The Mahanoy Plane was a railroad

Incline plane An inclined plane, also known as a ramp, is a flat supporting surface tilted at an angle from the vertical direction, with one end higher than the other, used as an aid for raising or lowering a load. The inclined plane is one of the six clas ...

located along northern edge of the

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

of Frackville,

Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania Schuylkill County (, ; Pennsylvania Dutch: Schulkill Kaundi) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the heart of Pennsylvania's Coal Region and is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the popula ...

in the

Coal Region The Coal Region is a region of Northeastern Pennsylvania. It is known for being home to the largest known deposits of anthracite, anthracite coal in the world with an estimated reserve of seven billion short tons. The region is typically define ...

of the United States. GPS coordinates of the abandoned site are, DMS: N 40° 47’ 14.817” W 76° 13’ 58.652” -or- DD: 40.7874493, -76.232959. The Mahanoy and Broad Mountain Railroad, predecessor of the

Reading Company The Reading Company ( ) was a Philadelphia-headquartered railroad that provided passenger and commercial rail transport in eastern Pennsylvania and neighboring states that operated from 1924 until its 1976 acquisition by Conrail. Commonly called ...

opened the Mahanoy Plane on July 16, 1861. The Plane traversed Broad Mountain between the boroughs of Mahanoy Plane and Frackville. With a pitch of 28 degrees at its steepest point, the plane rose over a distance of . A engine could hoist a three car trip, equivalent to 200 tons in three minutes. After a fire in 1886, new engines were installed. These were supposedly the most powerful engines in the world, later surpassed only by the engines operating the

locks Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

on the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...

. Approximately 800 to 900

railroad cars A railroad car, railcar ( American and Canadian English), railway wagon, railway carriage, railway truck, railwagon, railcarriage or railtruck (British English and UIC), also called a train car, train wagon, train carriage or train truck, is ...

passed over the plane every twenty-four hours. The Mahanoy Plane ceased operation on February 27, 1932, due to the decline of

Anthracite Anthracite, also known as hard coal, and black coal, is a hard, compact variety of coal that has a submetallic luster. It has the highest carbon content, the fewest impurities, and the highest energy density of all types of coal and is the hig ...

and the much easier route through the Mahanoy Tunnel. Foundations are all that remain and there are currently no plans of historical preservation or restoration. There was a previous “Mahanoy Plane” built in the same general area in 1834 by the Danville and Pottsville Railroad(D&P). This was incline plane Number 5 (of six) and was 345 feet high over 1,625 feet in length. Very quickly, however, the D&P closed the eastern section of railroad. By 1844, the eastern section, according to Rupp's History of Schuylkill County, was "rotting in the sun."Heydinger, October 1962, p. 38 On September 8, 2007, the

Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) is the governmental agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania responsible for the collection, conservation and interpretation of Pennsylvania's historic heritage. The commission cares for ...

erected a

historical marker A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, or in other places referred to as a historical marker, historic marker, or historic plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other ...

noting the Mahanoy Plane's historic importance.

References

{{Reflist Rail infrastructure in Pennsylvania Reading Company Railway lines opened in 1861 Railway lines closed in 1932 Pennsylvania state historical marker significations 1861 establishments in Pennsylvania Railway inclines in the United States 1932 disestablishments in Pennsylvania