Riding the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway

Val recently decided to face a long-term fear and decided to ride the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway, and it was not nearly as scary as she had envisioned. Incline Railways are a form of transportation using rails meant to traverse very steep inclines. Most incline railways, including Lookout Mountain, are ‘ funiculars ’ though some can be inclined elevators. A Funicular is a cable railway system on a steep slope with counterbalanced carriages permanently attached to opposite sides of a haulage cable, and now typically propelled by a motor that moves the cable to which the carriages are attached (similar to a ski lift/gondola). The Lookout Mountain Incline Railway was opened in 1895 and was the fastest way to get to the top of Lookout Mountain, leaving from the historic St. Elmo neighborhood.
Length: 5,280ft
Elevation: 1,450ft
Grade (max): 36 degrees
Speed: just under 10mph

Fun fact: Theodore Roosevelt rode the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway

The oldest funicular in the world is possibly the Reisszug in Austria, built around the year 1500 (though whether or not it was ever counterbalanced is debatable). It used human or animal power until the early 20th Century. 

Nowadays, while many funiculars like the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway are mainly for tourist and historical interest, many throughout the world in hilly or mountainous cities are used daily for transit. In the USA, the oldest funicular is the Monongahela Incline in Pittsburgh, PA; opened in May 1870, and is still operational. It was originally built to transport workers up and down ‘Coal Hill’, which was otherwise nearly inaccessible from Pittsburgh proper.
Length: 635ft
Elevation: 367ft
Grade: 35.5 degrees
Speed: 6mph

Stoosbahn, in Switzerland: steepest funicular in the world.
Length: 5,710ft
Elevation: 2,441ft
Grade (max): 47.7 degrees
Speed: 22mph

Hi. It’s Val, Hannah & Marlow. We are here to celebrate the ordinary while working on pushing ourselves to get a life, go places, explore travel, and do stuff outside of our caregiving roles. As a seasoned mom and nurse, Val knows that caregivers can only do their best caregiving when they first care for themselves. That means learning to be comfortable being a self-advocate. We all three battle depression and anxiety, so a focus on maintaining mental health is a top priority. Striving for as much of a low stress life as possible is what has benefited us most in our self-care journey.

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