, 1895.

Squabbles ensued among the threerailroads, and the hotels were some-times open and sometimes closed. Adisaster struck Incline #2 on the nightof December 12, 1896, when fire

Jo Conn Guild, Sr.

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Inaugural Trip of Incline #2

engulfed the upper station and sent theupper car, on fire, shooting down themountain and destroying itself. Mr.Crass obtained a replacement car fromthe Chattanooga Car & Foundry Co.and reopened the line March 4, 1897.

Rate wars continued, and Lookout Innwas intermittently closed. Clearly themountain could not support threerailroads and two or three hotels. TheBroad Gauge took sixty minutes toreach the summit from downtownChattanooga and Incline #1 took fiftyminutes, but Incline #2 provided a 22-25 minute ride. J. T. Crass created asensation in order to satisfy out-of-town investors in the Broad Gaugewhen he purchased the Broad Gaugeon October 13, 1897, for a total of$15,000. The entire line was refur-bished with a plan to extend the line toRock City area and Lula Lake and toelectrify it. This modification neveroccurred.

On January 4, 1898, Incline #1 waspurchased by one of the original inves-tors, Mr. K. M. Marshall, and reopenedon April 25, 1898. On May 2, 1898, themountaintop portion of the BroadGauge was electrified. Incline #1countered by leasing the Point propertyon July 25, 1898, until the Federal

Government acquired the landfor a national military park.Stone steps from Point Hotelto the Point were restored andit was announced that onlypatrons on Incline #1 wouldbe allowed access into PointPark. Mrs. Whiteside wasinfuriated, and this actionpersuaded her to sign thenecessary papers with theFederal Government to open

Point Park to all on September 30,1898. In December the Point becamepublic property of the United StatesGovernment.

On June 30, 1899, J. T. Crass, pro-moter of Incline #2 and also the ownerof the Broad Gauge, acquired for amere $70,000 the Narrow Gauge rail-road and Incline #1 in a tremendouscoup. Despite a plan to convert PointHotel into a concert hall and beertavern, Incline #1 ceased to operateafter July, 1899. J. T. Crass then con-verted the Narrow Gauge line to Stan-dard Gauge in December, 1899, andelectrified the remaining portion of theline to the Point Hotel. With the cost ofelectrifying the Broad Gauge down themountain prohibitive, its track was soldfor scrap in 1900.

Mr. Crass had solved his excesscapacity problem by buying out hiscompetitors and closing them.

In 1911, Incline #2 was electrified.The Otis elevator control, a centrifugalgovernor, was probably installed onboth the cars and the powerhouse cabledrums at this time.

The succeeding Chattanooga Railway& Light Co., which had acquired thelines on the mountain, streetcar lines inthe valley, and the city’s electric com-

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pany, decided to put an electric street-car up the mountain on the roadbed ofthe Broad Gauge, and this line wasopened on September 1, 1913. Finan-cial success did not ensue, but itsusefulness was demonstrated after asecond fire at the upper Incline stationon March 23, 1919. One of the Inclinecars again burned and crashed downthe mountainside, destroy-ing itself. A replacementcar was built by the Chatta-nooga Railway & LightCo., and the Incline wasreopened on December 31,1919. The surface line upthe mountain was not usedafter February 25, 1924.

The final competition tothe rail lines on the moun-tain was the first pavedroad up the mountain,Scenic Highway, which was probablycompleted shortly before August 28,1928, when bus service was inaugu-rated and trolley service eliminated ontop of the mountain. Ironically, theautomobile ensured Incline #2’s contin-ued operation because of the threemillion visitors they brought to Chatta-nooga each year. It is significant thatIncline #2 continued to operate as aprivate corporation by the SouthernCoach Mfg. Co., until January 28,1973, when it became part of the Chat-tanooga Area Regional TransportationAuthority.

Attention to the consumer is illus-trated by periodic replacement of theIncline cars. Original cars were re-placed in 1911 by Kuhlman built carsfrom Cleveland, Ohio, which did nothave open platforms on each end. InDecember, 1949, these cars were

replaced with sleek, streamlined cars(though they never exceeded a speed of8 m.p.h.) built by Southern Coach Mfg.Co. in Evergreen, Alabama. They usedthe Kuhlman car under-bodies. Mostrecently, nostalgically designed,wooden streetcar replicas were pur-chased in 1987 from Hall Corp. inPittsburgh. One of the 1949 cars is on

Burned Incline Car - 1919

display at the Tennessee Valley Rail-road Museum. Upper and lower Inclinestations have also been periodicallyreplaced and modernized.

A very significant design consider-ation for both Inclines was the safety ofpatrons. As a result of this safety em-phasis, neither Incline has had a pas-senger fatality to date.

Features Which Set This WorkApart From Similar Landmarks

1. Innovative Design Features:

A. Incline #1

(1) A three-rail roadbed throughout,except at the passing tracks, for im-proved stability on the treacherousmountain grade

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placed to the side of theroadbed and away fromthe hotel foundation

B. Incline #2

(1) A three-rail roadbedon the upper half of theIncline for improvedstability on the treacher-ous mountain grade

Incline #1 Powerhouse Schematic

(2) A nearly constant grade of 27%which permitted cable pulleys to be setat a 45° angle to accommodate curvesin the roadbed

(3) Two curves in the roadbed—one of8° and one of 80°

(4) Right angle layout of the steamengine and driving pulleys with theroadbed, permitting the boiler room tobe located in the back of the lowerIncline station and engines and drivingpulleys under the main floor of thestation

(5) Powerhouse located at the bottomof the mountain with a lower drivingcable attached to the cars since therewas no room for a powerhouse at thetop of the mountain

(6) Instead of spikes, the railswere secured by heavy 5" lagscrews, the heads of whichwere secured by 2" x 3"wrought iron washers whichgripped the base of the rail.

(7) An 8' diameter cablepulley at the top conveniently

(2) Automatic switching at the passingtracks by the use of outside flangewheels on one car and inside flangewheels on the other which eliminatedmoving parts

(3) Trestles built without drift bolts inorder to make repair easier

(4) Ties held in place with 3/4" x 5"dowel pins

(5) For 900' on the upper end, ties arelaid on stringers which are supportedon cross sills bedded in rock.

(6) Track construction on the upperportion is an extension of the decksystem of the trestles with sills beddedin broken stone taking the place ofbents, giving a stiffer and substantial

Incline #2 Passing Tracks

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track construction, effectively keeping points on the line. The car at the lowerthe alignment and surface and reducing end which is at the minimum grade hasthe tendency to creep down grade. the whole length of cable attached to it,Stringers were anchored by rods to eye but to counterbalance this combinedbolts drilled into solid rock. weight, the car at the upper end stands

almost on the maximum grade.

2. Safety Features:

A. Incline #1

(1) Low center-of-gravity cars

(2) A design factor of 10 forthe upper cable

(3) The engineer in the enginehouse tower had an

Incline #2 Guard Rail Clamps

(7) The Incline cars were constructedwith an internal, stepped slope of aboutthe average grade of the railway.

(8) Take-up pulleys to allow for expan-sion and contraction of the cable wereeliminated by designing the lowerstation to accommodate stopping ofthe lower car anywhere within fiftyfeet.

(9) The cable clamp on each car canrevolve so that any difference in lengthof the two cables is adjusted and thetension is kept equal in each cable.

(10) The cars are designed for a spe-cific maximum weight so that cablesag over the large change in gradewill ensure that cables always sag tothe guide pulleys over their entiretravel.

(11) The grade is such that equal loadsapproximately balance each other at all

unobstructed view of the cars at nearlyall points on the line.

(4) Telegraphic communication used an8-cell Leclanche battery in the engineroom. One pole was connected to abearing of the main sheaves and thuswith the cable. The other pole wasconnected through the magnets of thegong to an ordinary telegraph wirestretched between the rails and sixinches above them and supported byinsulators that did not rise above thewires.

The circuit was completed by pressinga spring upon the wire with the otherend of the spring connected to the cablewhere it was attached to the car. Toguard against failure to make theproper signal when in motion, it wasunderstood that any signal except onemeant “stop.” The “start” signal wassuch that it could hardly be counter-feited.

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A. Incline #2

(1) Double cables

(2) Two 5" x 6" wooden guardrails were laid on the inside ofthe rails to prevent derailmentand to act as a safety rail.Cable clamps on the cars aredesigned to revolve around a2-1/2" king pin according towhich cable is the shorter. Ifeither cable breaks or unduly stretches,the clamp advances to the limit and atrigger is struck which operates thesafety brake. This brake consists of twocast iron slides with toothed faceswhich are pressed together by coiledsprings. On the second and succeedingsets of cars, the guard rails were movedto the outside of the rails and a cen-trifugal governor installed to activatethe safety brakes at a car speed of eightmiles per hour.

(3) Two strap brakes on the windingdrums were controlled by the engineerin the engine house and were workedby a hand lever. The levers were latercontrolled by centrifugal governors.

(4) In addition to the hand throttlewheel, there was a foot lever control-ling a second quick cut-off steamvalve. This valve is also cut off by theupper car striking a lever if it runsbeyond the point at which it is intendedto stop.

(5) An overhead trolley wire communi-cation system was utilized with aseparate gong and different tone foreach car in the engine house. In theearly 1900’s, this system was replacedwith grade-level wires and a metallicpole for tapping the wire on each car.Two-way radios were added in the1970’s, but conductors continued to usethe simpler metallic poles until 1987

Incline #2 Powerhouse

when the wires were removed at thetime of the installation of the new cars.

(6) A signal wire and telephonic con-nections between the upper and lowerstations

(7) Continued modernization has beenaccomplished over the years. Thesteam engines were replaced by two100 hp electric motors in 1911 and acompletely electronic control systemwas installed in 1987.

Mechanical SpecificationsIncline #1

Length 4360'Elevation 1170'

Number of Trestles 6Maximum Grade 33%

Largest Curve 80°Gauge 3'

Steel Cable 1-1/4"/1"Boilers 75 psig

Steam Engines 2-12" x 18"-WhelandFoundry

Cost $350,000Rail 25#

Incline #2

Length 4972'Elevation 1450'

Number of Trestles 6Maximum Grade 72.7%

Gauge 4'8-1/2"Steel Cable (2) 1-1/4"

Boilers 2@80 hp each - Walsh & WeidnerSteam Engines (2) 775 hp-Wheland Foundry

Electric Motors (2) 100 hp-(1911)Rail 56#

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Current Incline #2

The Lookout Mountain Incline Rail-way is the 100th National HistoricMechanical Engineering Landmark tobe designated. Since the ASME His-toric Mechanical Engineering Recogni-tion Program began in 1971, 146Historic Landmarks, 6 Heritage Sites,and 3 Heritage Collections have beenrecognized. Each reflects its influenceon society, either in its immediatelocale, nationwide, or throughout theworld.An ASME landmark represents a

progressive step in the evolution ofmechanical engineering. Site designa-tions note an event or development ofclear historical importance to mechani-cal engineers. Collections mark the thecontributions of a number of objectswith special significance to the histori-cal development of mechanical engi-neering.

The ASME Historic RecognitionProgram illuminates our technologicalheritage and serves to encourage thepreservation of the physical remains ofimportant works. It provides an anno-tated roster for engineers, students,educators, historians and travelers. Ithelps establish persistent reminders ofwhere we have been and where we aregoing along the divergent paths ofdiscovery.

The American Society ofMechanical Engineers

Nathan H. Hurt, P.E., President

Dr. Pandeli Durbetaki, VicePresident, Region XI

J.L. Lee, P.E., History & Heri-tage Chairman, Region XI

R. Stephen Schermerhorn, P.E., SeniorVice President, Council on PublicAffairs

George A. Jacobson, Vice President,Board of Public Information

David L. Belden, P.E., ExecutiveDirector

David R. Cook, P.E., Director, South-ern Regional Office

The ASME National History &Heritage Committee

Euan F. C. Somerscales, Chairman

Robert M. Vogel, Secretary

Robert B. Gaither

Richard S. Hartenberg, P.E.

J. Paul Hartman, P.E.

J. L. Lee, P.E.

John H. Leinhard

Joseph P. Van Overveen, P.E.

Carron Garvin-Donohue, Staff Liaison

The ASME Chattanooga Section

Carl F. Dye, Chairman

Dr. Gary H. McDonald, P. E., FirstVice Chairman

Charles N. Adams, Jr., P.E., SecondVice Chairman

William P. Pickett, Secretary-Treasurer

Roy S. Rosenfeld, P. E., Asst. Secre-tary-Treasurer

History & Heritage Committee:

Raymond G. Tessmer, Jr., P.E.

William Q. Gurley, P.E.

William P. Pickett

Roy S. Rosenfeld, P.E.

Edward R. Weigel

Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority

Fredrick L. Hitchcock, Chairman

Thomas Dugan, Executive Director

Art Barnes, Asst. Executive Director

James Millwood, Incline Manager

Helen Cahill, Marketing Manager