Duquesne Incline

The Duquesne Incline is one of those which follows very closely the tracks of an early coal hoist. Old newspapers indicate the existence of such a conveyance as early as 1854. Residents apparently referred to it as "Kirk Lewis' incline" and located it on the present site of The Duquesne Incline's Upper Station. Grandview Avenue was then the High Street, and the area was just beginning to be converted from farmland to homesites. This pleasantly-situated acreage was an excellent area to absorb some of the expanding population of the city, but the problem of easy access was still to be solved. Although plans for a freight and passenger incline are known to have existed much earlier, financial backing was exceedingly hard to find -- even the modest sum of $47,000 -- and actual construction was delayed. Eventually, of course, difficulties were overcome and the Incline was built. It was opened to the public May 20, 1877.

Duquesne Incline

The first incline structure was part wood and part iron, but it was rebuilt entirely of iron in 1888. The total length is 793 feet, the grade is 58.5 per cent or 30.5 degrees, and the total rise is 400 feet. The lower 360 feet of Incline roadway crosses the Consolidated Rail Corporation (ConRail) tracks and right-of-way (previously the Panhandle Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and later the Penn Central Railroad). Here the Incline roadway is built of five-foot riveted girders in spans of sixty feet. The remaining portion is constructed of twenty-four inch riveted girders in thirty-foot spans. The gauge is five feet, the double trackway is twenty feet wide, and there is a three-foot gap between cars at the passing point (the point exactly in the middle of the Inclined Plane right-of-way, between the Upper and Lower Stations of the Incline).

History of The Duquesne Incline - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Directly across the Monongahela River (locals call it "the Mon") from downtown Pittsburgh is 367-foot-high Mount Washington, the best place to go for a grand view of Pittsburgh and the three rivers. Known as Coal Hill in Pittsburgh's early days, Mount Washington was originally the site of many prosperous coal mines. It's named for a young George Washington, who mapped the land and rivers below from what is now Grandview Avenue for the British before the United States became independent.

Almost everyone who visits Pittsburgh ends up on Mount Washington to take in the breathtaking view. USA Weekend's 2003 Annual Travel Report ranked it the second most beautiful place in America:

In a nation with a wealth of stunning cities full of compelling stories, ranking Pittsburgh as the No. 2 beauty spot is perhaps our most surprising choice. But the Steel City's aesthetic appeal is undeniable, as is its very American capacity for renewal.

The stunning nighttime view from Mount Washington features a sweeping panorama of downtown Pittsburgh and the surrounding countryside. The landmark skyscrapers of Pittsburgh's Golden Triangle are nestled at the point where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers flow together to create the mighty Ohio. At night, lights twinkle from both the city and more than 15 bridges.

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