Brock's Gap (Hoover, Alabama)

USA / Alabama / Helena / Hoover, Alabama
 railway, place with historical importance, interesting place
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Brock's Gap

Heralded as the deepest railroad cut in the world, it was blasted partially by nitroglycerin in 1858. Delayed during the Civil War, it was then completed manually via slave labor (without explosives) and became known as The Gateway to Birmingham. The resulting cut is 75 feet deep, through a bed of limestone.

The railroad was later abandoned due to the construction of the adjacent L&N tunnel under Shades Mountain, built in 1908.
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Coordinates:   33°20'18"N   86°52'29"W
This article was last modified 13 years ago