Connecting Black Mountain to the nation’s growing railway network proved nearly impossible. The Western North Carolina Railroad, established in 1855, was delayed by the Civil War, embezzlement, and finally the extremely steep grade between Old Fort at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Black Mountain at the crest, and it was not ready for service into Black Mountain until 1880. To climb 3.4 miles, the railroad required nearly ten miles of track, looping back and forth across the face of the mountain through seven tunnels.