Inclined Plane

Front: Near here is the site of the Inclined Plane, a crucial segment of the original S.C. Railroad. The railroad’s mainline was built from 1830 to 1833 by the S.C. Canal & Rail Road Co. to connect Charleston to Hamburg and the Savannah River. The 136-mi. track was the longest in the world when completed. The Inclined Plane began at an Engine House near the intersection of Highland Park Drive and Highland Park Terrace and was among the last sections of the railroad to be built. Reverse: The Inclined Plane allowed trains to pass between Aiken and Hamburg despite the steepest gradient anywhere along the railroad. Trains were counterbalanced at opposite ends of two half-mile-ling parallel tracks and attached to a cable driven by a stationary engine, which lowered and raised trains simultaneously over a 180-ft. change in elevation. The Inclined Plane was abandoned after a longer but quicker route that included the nearby Aiken Cut was built in 1852.