Monongahela Freight Incline
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 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Locale | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Dates of operation | 1884–1935 |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 10 ft (3,048 mm) |
The Monongahela Freight Incline was a funicular railway that scaled Mount Washington in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States.
Designed by European immigrants Samuel Diescher and John Endres, this incline was built beside the smaller, original Monongahela Incline and opened in 1884.[1] The incline cost $125,000.
It had a unique 10 ft (3,048 mm) broad gauge that would allow vehicles, as well as walk-on passengers, to ascend and descend the hill. The cars were hoisted by a pair of Robinson & Rea engines.[2]
The incline operated until 1935.[3]
The older passenger incline, which was built in 1870, is one of two inclines still serving South Side Pittsburgh today, out of a total of seventeen that were built during the nineteenth century. Passengers can see concrete pylons remaining from the freight incline during the descent.
