 |
| 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. ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ป: ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ป๐ป๐๐๐น๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐ฎ posted Monongahela Incline• Pittsburg, Pennsylvania • January 1905! (For those who aren't aware, it was Pittsburg in 1905 - formally reverting to PittsburgH in 1911.) Frankly Words posted The Monongahela Incline, up Mount Washington, Pittsburgh: showing the funicular railway that ran until 1935. Photo taken in 1905. |
A postcard colorization of the above photo.
 |
| Shelly Ross posted Monongahela Incline, Pittsburgh, Pa |
 |
| The Untold Past posted She wasn’t supposed to be an engineer. In 1870, most women in America weren’t even allowed to vote — let alone design a massive machine that would change a city forever. That didn’t stop Caroline Endres. Alongside her father, John Endres, a Prussian-born engineer, she helped design the Monongahela Incline in Pittsburgh — the first passenger funicular railway in the United States. It wasn’t just a marvel of engineering. It was a lifeline for the workers who lived high on Mount Washington and needed a safer way down to the factories along the Monongahela River. Opening day, May 28, 1870, drew big crowds. At 6 cents a ride, 944 people took the trip — curious to experience the strange new “moving car” that climbed the hill at a dizzying 35-degree angle. But the very next day? More than 4,000 people rode it. The incline became an instant success, carrying thousands daily, rain or shine, year after year. Through wars, depressions, and the rise of automobiles, it kept running. Today, it’s recognized as a National Historic Landmark — still carrying passengers on the exact same route it did over 150 years ago. And Caroline? She remains one of the earliest known women engineers in the country — her work still moving people long after she’s gone. Would you ride something this steep… knowing it was built in the 1800s? Dave Ford: Tracks on the left was for horse drawn carriages. Only the tracks on the right remain. Ken Heitzenrater shared |
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.]
 |
| 1 Shelly Ross posted Pittsburgh incline. Jim McFarlane Lenny Hendricks Vehicles, horse drawn wagons, bicycles etc. Keep in mind that there wasn’t a very convenient way to get up to Mount Wash when these were built. I’ve attached a link to a clip of an old episode of “Route 66” in which the boys took their 1961 ‘vette up the Castle Shannon Incline which was located just a short distance away from the Mon Incline…...just for reference! https://fb.watch/u2OqQ_-bqc/?: Jim McFarlane - so was the second set of tracks for freight only? Scott Rectenwald: Lenny Hendricks. Yes. Jim McFarlane: Lenny Hendricks Vehicles, horse drawn wagons, bicycles etc. Keep in mind that there wasn’t a very convenient way to get up to Mount Wash when these were built. I’ve attached a link to a clip of an old episode of “Route 66” in which the boys took their 1961 ‘vette up the Castle Shannon Incline which was located just a short distance away from the Mon Incline…...just for reference! |
 |
| 2 [The bridge on the left is the Smithfield Street Bridge.] |
 |
| 3 |
 |
| Jackson-Township historical preservation posted Passenger on the Monongahela Incline in Pittsburgh in the early 1880's. The photo was taken by Pittsburgh photographer, S.V. Albee. Built in 1870, the Monongahela Incline is the oldest continuously operating funicular in the United States. (Photo from https://www.facebook.com/OddPittsburgh/) |
 |
| 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)!๐ฅณ๐"
 |
| 1 |
 |
| 2 |
No comments:
Post a Comment