The Monongahela Freight Incline was a
funicular
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 e ...
railway that scaled
Mount Washington in
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, United States.
Designed by
Samuel Diescher and
John Endres, both immigrants from Europe, the incline was built beside the smaller, original
Monongahela Incline
The Monongahela Incline is a funicular located near the Smithfield Street Bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Designed and built by Prussian-born engineer John Endres in 1870, it is the oldest continuously operating funicular in the United Sta ...
. It opened in 1884. The incline cost $125,000 to build.
It had a unique
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. The incline ran until 1935.
The older passenger incline, built in 1870, is one of two inclines still serving South Side Pittsburgh today, out of a total of 17 built in the nineteenth century. Passengers can see concrete pylons remaining from the freight incline during the descent.
See also
*
List of funicular railways
This is a list of funicular railways, organised by place within country and continent. The funiculars range from short urban lines to significant multi-section mountain railways.
A funicular railway is distinguished from the similar incline eleva ...
*
List of inclines in Pittsburgh
References
Sources
*''A Century of Inclines'', The Society for the Preservation of the Duquesne Incline.
Defunct funicular railways in the United States
Railway inclines in Pittsburgh
10 ft gauge railways in the United States
Railway lines opened in 1884
Railway lines closed in 1935
1884 establishments in Pennsylvania
1935 disestablishments in Pennsylvania
{{Pennsylvania-transport-stub