Zebulon M. Pike, an army officer, discovered the world's most famous mountain on November 13th, 1806, and at the time said that the peak, which now bears his name, could never be ascended by man. The Manitou and Pike's Peak Railway, a pioneer of the region, was completed in August 1891 and has operated in continuous service with modern diesel electric equipment. A quaint locomotive built in 1893 was in actual service for 40 years and had an extraordinary record for safe operation. The railway roadway is 9 miles long, with a maximum gradient of 25 percent, reaching an altitude of 14109 feet.