Falls Incline Railway
Encyclopedia
Funicular
A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular...
in the city of Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Niagara Falls is a Canadian city on the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario. The municipality was incorporated on June 12, 1903...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is located beside Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls
The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...
at the Horseshoe Falls. The line was built in 1966 for the Niagara Parks Commission
Niagara Parks Commission
The Niagara Parks Commission, or Niagara Parks for short, is an agency of government of Ontario which maintains the Ontario shoreline of the Niagara River.- History :...
by the Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
company Von Roll. It adopted its current name in the 1980s.
Unlike the other incline railways at Niagara Falls, the Falls Incline was not built to descend into the Niagara Gorge
Niagara Gorge
Niagara Gorge is a gorge carved by the Niagara River along the US-Canadian border in New York and Ontario. As Niagara Falls recedes upstream toward Lake Erie, the river has gouged the hard dolomitic limestone of the Niagara escarpment to form the gorge...
below the falls. Instead it links the Table Rock Center
Table Rock, Niagara Falls
This article is about the former rock formation in Niagara Falls. For the retail complex bearing its name, please see Table Rock Center.Table Rock was a large shelf of rock which jutted out from the Canadian shore of Niagara Falls, Ontario, just north of the present day observation and commercial...
and Journey Behind the Falls
Journey Behind the Falls
Journey Behind the Falls is an attraction in Niagara Falls, Ontario located in the Table Rock Center beside the Canadian Horseshoe Falls...
, on the Niagara Parkway
Niagara Parkway
The Niagara Parkway, formerly known as Niagara Boulevard and historically as the Niagara Road, is a scenic road in the province of Ontario that travels on the Canadian side of the Niagara River from the town of Fort Erie to Niagara-on-the-Lake...
just above the falls to the higher level Fallsview Tourist Area
Fallsview Tourist Area
The Fallsview Tourist Area in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada is the main tourist attraction surrounding the Falls. In recent years, it has become the home many of the hotels in the city, such as: the Hilton Hotel, Marriott, and the recently-opened Comfort Inn Fallsview. Niagara Fallsview Casino...
, including the Minolta Tower, the Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort
Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort
The Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada opened publicly on June 10, 2004. This $1 billion complex with a belle époque theme overlooks the Horseshoe Falls and is one of the most prominent features of the Niagara skyline...
and several hotels.
The funicular has the following technical parameters:
- Length: 51.8 metres (170 ft)
- Slope: 30 degrees
- Cars: 2
- Capacity: 40 passengers per car
- Configuration: Double track
- Maximum speed: 1 metre per second (190 feet per minute)
- Journey time: 57 seconds
- Track gauge: 1.85 metres (6 ft)
- Traction: Electricity