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Gallery 920: Around the World in Trams Special - Monongahela Incline, Pittsburgh

The Monongahela Incline in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was first opened on 28th May 1870 and is a 635 foot long double track funicular railway which runs on a five foot gauge. It is built on the slope of "Coal Hill" which was previously named Mount Washington. The line was originally built on a wooden trestle structure but this was replaced during 1882 with a steel structure put in its place. A Freight Incline was built alongside in 1884 (with a gauge of 10 feet) but this was dismantled in 1935. The original steam hoisting equipment was electrified in 1935 and the line was acquired by the Port of Allegheny County Transit (PA Transit) on 1st March 1964. A period of closure came in 1982-3 when the entire line was refurbished and further work came in 1994 which saw the 1932 electrical gear updated.

In this collection we take a look at the Monongahela Incline from top to bottom including images of the infrastructure and the two cars which operate the service linking West Cannon Street with Grandview Avenue. The incline was at one time one of 17 similar lines built around Pittsburgh and these photos will show how it still offers a service to locals.

* The Monongahela Incline usually operates seven days a week with an adult round trip ticket cost $3.50. More details can be found at https://monongahelaincline.com/index.html.

Photographer: Edward M. Koehler Jr.
All photographs were taken on Friday 22nd June 2018.

Ticket

Base Station

View

2 & 1

2 & 1

1 & 2

Sign

Track

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This page was last updated on Sunday 14th February 2021

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