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I had no idea that there used to be 24 inclines in Pittsburgh. I only knew about the two that still exist: Duquesne and Monongahela.
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| 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻: 𝗣𝗲𝗻𝗻𝘀𝘆𝗹𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗮 posted "The Penn (17th Street) Incline descends over Bigelow Boulevard from the Hill District to the Strip District. This massive steel structure was the longest, and strongest, of twenty-four inclines built in Pittsburgh" CR: Brookline Connection |
It used to go up this hill near the right side.
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| Street View, Aug 2021 |
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| OldPittMaps A view from the Penn Incline [This source puts the count at 23. Many were built by coal mine companies. Some were built to open up more residential properties on top of the hills.] A lighter exposure of this photo Another copy of this photo "The Penn Incline terminating in the Strip District (background). The Sixteenth Street Bridge is in the far left background. The Penn Incline, also called the 17th Street Incline, began operating in 1883 and handled 20-ton coal freight cars It ceased operation in 1953. Pittsburgh had thirteen inclines servicing both the needs of industry and that of its laborers and commuters of the early twentieth century. The Penn Incline operated between the Hill District and the Strip District neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, and was possibly the largest incline ever built. Samuel Diescher, who immigrated to the United States from Hungary in 1866, designed the majority of heavy incline planes in the United States, including the Penn incline. Diescher introduced a successful pneumatic bumper, which acted as a safety device, during the construction of the Penn Incline. He also served as the designing engineer for operating the Ferris wheel, invented by George Ferris of Pittsburgh, at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago." |
A different exposure of the top photo.
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| OldPittMaps "Penn (17th St) – (1883-1953), height: 330 ft, length: 870 ft" "The Penn Incline was also known as the 17th St Incline. Over Bigelow Boulevard to Liberty Avenue, from Ledlie Street to 17th Street – Hill District. It featured 20 ton cars that hauled coal, freight and passengers....There has been recent talk of reopening/rebuilding this incline to use by pedestrians and bicyclists." |
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| 1951 Pittsburgh East @ 24,000 |
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| BrooklineConnection, this webpage is a summary of the inclines in Pittsburgh "The Penn Incline ferried passengers and freight between the Strip District to Ridgeway Street in the Hill District. It was arguably the longest inclined plane in the world. Built in 1884, it operated until 1953. The large structure to the left of the upper platform was a saloon and entertainment hall called the Penn Incline Resort, which stood for eight years. This resort was built by the Penn Inclined Plane Company to boost business. It enjoyed early popularity, but soon went into decline. The building was destroyed in 1892 by a fire that spread from the incline's boiler house. Note the rickety steps hugging the steep hillside to the left, an alternate path for those short a fare." Kathy Plays posted How about these old stairs next to an incline in Pittsburgh PA! Longest incline in the world... see below. "Note the rickety steps hugging the steep hillside to the left, an alternate path for those short a fare." "The Penn Incline ferried passengers and freight between the Strip District to Ridgeway Street in the Hill District. It was arguably the longest inclined plane in the world. Built in 1884, it operated until 1953." |
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| BrooklineConnection "A view of the Penn Incline in operation, looking down on Pittsburgh's Strip District. Designed by Samuel Deischer, the funicular measured 840 feet in length and rose 330 feet. The structure contained over 750 tons of bridge work with two ten-foot gauge tracks. The incline was originally built to hoist twenty-ton loads of coal to the top of the hill. Although this coal traffic never met expectations passenger and freight traffic took its place and was enough to keep the incline profitable. By the end of World War II business had decreased to only fifty customers a day paying the ten cent fare. With operations cut to only a few hours a day during rush hour, the incline was abandoned by its final owner, the Pittsburgh Railways Company, on November 30, 1953." |
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| BrooklineConnection, this web page has 12 more photos of this incline. [Note the coaling tower in the background. This page has a better exposure of this photo.] |
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| Brookline Connection posted This is the Penn Incline in 1956, shown here during the dismantling of the seventy year old structure. Also called the 17th Street Incline, the funicular was built in 1884 and designed by Samuel Diescher. The upper station was along Ridgeway Avenue atop the Hill, and the lower platform at 17th Street and Spring Way, between Liberty and Penn Avenue in the Strip District. The ride took the passenger over Bigelow Boulevard, the Pennsylvania RR yard and Liberty Avenue. Diescher, who immigrated to the United States from Hungary in 1866, designed the majority of heavy incline planes in the United States, including the Penn incline and several others here in Pittsburgh. During the construction of the Penn Incline, Diescher introduced a successful pneumatic bumper, which acted as a safety device. The massive incline, possibly the largest ever built, measured 840 feet in length and rose 330 feet. The structure contained over 750 tons of bridge work with two ten-foot gauge tracks. The incline was originally built to hoist twenty-ton loads of coal to the top of the hill. Although this coal traffic never met expectations passenger and freight traffic was enough to keep the incline profitable. By the end of World War II, however, business had decreased to only fifty customers a day paying the ten cent fare. Operations were cut to only a few hours a day during the morning and evening rush hour, and the incline finally abandoned by the Pittsburgh Railways Company on November 30, 1953. The Penn Incline was one of twenty-three inclines built here in Pittsburgh and the immediate vicinity. Learn more about all of Pittsburgh's Inclines here ... James Love: Many don't know Spring Way was to be Pennsylvania Canal. |
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| 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻: 𝗣𝗲𝗻𝗻𝘀𝘆𝗹𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗮 posted Pittsburgh • 1940! Leslie Passons: H J Heinz standing tall across the river. [Some comments confirm that this is the Penn incline.] Larry Wayne: I'm not sure where this was taken from, but that is the Allegheny River with the Heinz plant on the other side. The original Heinz plant was in Sharpsburg. It was floated down the Allegheny to the current location on the North side. |
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