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Duquesne Incline

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

Photos 

Duquesne Incline

Photo taken by Adam Elmquist

View this photo at panoramio.com

BH Photo #259424

Map 

Street View 

Description 

Originally steam powered, the Duquesne Incline was built to carry cargo up and down Mt. Washington in the late 19th century. It later carried passengers, particularly Mt. Washington residents who were tired of walking up footpaths to the top. Inclines were then being built all over Mt. Washington. But as more roads were built on “Coal Hill” most of the other inclines were closed. By the end of the 1960s, only the Monongahela Incline and the Duquesne Incline remained.

In 1962, the incline was closed, apparently for good. Major repairs were needed, and with so few patrons, the incline's private owners did little. But local Duquesne Heights' residents launched a fund-raiser to help the incline. It was a huge success, and on July 1, 1963, the incline reopened under the auspices of a non-profit organization dedicated to its preservation.

The incline has since been totally refurbished. The cars, built by the J. G. Brill and Company of Philadelphia, have been stripped of paint to reveal the original wood. An observation deck was added at the top affording a magnificent view of Pittsburgh's "Golden Triangle", and the Duquesne Incline is now one of the city's most popular tourist attractions.

Facts 

Overview
Girder bridge up Mount Washington
Location
Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Status
Open to traffic
History
Built 1877; Closed 1962; Re-opened 1963
Builder
- Samuel Diescher of Budapest, Hungary
Railroad
- Funicular
Design
Pony plate girder
Dimensions
Total length: 800.0 ft.
Recognition
Posted to the National Register of Historic Places on March 4, 1975
Approximate latitude, longitude
+40.43978, -80.01773   (decimal degrees)
40°26'23" N, 80°01'04" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
17/583306/4477033 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
Pittsburgh West
Inventory numbers
NRHP 75001609 (National Register of Historic Places reference number)
BH 57097 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Categories 

19th Century (9,388)
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania (471)
Built 1877 (128)
Built during 1870s (1,455)
Funicular (8)
Girder (11,549)
Have street view (30,140)
NR-listed (3,027)
 Open (41,353)
Pennsylvania (6,399)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (182)
Plate girder (9,066)
Railroad (16,923)
Samuel Diescher (2)
Through girder (4,354)
Total length 500-1000 feet (3,177)

Update Log 

  • November 24, 2018: New photos from Daniel Barnes
  • July 11, 2013: Added by Dave King

Sources 

Comments 

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