Monongahela Freight Incline
Overview
HeadquartersPittsburgh, PA
LocalePittsburgh, PA
Dates of operation1884–1935
Technical
Track gauge10 ft (3,048 mm)

The Monongahela Freight Incline was a funicular railway that scaled Mount Washington in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States.

History and notable features

Designed by Samuel Diescher and John Endres, both immigrants from Europe, this incline was built beside the smaller, original Monongahela Incline. It opened in 1884.[1] The incline cost $125,000 to build.

It had a unique 10 ft (3,048 mm) broad gauge that would allow vehicles, as well as walk-on passengers, to ascend and descend the hill. The cars were hoisted by a pair of Robinson & Rea engines.[2]

The incline operated until 1935.[3]

The older passenger incline, which was built in 1870, is one of two inclines still serving South Side Pittsburgh today, out of a total of seventeen that were built during the nineteenth century. Passengers can see concrete pylons remaining from the freight incline during the descent.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Diescher, Samuel (June 1897). "American Inclined Plane Railways". Cassier's Magazine. 12 (2): 86.
  2. ↑ A Century of Inclines, pp. 7-8.
  3. ↑ "Twentieth Century Progress Dooms Vehicle Incline Built Before Autos Replaced Hansoms and Victorias". The Pittsburgh Press. 11 October 1935. p. 37.

Sources

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Monongahela Freight Incline.
  • A Century of Inclines, The Society for the Preservation of the Duquesne Incline.

40°25′55″N 80°00′20″W / 40.431944°N 80.005556°W / 40.431944; -80.005556

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