After 32 years of service to the Incline Railway in St. Elmo, two cars are officially retired and a new one arrived Monday morning with the other expected to arrive Tuesday.
The Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority announced in December they would be installing a new pair of cars on "America's most amazing mile," an investment totaling $4 million.
The cars resemble the old ones in many ways, while updating a number of features. In fact, the blueprints used to manufacture the old cars were used when designing the new ones.
Features of the new cars include:
- More window space for an improved view of the Chattanooga valley
- Wheelchair accessibility
- No more carpeting or cloth-covered seats, making them easier to clean and maintain
- Heating and air conditioning
- New lighting and onboard security cameras
Staff photo by Tim Barber/ The first of two thirty-year-old Incline Railway cars is hoisted from the rails in St. Elmo Monday morning, Mar. 9, 2020, in St. Elmo. It's a two day job to replace both, according to Charlene Simmons, CARTA board member.
The Incline Railway is built on a 72.7% grade. Known as a funicular railway, it uses two counter-balanced cars connected by a taut cable. As one car travels up, the other travels down, driven by a pair of 100-horsepower winches developed by the Otis Elevator Company.
Opened in November 1895, the incline was constructed by John Crass and the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway Company. The cars originally operated on coal-burning steam engines, which were upgraded to the electric motors in 1911.
