Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee had been made famous in the "Battle of the Clouds" during the Civil War. But since it was a four hour trip on a two-dollar toll road to get to the top of the mountain, few people visited during the 1870's. Once at the top, however, visitors would see what could only be called a breathtaking view. After the railroad boom, speculators decided to build a hotel on the mountaintop, accessible by a service railroad. In 1885, John Crass and his company, the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway Company, built a steam-powered incline railway up the steepest part of the mountain. The incline has a 72.7% slope near the top of the mountain, making it the world's steepest passenger railway.

(Photo courtesy of Lookout Mtn. Attractions)

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