Pittsburgh's Inclines

by Donald Doherty

Overview

Offering a panoramic view of present-day Pittsburgh, Monongahela and Duquesne Inclines attract pedestrians traveling from the river's shore to the top of Mount Washington.

These inclines were completed in 1870 and 1877 by real estate speculators hoping to capitalize on undeveloped land at the top of "Coal Hill," a name given due to its many coal mines. Housing in the valleys and other low-lying areas could not accommodate the influx of new residents following the Civil War. Using technology perfected to haul coal from mines, the region's first inclined railroads, or funiculars, carried people and goods and formed a part of the Allegheny Portage Railroad. By 1900, inclines were an integral part of the city's identity. During the early decades of the 20th century, however, automobiles and trucks made access to Pittsburgh's hilltops relatively easy. Before the automobile, there were at least 15 inclines in Pittsburgh. Today, there are two: the Monongahela and Duquesne Inclines.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467127806
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	06/25/2018
Series:	Images of Rail
Pages:	96
Sales rank:	674,346
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.30(d)

About the Author

Donald Doherty, a Pittsburgh historian, also authored Images of America: Pittsburgh's Shadyside. Images for this work were selected from the Senator John Heinz History Center Library and Archives, the Archives Service Center and Digital Research Library at the University of Pittsburgh, and private collections.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 6

Introduction 7

1 Coal Inclines to Hillside Elevators 9

2 Inclined Plane Railway Capital of the World 29

3 Rise of the Automobile 59

4 Saving Pittsburgh's Inclines 81