Monongahela Incline

Last updated

Monongahela Incline
The Incline PA Edit.JPG
Monongahela Incline.jpg
Lower station of the Monongahela Incline
Overview
Owner Pittsburgh Regional Transit
Locale Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Termini
  • West Carson Street
  • Grandview Avenue
Stations2
Service
Type Funicular
History
OpenedMay 28, 1870 (1870-05-28)
Technical
Line length635 feet (194 m)
Track gauge 5 ft (1,524 mm)
Electrification 1935
Operating speed6 mph (9.7 km/h)
Monongahela Incline
Pittsburgh locator map 2018.png
Red pog.svg
USA Pennsylvania location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
LocationGrandview Avenue at Wyoming Avenue,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Coordinates 40°25′55″N80°0′20″W / 40.43194°N 80.00556°W / 40.43194; -80.00556
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1869
Architect John Endres and Caroline Endres
Architectural styleLate 19th and 20th Century Revivals, Second Renaissance Revival
NRHP reference No. 74001742 [1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJune 25, 1974
Designated CPHSMarch 15, 1974 [2]
Designated PHLF1970 [3]

The Monongahela Incline is a funicular on the South Side in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, near the Smithfield Street Bridge. Designed and built by Prussian-born engineer John Endres in 1870, it is the oldest continuously operating funicular in the U.S.

Contents

It is one of two surviving inclines in Pittsburgh (the other is the nearby Duquesne Incline) from the original 17 passenger-carrying inclines built there starting in the late 19th century. Its lower station is across the street from what is now the Station Square shopping complex. It is easily accessible from the light rail system at the Station Square station.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. In 1977 both inclines were designated as Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmarks by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). [4]

History

Monongahela Incline (right) and the Monongahela Freight Incline (left) in 1905. The latter has been demolished. Monongahela Incline 1905.jpg
Monongahela Incline (right) and the Monongahela Freight Incline (left) in 1905. The latter has been demolished.

Pittsburgh's expanding industrial base in 1860 created a huge demand for labor, attracting mainly German immigrants to the region. This created a serious housing shortage as industry occupied most of the flat lands adjacent to the South Side of the Monongahela River, leaving only the steep, surrounding hillsides of Mt. Washington, or "Coal Hill", for housing. However, travel between the "hill" and other areas was hindered by the steep terrain and a lack of public transport or good roads.

The predominantly German immigrants who settled on Mt. Washington, remembering the seilbahns (cable cars) of their former country, proposed construction of inclines along the face of Coal Hill.

Prussian-born engineer John Endres of Cincinnati, Ohio was commissioned to design the Monongahela Incline, which opened on May 28, 1870, as the first for passenger use. On the first day, some 944 fares were collected. But the second day, 4,174 people rode the incline and it became a success. [5] He was assisted by his American-born daughter, Caroline Endres, who was educated in Europe and became one of the first women engineers in this country. [6] [7] [8]

Earlier inclines were used to transport coal in the Pittsburgh area, including the Kirk Lewis incline on Mt. Washington, and the Ormsby mine gravity plane in nearby Birmingham, which was later annexed to the city of Pittsburgh.

The Monongahela Incline was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Both it and the Duquesne Incline were recognized in 1977 as Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmarks by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). [5] That year the two inclines served a total of more than one million commuters and tourists annually. [5]

In the 21st century, the Monongahela Incline is operated by Pittsburgh Regional Transit, which operates the rest of Allegheny County's transit system. Transfers can be made between the incline, light rail, and buses free of additional charge. [9] It serves both commuters and visitors, and is a popular tourist attraction.

On February 2, 2019, flooding caused by a broken city water main forced the incline to close. [10] The extensive repairs took time to complete, but the incline reopened 13 weeks later on May 10, 2019. [11]

Statistics

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Funicular</span> Form of cable 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 permanently attached to opposite ends of a haulage cable, which is looped over a pulley at the upper end of the track. The result of such a configuration is that the two carriages move synchronously: as one ascends, the other descends at an equal speed. This feature distinguishes funiculars from inclined elevators, which have a single car that is hauled uphill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnstown Inclined Plane</span> Funicular in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, US

The Johnstown Inclined Plane is a 896.5-foot (273.3 m) funicular in Johnstown, Cambria County, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The incline and its two stations connect the city of Johnstown, situated in a valley at the confluence of the Stonycreek and the Little Conemaugh rivers, to the borough of Westmont on Yoder Hill. The Johnstown Inclined Plane is billed as the "world's steepest vehicular inclined plane". It can carry automobiles and passengers, up or down a slope with a grade of 71.9%. The travel time between stations is 90 seconds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smithfield Street Bridge</span> Bridge over the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The Smithfield Street Bridge is a lenticular truss bridge crossing the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duquesne Incline</span> Funicular in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The Duquesne Incline is a funicular scaling Mount Washington near the South Side neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Designed by Hungarian-American engineer Samuel Diescher, the incline was completed in 1877.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lookout Mountain Incline Railway</span> United States historic place

The Lookout Mountain Incline Railway is a 4 ft 8+12 instandard gauge inclined plane funicular railway leading to the top of Lookout Mountain from the historic St. Elmo neighborhood of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Passengers are transported from St. Elmo's Station at the base, to Point Park at the mountain summit, which overlooks the city and the Tennessee River. It is just a short drive to three of Chattanooga's main tourist attractions, Ruby Falls, Cavern Castle, and Rock City. The railway is approximately one mile (1.6 km) in length. It has a maximum grade of 72.7%, making it one of the world's steepest passenger railways. It obtained Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark status in 1991. The cable system for the cars was made by the Otis Elevator Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transportation in Pittsburgh</span> Transportation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

A large metropolitan area that is surrounded by rivers and hills, Pittsburgh has an infrastructure system that has been built out over the years to include roads, tunnels, bridges, railroads, inclines, bike paths, and stairways; however, the hills and rivers still form many barriers to transportation within the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Pittsburgh's South Side</span>

In 1763, King George III provided John Ormsby approximately 2,400 acres (9.7 km2) along the south bank of the Monongahela River as payment for his services during the French and Indian War. The land was then divided into four boroughs: South Pittsburgh, Birmingham, East Birmingham, and Ormsby. The four boroughs were annexed into the City of Pittsburgh in 1872. These areas, collectively, provided for the foundation of the South Side as it is known today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Shore (Pittsburgh)</span> Neighborhood of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States

The South Shore is an American neighborhood that is located in the South Side of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It encompasses the area surrounding Carson Street, from the West End Bridge to the Liberty Bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castle Shannon Incline</span> Funicular in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The Castle Shannon Incline was a funicular railroad in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was originally part of the Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Railroad route to the suburb of Castle Shannon. It replaced an earlier incline dating to 1825 that brought coal down from a mine in Mount Washington.

Samuel Diescher was a prominent Hungarian-American civil and mechanical engineer who had his career in the United States. After being educated at universities in Karlsruhe and Zurich in Europe, he immigrated to the United States in 1866 and settled in Cincinnati, Ohio. There he supervised construction of his first inclined plane. He later moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he worked with John Endres on the Monongahela Incline (1870), the first passenger incline in the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Oliver Incline</span>

The Mount Oliver Incline was a funicular on the South Side of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was designed in 1871 by the Prussian-born engineer John Endres and his American daughter Caroline Endres, one of the first women engineers in the United States.

Caroline Endres Diescher, also known as Caroline Endres, was notable as one of the first female engineers in the United States. With her father John Endres, who was born and educated in Prussia, she designed two inclines in the Pittsburgh area: the Monongahela Incline and the Mount Oliver Incline, which opened in 1870 and 1871, respectively.

The Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Tunnel, also known as the Mount Washington Coal Tunnel, was a 3 ft 4 in narrow-gauge railway tunnel under Mt. Washington.

John J. Endres was a civil engineer known for designing the Monongahela Incline, the first passenger incline in the United States, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The incline was originally steam powered and ran on wooden tracks. Born in Prussia and educated in Europe, Endres had immigrated to the United States and settled in Cincinnati, Ohio. His daughter, Caroline Endres, born and educated in the US, became one of the first women engineers in the country. She assisted him on the Monongahela Incline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monongahela Freight Incline</span>

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Track gauge in the United States</span> Widths of railway tracks

Originally, various track gauges were used in the United States. Some railways, primarily in the northeast, used standard gauge of 4 ft 8+12 in ; others used gauges ranging from 2 ft to 6 ft. As a general rule, southern railroads were built to one or another broad gauge, mostly 5 ft, while northern railroads that were not standard-gauge tended to be narrow-gauge. The Pacific Railroad Acts of 1863 specified standard gauge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Washington, Pittsburgh (neighborhood)</span> Place in Pennsylvania, United States

Mount Washington is a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's south city area. It has a Zip Code of 15211 and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by both the council members for District 3 and District 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Washington, Pittsburgh (mountain)</span> Hill in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Mount Washington is a hill in Pittsburgh, on the southern banks of the Monongahela River and Ohio River.

References

  1. "National Register Information System  (#74001742)". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "Local Historic Designations". Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  3. "Historic Landmark Plaques 1968-2009" (PDF). Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation . 2010. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
  4. 1 2 "Monongahela and Duquesne Inclines" (PDF). ASME . May 11, 1977.
  5. 1 2 3 Leherr, Dave (May 7, 1977). "Inclines Rise to National Landmarks". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . p. 9.
  6. "Monongahela and Duquesne Inclines" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 16, 2009. Retrieved May 21, 2009.
  7. "Legendary Ladies" (PDF). Pennsylvania Commission for Women. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 24, 2011. Retrieved March 21, 2006.
  8. Caroline Enders and John Enders (biographical sketch with photos), in The Pittsburgh Press, December 4, 1955, p. 167. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: The Pittsburgh Press (available via Newspapers.com; subscription required).
  9. "PortAuthority.org - Inclines". www.portauthority.org. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  10. "Port Authority making progress to repair flooded Monongahela Incline station" . Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  11. "Monongahela Incline Closed Briefly Friday Morning". May 10, 2019. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  12. "StackPath". www.masstransitmag.com. March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.