Monongahela Freight Incline Explained

Railroad Name:Monongahela Freight Incline
Logo Filename:Monongahela incline and freight incline.jpg
Locale:Pittsburgh, PA
Start Year:1884
End Year:1935
Hq City:Pittsburgh, PA

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

History and features

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

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

Sources

40.4319°N -80.0056°W