1870 Monongahela Incline (Funicular) in Pittsburgh, PA

(Satellite)

 

Civil War Pittsburgh posted

Opened in May 1870, Pittsburgh’s Monongahela Incline has been in continuous operation for 154 years. During the 28th Annual Encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic in 1894 the Incline not only served as a practical mode of transportation, but also shuttled onlookers and veterans to the peak of Mount Washington where closing ceremonies could be observed with a spectacular view.

[The comment continues with a description of the closing ceremonies.]

Fred Limbach: You can see the really big freight inclines to the left of the smaller passenger ones that survive to this day. My grandfather drove milk wagons on them in his youth.

𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻: 𝗣𝗲𝗻𝗻𝘀𝘆𝗹𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗮 posted

Monongahela Incline• Pittsburg, Pennsylvania • January 1905! 

(For those who aren't aware, it was Pittsburg in 1905 - formally reverting to PittsburgH in 1911.)

WQED Pittsburgh posted three photos with the comment:

Often called the Mon Incline for short, the Monongahela Incline is the oldest continuously operating funicular railway in the U.S.  

Prussian-born engineer John Endres of Cincinnati, OH 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. (at 6 cents each!) But the second day, 4,174 people rode the incline & it became a success. He was assisted by his American-born daughter, Caroline Endres, who was educated in Europe & became one of the first women engineers in this country.

At a 35-degree grade, it’s one of the steepest in the world. It's recognized as a National Historic Landmark & as an historic structure by the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation. 

Alexis Zinovenko: It may be the oldest still in operation, but 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 Duquesne Incline is a few thousand feet downstream from here.]

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[The bridge on the left is the Smithfield Street Bridge.]

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Tony McCune commented on the above post
My shot.

Pittsburgh Regional Transit posted two photos with the comment: "Happy 153rd Birthday to the Monongahela Incline - the oldest operating funicular in the United States (opened May 28, 1870)!🥳🎈"

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