1956 Lookout Mountain Cable Car, Tennessee

Step into mid-century Tennessee tourism with this vibrant vintage postcard featuring the famous Incline Railway car ascending Lookout Mountain Incline Railway in Chattanooga. Photographed in natural color by Walter Cline and published by the W.M. Cline Company, this 1956 view captures one of America’s most remarkable rail attractions in striking detail.

Because of the exceptionally steep grade, earning the line its nickname as “America’s Most Amazing Mile”. The yellow and black incline car is specially constructed with tiered, staircase-style seating. This clever design allows passengers to remain level even while traveling on one of the steepest passenger railways in the country. The result is a fascinating interior arrangement unique to funicular and cable railway engineering.

Originally opened in 1895, the railway connects the historic St. Elmo neighborhood with the summit of Lookout Mountain, carrying generations of visitors up the dramatic slope. The car shown here represents the classic mid-20th-century appearance of this enduring tourist attraction in Hamilton County, Tennessee.

This vintage railroad postcard beautifully preserves a colorful moment in Chattanooga’s transportation history and would display wonderfully framed or make an excellent addition to any incline railway, trolley, or Tennessee travel collection.

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