Monongahela Incline

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Lua error in Module:Infobox at line 235: malformed pattern (missing ']'). The Monongahela Incline, built by John Endres in 1870, is located near the Smithfield Street Bridge in Pittsburgh. It is the oldest continuously operating funicular in the USA. It is also one of two surviving inclines (the other is the nearby Duquesne Incline) from the original 17 passenger-carrying inclines built in Pittsburgh starting in the late 19th century. Its lower station is across the street from the Station Square shopping complex, and is easily accessible from the light rail system at the Station Square station.

History

File:Monongahela Incline 1905.jpg
The incline in 1905. The Monongahela Freight Incline is to the left of the original.

Pittsburgh's expanding industrial base in 1860 created a huge demand for labor, attracting mainly German immigrants to the region. This created a serious housing shortage as industry occupied most of the flat lands adjacent to the river, leaving only the steep, surrounding hillsides of Mt. Washington or "Coal Hill" for housing. However, travel between the "hill" and other areas was hindered by a lack of good roads or public transport.

The predominantly German immigrants who settled on Mt. Washington, remembering the Seilbahns (cable cars) of their former country, proposed the construction of inclines along the face of Coal Hill. The result was the Monongahela Incline, which opened May 28, 1870.[4] Earlier inclines were used to transport coal in the Pittsburgh area, including the Kirk Lewis incline on Mt. Washington and the Ormsby mine gravity plane in nearby Birmingham, later annexed to the city of Pittsburgh.

It is operated by the Port Authority of Allegheny County, which operates the rest of Pittsburgh's transit system. Transfers can be made between the incline and the light rail and buses.[5]

Statistics

  • Length: 635 feet (194 m)
  • Elevation: 369.39 feet (112.59 m)
  • Grade: 35 degrees, 35 minutes
  • Gauge: 5 ft (1,524 mm) broad gauge
  • Speed: 6 mph (9.7 km/h)
  • Passenger Capacity: 23 per car
  • Opened: 28 May 1870
  • Renovated: 1882 (with steel structure)
  • Original steam power replaced with electricity: 1935
  • Renovated: 1982-83 new track structure, cars and stations
  • Renovated: 1994 upper, lower stations, restored cars, replaced electric motors and controls[6]

Gallery

  • Monongahela Incline lower station interior.jpg

    Interior of the lower station.

  • Monongahela ascending.jpg
    Ascending
  • Monongahela view descending.jpg
    Descending
  • P. & L.E. Ry. Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad station and Mt. Washington, Pittsburgh, Pa. c.1905.jpg

    P. & L.E. Ry. Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad station and the Monongahela Incline on Mt. Washington, c.1905

See also

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References

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External links

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