Downtown Pittsburgh as seen from the Duquesne Incline.
(Dllu, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
DUQUESNE INCLINE
The Duquesne Incline (/djuːˈkeɪn/ dew-KAYN) is a funicular located near Pittsburgh's South Side neighborhood, scaling Mt. Washington in the 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 having a track gauge standard used only 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. That year both inclines were designated as Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmarks by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).
Lower building.
(Dllu, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
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 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).
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 low-lying 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).
The view upward when ascending the incline.
(Dllu, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
Statistics
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
Interior view looking toward the Pittsburgh skyline.
(Dllu, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
In popular culture
- 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, set in Pittsburgh.
- 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.
Lobby of the lower station.
(Dllu, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
Overview
Headquarters: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Locale: 1220 Grandview Ave., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Dates of operation: May 17, 1877–present
Technical
Track gauge: 5 ft (1,524 mm)
Length: 800 feet (244 m)
Other
Website: duquesneincline.org
Coordinates: 40°26′21″N 80°1′5″W
Built :1877
Architect: Samuel Diescher
Architectural style: Second Empire, T pattern
NRHP reference Number: 75001609
Added to NRHP: March 4, 1975
Platform of the lower station.
(Dllu, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
