The Falls Incline Railway, originally known as the Horseshoe Falls Incline is a type of

funicular railway A funicular (, , ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite en ...

(an inclined elevator) in the city of

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Falls, ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. It is located beside

at the

Horseshoe Falls Horseshoe Falls is the largest of the three waterfalls that collectively form Niagara Falls on the Niagara River along the Canada–United States border. Approximately 90% of the Niagara River, after diversions for hydropower generation, flows ...

. The line was built in 1966 for the

Niagara Parks Commission The Niagara Parks Commission, commonly shortened to Niagara Parks, is an agency of the Government of Ontario which maintains the Ontario shoreline of the Niagara River. History The Commission was founded in 1885 and charged with preserving and ...

by the

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

company

Von Roll Von Roll Holding AG is a Swiss industrial group that operates worldwide. It was founded in 1803. As one of Switzerland’s longest-established industrial companies, Von Roll focuses today on products and systems for electrical applications such ...

. It adopted its current name in the 1980s. Originally built with open-air cars, it was rebuilt in 2013 with enclosed cars to permit year-round operation. Unlike the other

incline railways at Niagara Falls There have been several different incline railways built at the Niagara Falls, on the border between Canada and the United States. These lines include: * The Prospect Park Incline Railway was built in 1845 on the United States side of the falls ...

, the Falls Incline was not built to descend into the

Niagara Gorge Niagara Gorge is an long canyon carved by the Niagara River along the Canada–United States border, between the U.S. state of New York and the Canadian province of Ontario. It begins at the base of Niagara Falls and ends downriver at the ed ...

below the falls. Instead it links the

Table Rock Centre The Table Rock Welcome Centre (also known as Table Rock Centre and formerly as Table Rock House) is a retail and observation complex located in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada at the brink of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls, several hundred feet south ...

and

Journey Behind the Falls Journey Behind the Falls (known until the early 1990s as the ''Scenic Tunnels'') is an attraction in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada located in the Table Rock Centre beside the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. It is open year round and run by the Niag ...

, on the

Niagara Parkway The Niagara Parkway, formerly known as Niagara Boulevard and historically as the Niagara Road, is a scenic road in the province of Ontario that travels on the Canadian side of the Niagara River from the town of Fort Erie to Niagara-on-the-Lake. ...

just above the falls to the higher level

Fallsview Tourist Area The Fallsview Tourist Area in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada is the main tourist attraction surrounding the Falls. In recent years, it has become the home many of the hotels in the city, such as: the Niagara Falls Hilton, Niagara Falls Marriott G ...

, including the

Minolta Tower was a Japanese manufacturer of cameras, camera accessories, photocopiers, fax machines, and laser printers. Minolta Co., Ltd., which is also known simply as Minolta, was founded in Osaka, Japan, in 1928 as . It made the first integrated autofocu ...

, the

Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort The Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort (commonly known as ''Fallsview Casino'') is a resort casino in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. It opened publicly on June 10, 2004. The $1 billion complex overlooks the Horseshoe Falls and is one of the most ...

and several hotels. Falls Incline Railway Niagara Parks Spring 2010

The Niagara Parks Commission claims that the funicular is the world's slowest. The funicular has the following technical parameters: *Length: ' *Slope: ''30 degrees'' *Cars: ''2'' *Capacity: ''40 passengers per car'' *Configuration: ''

Double track A double-track railway usually involves running one track in each direction, compared to a single-track railway where trains in both directions share the same track. Overview In the earliest days of railways in the United Kingdom, most lin ...

'' *Maximum speed: ' *Journey time: ''62 seconds'' *Track gauge: ' *Traction: ''Electricity''

References

External links

*
Falls Incline web page

Images from the Niagara Falls Public Library (Ont.)
Funicular railways in Canada Passenger railways in Ontario Railway lines opened in 1966 Transport in Niagara Falls, Ontario 6 ft gauge railways in Canada Tourist attractions in Niagara Falls, Ontario Railway inclines in Canada Niagara Parks Commission {{Ontario-transport-stub

See also

References

External links