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Coordinates: 40°26′21″N 80°1′5″W / 40.43917°N 80.01806°W / 40.43917; -80.01806
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{{Short description|Funicular in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania}}
⚫
{{Infobox rail
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
| railroad_name = Duquesne Incline
{{Use American English|date=June 2024}}
⚫
| logo_filename = Downtown Pittsburgh from Duquesne Incline in the morning.jpg
⚫
{{Infobox rail line
| logo_size = 250px
⚫
| linelength = {{convert|800|ft|m|0}}
| gauge = {{Track gauge|5ft|lk=on}}
| gauge = {{Track gauge|5ft|lk=on}}
| old_gauge =
| old_gauge =
| electrification =
| electrification =
⚫
| length = {{convert|800|ft|m|0}}
| type = [[Funicular]]
| marks =
| locale = [[Pittsburgh]], [[Pennsylvania]]
| locale = [[Pittsburgh]], [[Pennsylvania]]
| website = {{official url}}
| start_year = {{Start date|1877|5|17}}<ref>{{cite news|title=Conquering New Territory|newspaper=[[Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette]]|date=May 18, 1877|page=4|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4RxRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kWYDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3401%2C1806727 |quote=The plane was opened yesterday to the public....}}</ref>
| open = {{Start date|1877|5|17}}<ref>{{cite news|title=The Duquesne Incline Plane|newspaper=[[Pittsburgh Daily Post|The Daily Post]]|publication-place=Pittsburgh|date=May 18, 1877|page=4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5645564/}}</ref>
| end_year = present
| maxincline = 30 degrees
| hq_city = [[Pittsburgh]], [[Pennsylvania]]
| embedded = {{Infobox NRHP
| website = [http://www.duquesneincline.org duquesneincline.org]
{{Infobox NRHP
| name = Duquesne Incline
| name = Duquesne Incline
| embed = yes
| embed = yes
| nrhp_type =
| nrhp_type =
| image =
| caption =
| location= 1220 Grandview Ave., [[Pittsburgh]], [[Pennsylvania]]
| coordinates = {{coord|40|26|21|N|80|1|5|W|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates = {{coord|40|26|21|N|80|1|5|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin = Pittsburgh#Pennsylvania#USA
| locmapin = Pittsburgh#Pennsylvania#USA
| designated_other1 = PHLF
| designated_other1 = PHLF
| designated_other1_date =
| designated_other1_date =
| built = 1877
| built = 1877
| architect OR builder = Diescher, Samuel
| architect = Samuel Diescher
| architecture = Second Empire, Other, T pattern
| architecture = Second Empire, T pattern
| added = March 4, 1975
| added = March 4, 1975
<!-- | area = {{convert|5|acre}} -->
| governing_body = Local
| refnum = 75001609<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>
| refnum = 75001609<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>
}} }}
}}
⚫
| image = Downtown Pittsburgh from Duquesne Incline in the morning.jpg
⚫
The '''Duquesne Incline''' ({{IPAc-en|d|uː|ˈ|k|eɪ|n}}) is an [[cable railway|inclined plane railroad]] located near [[Pittsburgh]]'s [[South Side (Pittsburgh)|South Side]] neighborhood and scaling [[Mount Washington (Pittsburgh)|Mt. Washington]] in [[Pennsylvania]], United States. Designed by [[Samuel Diescher]], the incline was completed in 1877 and is {{convert|800|ft|m|0}} long, {{convert|400|ft|m|0}} in height, and is [[Grade (slope)|inclined]] at a 30-degree angle. It is an unusual track gauge of {{Track gauge|5ft|lk=on}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=Monongahela and Duquesne Inclines |url=http://files.asme.org/ASMEORG/Communities/History/Landmarks/5533.pdf |accessdate=2009-05-21 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090816062002/http://files.asme.org/ASMEORG/Communities/History/Landmarks/5533.pdf |archivedate=2009-08-16 |df= }}</ref>
| caption = View of the incline from its upper station, with the [[Downtown Pittsburgh|Golden Triangle]] in the background
| owner = [[Pittsburgh Regional Transit]]
| operator = Society for the Preservation of The Duquesne Heights Incline
}}

The '''Duquesne Incline''' ({{IPAc-en|dj|uː|ˈ|k|eɪ|n}} {{respell|dew|KAYN}}) is a [[funicular]] scaling [[Mount Washington, Pittsburgh (mountain)|Mount Washington]] near the [[South Side (Pittsburgh)|South Side]] neighborhood of [[Pittsburgh]], Pennsylvania, United States. Designed by Hungarian-American engineer [[Samuel Diescher]], the incline was completed in 1877.

The lower station is in the Second Empire style. Together with the incline, which rises {{convert|400|ft|m|0}} in height, at a 30-degree angle, it was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1975. The incline is unusual for using a {{Track gauge|5ft|lk=on}} track gauge, mainly used in Finland, Russia, and Mongolia.

Together with the [[Monongahela Incline]], it is one of two passenger inclines still in operation on Pittsburgh's South Side. By 1977, the two had become tourist attractions and together served more than one million commuters and tourists annually.<ref name="leherr">{{cite news |title=Inclines Rise to National Landmarks |first=Dave |last=Leherr |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19770507&id=Ck4NAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Om0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6087,858396 |newspaper=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]] |date=7 May 1977 |page=9}}</ref> That year both inclines were designated as [[Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmarks]] by the [[American Society of Mechanical Engineers]] (ASME).

The incline is owned by [[Pittsburgh Regional Transit]], and operated by the nonprofit Society for the Preservation of The Duquesne Heights Incline.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About The Incline |url=http://www.duquesneincline.org/index8656.html?page=about-the-incline |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=Society for the Preservation of The Duquesne Heights Incline}}</ref> Fares for the incline are standard Pittsburgh Regional Transit fares.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mobile Ticketing |url=https://www.rideprt.org/fares-and-passes/mobileticket/ |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=Pittsburgh Regional Transit}}</ref>


== History ==
== History ==
⚫
Originally [[steam powered]], the Duquesne Incline was designed by [[Samuel Diescher]], a Hungarian-American civil engineer based in Pittsburgh, and completed in 1877. The incline is {{convert|800|ft|m|0}} long, {{convert|400|ft|m|0}} in height, and is [[Grade (slope)|inclined]] at a 30-degree angle. Its track gauge is {{Track gauge|5ft|lk=on}}, which is unusual for United States (but standard for Finland, Russia, and Mongolia<ref name="landmark">{{cite web |title=Monongahela and Duquesne Inclines |url=http://files.asme.org/ASMEORG/Communities/History/Landmarks/5533.pdf |access-date=2009-05-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090816062002/http://files.asme.org/ASMEORG/Communities/History/Landmarks/5533.pdf |archive-date=2009-08-16 }}</ref>).
⚫
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 “[[Mount Washington (Pittsburgh)|Coal Hill]]” most of the other inclines were closed. By the end of the 1960s, only the [[Monongahela Incline]] and the Duquesne Incline remained.


Diescher is known for having designed the majority of inclines in the United States, including several in Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania, in addition to numerous other industrial and highway projects.
⚫
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 (Pittsburgh)|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 was intended 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 the steep footpaths to the top of the bluff. Inclines were being built all over Mt. Washington to serve working-class people who were forced out of the lowlying riverfront by industrial development.
⚫
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 view of Pittsburgh's "[[Downtown Pittsburgh|Golden Triangle]]", and the Duquesne Incline is now one of the city's most popular tourist attractions.

But as more roads were built in the twentieth century on “[[Mount Washington, Pittsburgh (mountain)|Coal Hill]]”, as it was known, and automobile use increased, most of the other inclines were closed. By the end of the 1960s, only the [[Monongahela Incline]] and the Duquesne Incline remained in operation.

⚫
In 1962, the Duquesne 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 (Pittsburgh)|Duquesne Heights]] residents launched a fund-raiser to help restore 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 view of Pittsburgh's "[[Downtown Pittsburgh|Golden Triangle]]". The Duquesne Incline is now one of the city's most popular tourist attractions. In 1975 it was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]]. By 1977 the two remaining passenger inclines served more than one million commuters and tourists annually. That year both inclines were designated as [[Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmarks]]<ref name="leherr"/> by the [[American Society of Mechanical Engineers]] (ASME).<ref name="landmarks"/>

==Specifications==
*Length: {{convert|793|ft|m|0}}
*Elevation: {{convert|400|ft|m|0}}
*Grade: 30 degrees
*Gauge: {{Track gauge|5ft|lk=on}} [[broad gauge]]
*Speed: {{convert|4.03|mph|abbr=on}}
*Passenger Capacity: 18 to 25 (one compartment)
*Opened: May 20, 1877
*Renovated: 1888 (with steel structure)
*Rebuilt: Original [[steam power]] replaced with electricity: 1935
*Renovated: Historic cars restored in 1970s<ref name="landmarks">{{cite web |title=Monongahela and Duquesne Inclines |url=https://www.asme.org/wwwasmeorg/media/ResourceFiles/AboutASME/Who%20We%20Are/Engineering%20History/Landmarks/26-Monongahela-Incline-1870.pdf|work=[[ASME]] |date=11 May 1977}}</ref>


== In popular culture ==
== In popular culture ==
*The incline is featured in the opening scene of ''[[The Next Three Days]]'' trailer. The same scene is featured about halfway through the film.
*The incline is featured in the opening scene of ''[[The Next Three Days]]'' (2010) trailer. The same scene is featured about halfway through the film.
*It is also featured in the 1983 film ''[[Flashdance]]''.
*It is also featured in the 1983 film ''[[Flashdance]]'', set in Pittsburgh.
*In the 1987 movie ''[[Lady Beware]]'' the characters played by Diane Lane and Cotter Smith ride the incline.
*In the 1987 movie ''[[Lady Beware]]'', the characters played by [[Diane Lane]] and [[Cotter Smith]] ride the incline.
* The Duquesne Incline is a featured [[Pittsburgh]] landmark on [[Yinztagram]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Yinztagram By Pegula |work=[[iTunes Store]] |publisher=[[Apple Inc.]] |year=2012 |url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/yinztagram/id551110367?mt=8 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120828164832/http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/yinztagram/id551110367?mt=8 |archivedate=August 28, 2012 |accessdate=December 13, 2012 |deadurl=yes |df= }}</ref>
* The Duquesne Incline is a featured [[Pittsburgh]] landmark on [[Yinztagram]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Yinztagram By Pegula |work=[[iTunes Store]] |publisher=[[Apple Inc.]] |year=2012 |url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/yinztagram/id551110367?mt=8 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120828164832/http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/yinztagram/id551110367?mt=8 |archive-date=August 28, 2012 |access-date=December 13, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
<gallery mode=packed heights=100px>
<gallery mode="packed" heights="100px">
File:Duquesne Incline lower station.jpg|Lower building
Duquesne Incline lower station.jpg|Lower building
File:Ascending the Duquesne Incline.jpg|The view upwards when ascending the incline
Ascending the Duquesne Incline.jpg|The view upward when ascending the incline
File:Duquesne Incline interior.jpg|Interior view looking towards the Pittsburgh skyline
Duquesne Incline interior.jpg|Interior view looking toward the Pittsburgh skyline
File:Ticket counter and lobby of Duquesne Incline lower station.jpg|Lobby of the lower station
Ticket counter and lobby of Duquesne Incline lower station.jpg|Lobby of the lower station
File:Duquesne Incline lower station with incline car.jpg|Platform of the lower station
Duquesne Incline lower station with incline car.jpg|Platform of the lower station
</gallery>
</gallery>


==See also==
==See also==
{{Portal|Pittsburgh}}
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
*[[Angels Flight]]
*[[Angels Flight]]
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==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Commons category}}
*{{Official website}}
*[http://www.portauthority.org/PAAC/Schedules/Inclines/tabid/119/Default.aspx Port Authority of Allegheny County: The Inclines]
*[https://www.rideprt.org/inside-Pittsburgh-Regional-Transit/rider-info/how-to-ride/how-to-ride-the-inclines/ Pittsburgh Regional Transit: How to Ride the Inclines]
*[http://incline.pghfree.net/ The Duquesne Incline, official web site]
*[http://www.travelchannel.com/video/building-pittsburghs-bridge Travel Channel video of Incline]
*[http://www.travelchannel.com/video/building-pittsburghs-bridge Travel Channel video of Incline]
*[http://hawkinsrails.net/preservation/duq/duq.html HawkinsRails' Duquesne Incline scrapbook]
*[https://maps.google.com/maps?t=k&ll=40.4391,-80.018202&z=18 View on Google Maps]
*[https://maps.google.com/maps?t=k&ll=40.4391,-80.018202&z=18 View on Google Maps]

{{Port Authority of Allegheny County}}
{{Port Authority of Allegheny County}}
{{PittsburghTransit}}
{{PittsburghTransit}}
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[[Category:Railway lines opened in 1877]]
[[Category:Railway lines opened in 1877]]
[[Category:1877 establishments in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:1877 establishments in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Industrial buildings and structures in Pittsburgh]]

Latest revision as of 22:01, 4 December 2024

Duquesne Incline
View of the incline from its upper station, with the Golden Triangle in the background
Overview
OwnerPittsburgh Regional Transit
LocalePittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Websitewww.duquesneincline.org Edit this at Wikidata
Service
TypeFunicular
Operator(s)Society for the Preservation of The Duquesne Heights Incline
History
OpenedMay 17, 1877 (1877-05-17)[1]
Technical
Line length800 feet (244 m)
Track gauge5 ft (1,524 mm)
Maximum incline30 degrees
Duquesne Incline
Duquesne Incline is located in Pittsburgh
Duquesne Incline
Duquesne Incline is located in Pennsylvania
Duquesne Incline
Duquesne Incline is located in the United States
Duquesne Incline
Coordinates40°26′21″N 80°1′5″W / 40.43917°N 80.01806°W / 40.43917; -80.01806
Built1877
ArchitectSamuel Diescher
Architectural styleSecond Empire, T pattern
NRHP reference No.75001609[2]
Added to NRHPMarch 4, 1975

The Duquesne Incline (/djuːˈkeɪn/ dew-KAYN) 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.

The lower station is in the Second Empire style. Together with the incline, which rises 400 feet (122 m) in height, at a 30-degree angle, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. The incline is unusual for using a 5 ft (1,524 mm) track gauge, mainly used in Finland, Russia, and Mongolia.

Together with the Monongahela Incline, it is one of two passenger inclines still in operation on Pittsburgh's South Side. By 1977, the two had become tourist attractions and together served more than one million commuters and tourists annually.[3] That year both inclines were designated as Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmarks by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).

The incline is owned by Pittsburgh Regional Transit, and operated by the nonprofit Society for the Preservation of The Duquesne Heights Incline.[4] Fares for the incline are standard Pittsburgh Regional Transit fares.[5]

History

[edit]

Originally steam powered, the Duquesne Incline was designed by Samuel Diescher, a Hungarian-American civil engineer based in Pittsburgh, and completed in 1877. The incline is 800 feet (244 m) long, 400 feet (122 m) in height, and is inclined at a 30-degree angle. Its track gauge is 5 ft (1,524 mm), which is unusual for United States (but standard for Finland, Russia, and Mongolia[6]).

Diescher is known for having designed the majority of inclines in the United States, including several in Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania, in addition to numerous other industrial and highway projects.

The incline was intended 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 the steep footpaths to the top of the bluff. Inclines were being built all over Mt. Washington to serve working-class people who were forced out of the lowlying riverfront by industrial development.

But as more roads were built in the twentieth century on “Coal Hill”, as it was known, and automobile use increased, most of the other inclines were closed. By the end of the 1960s, only the Monongahela Incline and the Duquesne Incline remained in operation.

In 1962, the Duquesne 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 restore 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 view of Pittsburgh's "Golden Triangle". The Duquesne Incline is now one of the city's most popular tourist attractions. In 1975 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. By 1977 the two remaining passenger inclines served more than one million commuters and tourists annually. That year both inclines were designated as Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmarks[3] by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).[7]

Specifications

[edit]
  • Length: 793 feet (242 m)
  • Elevation: 400 feet (122 m)
  • Grade: 30 degrees
  • Gauge: 5 ft (1,524 mm) broad gauge
  • Speed: 4.03 mph (6.49 km/h)
  • Passenger Capacity: 18 to 25 (one compartment)
  • Opened: May 20, 1877
  • Renovated: 1888 (with steel structure)
  • Rebuilt: Original steam power replaced with electricity: 1935
  • Renovated: Historic cars restored in 1970s[7]
[edit]
[edit]
  • Lower building
    Lower building
  • The view upward when ascending the incline
    The view upward when ascending the incline
  • Interior view looking toward the Pittsburgh skyline
    Interior view looking toward the Pittsburgh skyline
  • Lobby of the lower station
    Lobby of the lower station
  • Platform of the lower station
    Platform of the lower station

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "The Duquesne Incline Plane". The Daily Post. Pittsburgh. May 18, 1877. p. 4.
  2. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  3. ^ a b Leherr, Dave (May 7, 1977). "Inclines Rise to National Landmarks". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 9.
  4. ^ "About The Incline". Society for the Preservation of The Duquesne Heights Incline. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  5. ^ "Mobile Ticketing". Pittsburgh Regional Transit. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  6. ^ "Monongahela and Duquesne Inclines" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 16, 2009. Retrieved May 21, 2009.
  7. ^ a b "Monongahela and Duquesne Inclines" (PDF). ASME. May 11, 1977.
  8. ^ "Yinztagram By Pegula". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. 2012. Archived from the original on August 28, 2012. Retrieved December 13, 2012.
[edit]
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