Johnstown Inclined Plane
Encyclopedia
The Johnstown Inclined Plane is a 896.5 feet (273.3 m) funicular
in Johnstown
, Cambria County
in the U.S. state
of Pennsylvania
. The incline and its two stations connect the city of Johnstown, situated in a valley at the confluence
of the Stonycreek and the Little Conemaugh
Rivers, to the borough
of Westmont
on Yoder Hill. The Johnstown Inclined Plane is billed as the "world's steepest vehicular inclined plane", as it is capable of carrying automobiles, in addition to passengers, up or down a slope with a grade of 70.9 percent. The travel time from one station to the other is 90 seconds.
After a catastrophic flood in 1889
, the Johnstown Inclined Plane was completed in 1891 to serve as an escape route for future floods, as well as a convenient mode of transportation for the residents of the new communities situated above the valley. It was operated by Cambria Iron Company
and its successor Bethlehem Steel
until 1935, when it was sold to the borough of Westmont. The incline was briefly shut down in 1962 when its supply of power from Bethlehem Steel was terminated. Twice in its history, the Johnstown Inclined Plane fulfilled its role as a means of evacuation from floods—once in 1936 and again in 1977. The incline was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1973 and was designated a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark in 1994. It had major renovations in 1962 and from 1983 to 1984.
engineer Samuel Diescher
, who had also designed the Duquesne
, Castle Shannon
and Fort Pitt
Inclines in Pittsburgh. The funicular consists of a parallel set of 8 feet (2,438 mm) gauge railroad tracks with a 70.9 percent grade or an angle of 35 degrees and 28 minutes
from the horizontal. The incline is 896.5 feet (273.3 m) long and ascends 502.2 feet (153.1 m) vertically to the top of Yoder Hill and the borough
of Westmont
, the station of which is at an elevation of 1693.5 feet (516.2 m) above sea level. The rails are supported by 720 14 feet (4.3 m) long railroad tie
s made from Southern Yellow Pine
. The incline is lit at night by 114 high-pressure sodium-vapor lamps mounted along the sides of tracks. There used to be a stairway between the two tracks with 966 steps, but these were removed circa 1963.
Two cars traverse the slope; as one descends, the other ascends and acts as a counterweight
. The cars are 15 in 6 in (4.72 m) wide, 15 in 2 in (4.62 m) tall, and 34 feet (10.4 m) long, and are large enough to carry either 65 people, 6 motorcycles, or an automobile. While the cars are open to the elements, an enclosed seating area containing a bench is situated along the outer side of the incline. The cables connecting the cars are 2 inches (5.1 cm) diameter, 6×36 right regular lay, steel wire rope. They are wound around a 3 short tons (2.7 MT), 16 feet (4.9 m) diameter drum that connects the cars together. The cable on the north track is 1075 feet (327.7 m) long, while the south cable is 7 feet (2.1 m) shorter. Each car weighs 22 short tons (19.6 LT), but they, and consequently the cables, can carry an additional load of 15 short tons (13.4 LT). A 400 hp electric motor turns the drum, simultaneously winding and unwinding the cable, to power the incline. The Johnstown Inclined Plane is unusual in that the motor and winch
are located at a 90 degree angle to the incline instead of directly underneath it. Operation of the incline is controlled via a foot pedal located in a booth in the upper station.
An emergency brake engages if the air pressure needed to control the incline is insufficient; the brake also engages if a dead man's switch
is tripped in the operator's booth. In addition to the hauling cables, a 972 feet (296.3 m) safety cable capable of withstanding 165 short tons (147.3 LT) is also connected to the cars.
, Slavic, and Welsh
people who settled near Johnstown, remembered them from their native lands and brought the concept to the United States. The earliest inclines in the United States were a series of 10 that were built in the 1830s as part of the Allegheny Portage Railroad
. The portage railroad carried canal boats over the Allegheny Mountains
to connect the canals from Pittsburgh to the ones from Philadelphia. Pittsburgh at one time also had "at least 17" inclines—some carried passengers, others freight, while another two inclines (like the Nunnery Hill Incline
) were curved.
On May 31, 1889, the South Fork Dam
collapsed upstream of Johnstown on the Little Conemaugh River
. The resulting deluge
devastated the city, killing 2,209 people. As the city rebuilt, the Cambria Iron Company
started work on a residential development atop Yoder Hill. To provide easy transportation up and down the steep slope for the residents of the new community of Westmont, the company decided to construct an inclined plane. In addition to being a convenient mode of transportation, the Johnstown Inclined Plane doubled as an escape route in case of another flood. Diescher was hired by Cambria Iron to design the incline. The rails used in the incline were all manufactured in Johnstown at Cambria Iron, with many of the tools needed in the construction also handcrafted there. The 232 feet (70.7 m) Inclined Plane Bridge
was built to span the Stoneycreek River
to provide access to the lower station of the incline. Originally named the Cambria Inclined Plane, the Johnstown Inclined Plane opened on June 1, 1891 and cost US$
133,296 (US$
with inflation) to build. The convenience the incline provided stimulated a rapid growth of population in Westmont and made the borough one of the country's first suburbs. Over 40 million trips were taken on the incline in its first 80 years of operation.
, the successor to Cambria Iron, sold the Johnstown Inclined Plane to the borough of Westmont in April 1935. On March 17, 1936, nearly 4,000 people were evacuated from Johnstown to higher ground via the incline as the Stoneycreek and Conemaugh
Rivers overflowed their banks. The floodwaters continued downstream and eventually reached Pittsburgh. From February 1938 to July 1953, the Johnstown Traction Company
operated transit bus
es from Johnstown to Westmont with the "fully loaded public buses" being carried by the incline. Bethlehem Steel stopped supplying electricity to the Johnstown Inclined Plane when the factory switched to "an incompatible power system", forcing the incline to close on January 31, 1962. Because of public pressure to keep the incline operating, it was reopened in July 1962 after an extensive renovation, in which the electric motor was rewound, ties were replaced, and the cars were repainted.
The Johnstown Inclined Plane was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
on June 18, 1973. On July 20, 1977, the incline was again used as an escape route, evacuating residents from the valley amid rising floodwaters. It also carried "boats, emergency personnel
, and equipment down to the valley to aid in rescue operations". The incline was again sold for $1 by Westmont borough on March 8, 1983, to the Cambria County Transit Authority, now CamTran
. CamTran initiated a $4.2 million renovation on September 7, 1983, replacing "the incline's foundation piers, structural steel, and track." The renovations were completed on August 22, 1984, and the incline was rededicated on September 6. It was designated an Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
(ASME) in September 1994. A footbridge spanning Pennsylvania Route 56
between the incline and Vine Street was opened around the same time. On September 1, 2000, the incline was closed when the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
(PennDOT) undertook an $2.3 million renovation of the bridge and the access road leading to the bridge. It was reopened in April 2001, but again closed in September to allow PennDOT to finish repairs to the bridge deck. The repairs were completed on December 14, 2001. A strong thunderstorm disrupted power to the incline on April 16, 2010, stranding the cars and two passengers almost halfway down the slope; the rescue took three hours and ended when firefighters rappel
led down the tracks to reach the car. The Johnstown Inclined Plane was closed from September 9 to October 14, 2010, for the installation of a new 9000 pounds (4,082.3 kg) "hoist brake shaft."
offers connections between the incline and downtown Johnstown. , the cost for a ride on the incline is $2.25 or $4 for a roundtrip; fares for automobiles to be transported by the incline are $6 one way. The incline takes around 90 seconds to travel from one station to the other; the same trip takes 10 minutes by automobile. In 2010, the Johnstown Inclined Plane had an annual ridership of 92,185 passengers, a decrease of 10.1 percent from the previous year.
The upper station of the incline has a gift shop that sells souvenirs and snack foods. A visitors center is adjacent to the upper station; a restaurant, the City View Bar and Grill, is located directly below the center. The mechanical room
housing the incline's electric motor and hoisting mechanism can be viewed from windows in the gift shop, the restaurant and the lobby of the visitor center. An observation deck
providing views of the incline, the city, and the valley is located on the opposite side of the station from the visitor center. Two hiking trails allow visitors to walk the slope. One is a sculpture trail
, with works created in 1989 by local artist James Wolfe, who used remnants of the Bethlehem Steel factory in Johnstown.
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 Johnstown
Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Johnstown is a city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States, west-southwest of Altoona, Pennsylvania and east of Pittsburgh. The population was 20,978 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Cambria County...
, Cambria County
Cambria County, Pennsylvania
Cambria County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It comprises the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 143,679....
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. The incline and its two stations connect the city of Johnstown, situated in a valley at the confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
of the Stonycreek and the Little Conemaugh
Little Conemaugh River
The Little Conemaugh River is a tributary of the Conemaugh River, approximately 30 mi long, in western Pennsylvania in the United States....
Rivers, to the borough
Borough (Pennsylvania)
In the U.S. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a borough is a self-governing municipal entity that is usually smaller than a city. There are 958 boroughs in Pennsylvania. All municipalities in Pennsylvania are classified as either cities, boroughs, or townships...
of Westmont
Westmont, Pennsylvania
Westmont is a borough in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,523 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
on Yoder Hill. The Johnstown Inclined Plane is billed as the "world's steepest vehicular inclined plane", as it is capable of carrying automobiles, in addition to passengers, up or down a slope with a grade of 70.9 percent. The travel time from one station to the other is 90 seconds.
After a catastrophic flood in 1889
Johnstown Flood
The Johnstown Flood occurred on May 31, 1889. It was the result of the catastrophic failure of the South Fork Dam situated upstream of the town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA, made worse by several days of extremely heavy rainfall...
, the Johnstown Inclined Plane was completed in 1891 to serve as an escape route for future floods, as well as a convenient mode of transportation for the residents of the new communities situated above the valley. It was operated by Cambria Iron Company
Cambria Iron Company
Cambria Iron Company is a National Historic Landmark located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The company was founded in 1852 and made many important contributions to the iron and steel industry...
and its successor Bethlehem Steel
Bethlehem Steel
The Bethlehem Steel Corporation , based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was once the second-largest steel producer in the United States, after Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based U.S. Steel. After a decline in the U.S...
until 1935, when it was sold to the borough of Westmont. The incline was briefly shut down in 1962 when its supply of power from Bethlehem Steel was terminated. Twice in its history, the Johnstown Inclined Plane fulfilled its role as a means of evacuation from floods—once in 1936 and again in 1977. The incline was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1973 and was designated a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark in 1994. It had major renovations in 1962 and from 1983 to 1984.
Design
The Johnstown Inclined Plane was designed by HungarianHungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
engineer Samuel Diescher
Samuel Diescher
Samuel Diescher, a prominent civil and mechanical engineer, was born in Budapest, educated at Karlsruhe Polytechnique and at the University of Zurich. Coming to the United States in 1866, he settled in Cincinnati, where he built his first inclined plane. He came to Pittsburgh and was associated...
, who had also designed the Duquesne
Duquesne Incline
The Duquesne Incline is a inclined plane railroad, or funicular, located near Pittsburgh's South Side neighborhood and scaling Mt. Washington. Designed by Samuel Diescher, the incline was completed in 1877 and is long, in height, and is inclined at a 30 degree angle...
, Castle Shannon
Castle Shannon Incline
The Castle Shannon Incline was a funicular railroad in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was originally built in 1890 as part of the Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Railroad as a means of transporting passenger traffic over Mt. Washington, rather than using the Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Tunnel...
and Fort Pitt
Fort Pitt Incline
The Fort Pitt Incline was a funicular railroad in Pittsburgh, designed by Samuel Diescher. Built in 1882, it was abandoned by 1906. It ran from 2nd Avenue to Bluff Street, a distance of 2640 feet, and a vertical distance of 375 feet....
Inclines in Pittsburgh. The funicular consists of a parallel set of 8 feet (2,438 mm) gauge railroad tracks with a 70.9 percent grade or an angle of 35 degrees and 28 minutes
Minute of arc
A minute of arc, arcminute, or minute of angle , is a unit of angular measurement equal to one sixtieth of one degree. In turn, a second of arc or arcsecond is one sixtieth of one minute of arc....
from the horizontal. The incline is 896.5 feet (273.3 m) long and ascends 502.2 feet (153.1 m) vertically to the top of Yoder Hill and the borough
Borough (Pennsylvania)
In the U.S. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a borough is a self-governing municipal entity that is usually smaller than a city. There are 958 boroughs in Pennsylvania. All municipalities in Pennsylvania are classified as either cities, boroughs, or townships...
of Westmont
Westmont, Pennsylvania
Westmont is a borough in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,523 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, the station of which is at an elevation of 1693.5 feet (516.2 m) above sea level. The rails are supported by 720 14 feet (4.3 m) long railroad tie
Railroad tie
A railroad tie/railway tie , or railway sleeper is a rectangular item used to support the rails in railroad tracks...
s made from Southern Yellow Pine
Southern Yellow Pine
Southern Yellow Pine doesn't refer to any one species of tree, but rather a group of species which are classified as yellow pine , and are native to the Southern United States. They grow very well in the acidic red clay soil found in most of the region. The varieties include Loblolly, Longleaf,...
. The incline is lit at night by 114 high-pressure sodium-vapor lamps mounted along the sides of tracks. There used to be a stairway between the two tracks with 966 steps, but these were removed circa 1963.
Two cars traverse the slope; as one descends, the other ascends and acts as a counterweight
Counterweight
A counterweight is an equivalent counterbalancing weight that balances a load.-Uses:A counterweight is often used in traction lifts , cranes and funfair rides...
. The cars are 15 in 6 in (4.72 m) wide, 15 in 2 in (4.62 m) tall, and 34 feet (10.4 m) long, and are large enough to carry either 65 people, 6 motorcycles, or an automobile. While the cars are open to the elements, an enclosed seating area containing a bench is situated along the outer side of the incline. The cables connecting the cars are 2 inches (5.1 cm) diameter, 6×36 right regular lay, steel wire rope. They are wound around a 3 short tons (2.7 MT), 16 feet (4.9 m) diameter drum that connects the cars together. The cable on the north track is 1075 feet (327.7 m) long, while the south cable is 7 feet (2.1 m) shorter. Each car weighs 22 short tons (19.6 LT), but they, and consequently the cables, can carry an additional load of 15 short tons (13.4 LT). A 400 hp electric motor turns the drum, simultaneously winding and unwinding the cable, to power the incline. The Johnstown Inclined Plane is unusual in that the motor and winch
Winch
A winch is a mechanical device that is used to pull in or let out or otherwise adjust the "tension" of a rope or wire rope . In its simplest form it consists of a spool and attached hand crank. In larger forms, winches stand at the heart of machines as diverse as tow trucks, steam shovels and...
are located at a 90 degree angle to the incline instead of directly underneath it. Operation of the incline is controlled via a foot pedal located in a booth in the upper station.
An emergency brake engages if the air pressure needed to control the incline is insufficient; the brake also engages if a dead man's switch
Dead man's switch
A dead man's switch is a switch that is automatically operated in case the human operator becomes incapacitated, such as through death or loss of consciousness....
is tripped in the operator's booth. In addition to the hauling cables, a 972 feet (296.3 m) safety cable capable of withstanding 165 short tons (147.3 LT) is also connected to the cars.
Background and construction
Inclines are common in Europe, and immigrants, like the GermanGermans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
, Slavic, and Welsh
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
people who settled near Johnstown, remembered them from their native lands and brought the concept to the United States. The earliest inclines in the United States were a series of 10 that were built in the 1830s as part of the Allegheny Portage Railroad
Allegheny Portage Railroad
The Allegheny Portage Railroad was the first railroad constructed through the Allegheny Mountains in central Pennsylvania, United States. It was a series of 10 inclines, approximately long, and operated from 1834 to 1854...
. The portage railroad carried canal boats over the Allegheny Mountains
Allegheny Mountains
The Allegheny Mountain Range , also spelled Alleghany, Allegany and, informally, the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada...
to connect the canals from Pittsburgh to the ones from Philadelphia. Pittsburgh at one time also had "at least 17" inclines—some carried passengers, others freight, while another two inclines (like the Nunnery Hill Incline
Nunnery Hill Incline
The Nunnery Hill Incline was a funicular designed by Samuel Diescher in 1877. It was operational until 1899, and connected Federal Street to the Fineview neighborhood in Pittsburgh. It was one of a few inclines with a curve in the track....
) were curved.
On May 31, 1889, the South Fork Dam
South Fork Dam
The South Fork Dam was located on Lake Conemaugh, an artificial body of water located near South Fork, Pennsylvania, United States. On May 31, 1889, the South Fork Dam failed catastrophically and 20 million tons of water from Lake Conemaugh burst through and raced 14 miles downstream, causing the...
collapsed upstream of Johnstown on the Little Conemaugh River
Little Conemaugh River
The Little Conemaugh River is a tributary of the Conemaugh River, approximately 30 mi long, in western Pennsylvania in the United States....
. The resulting deluge
Johnstown Flood
The Johnstown Flood occurred on May 31, 1889. It was the result of the catastrophic failure of the South Fork Dam situated upstream of the town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA, made worse by several days of extremely heavy rainfall...
devastated the city, killing 2,209 people. As the city rebuilt, the Cambria Iron Company
Cambria Iron Company
Cambria Iron Company is a National Historic Landmark located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The company was founded in 1852 and made many important contributions to the iron and steel industry...
started work on a residential development atop Yoder Hill. To provide easy transportation up and down the steep slope for the residents of the new community of Westmont, the company decided to construct an inclined plane. In addition to being a convenient mode of transportation, the Johnstown Inclined Plane doubled as an escape route in case of another flood. Diescher was hired by Cambria Iron to design the incline. The rails used in the incline were all manufactured in Johnstown at Cambria Iron, with many of the tools needed in the construction also handcrafted there. The 232 feet (70.7 m) Inclined Plane Bridge
Inclined Plane Bridge
The Inclined Plane Bridge is a , Pennsylvania through truss bridge that spans Stonycreek River in Johnstown, Cambria County, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It connects the city to the lower station of the Johnstown Inclined Plane...
was built to span the Stoneycreek River
Stoneycreek River
The Stonycreek River is a tributary of the Conemaugh River, approximately 45 mi long, in southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States.-Course:...
to provide access to the lower station of the incline. Originally named the Cambria Inclined Plane, the Johnstown Inclined Plane opened on June 1, 1891 and cost US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
133,296 (US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
with inflation) to build. The convenience the incline provided stimulated a rapid growth of population in Westmont and made the borough one of the country's first suburbs. Over 40 million trips were taken on the incline in its first 80 years of operation.
Use
The incline's original steam engine was disconnected on January 6, 1912, and replaced with an electric motor. The cars used on the incline were originally double-deckers, but were reconfigured into a single-decker design in 1921. The double-decker cars had horses and wagons riding on the main, upper deck and passengers riding in a compartment below. Only one human fatality has occurred at the incline, though it was determined that the incident was not caused by the incline itself. There were two incidents in the 1920s when horses aboard the incline became spooked and leapt from the car onto the tracks below. Bethlehem SteelBethlehem Steel
The Bethlehem Steel Corporation , based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was once the second-largest steel producer in the United States, after Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based U.S. Steel. After a decline in the U.S...
, the successor to Cambria Iron, sold the Johnstown Inclined Plane to the borough of Westmont in April 1935. On March 17, 1936, nearly 4,000 people were evacuated from Johnstown to higher ground via the incline as the Stoneycreek and Conemaugh
Conemaugh River
The Conemaugh River is a long tributary of the Kiskiminetas River in Westmoreland, Indiana, and Cambria counties in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.- Course :...
Rivers overflowed their banks. The floodwaters continued downstream and eventually reached Pittsburgh. From February 1938 to July 1953, the Johnstown Traction Company
Johnstown Traction Company
Johnstown Traction Company was a public transit system in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, United States. For most of its existence it was primarily a street-railway system, but in later years also operated rubber-tired vehicles. JTC operated trolley service in Johnstown from February 23, 1910 to June...
operated transit bus
Transit bus
A transit bus , also known as a commuter bus, city bus, or public bus, is a bus used for short-distance public transport purposes...
es from Johnstown to Westmont with the "fully loaded public buses" being carried by the incline. Bethlehem Steel stopped supplying electricity to the Johnstown Inclined Plane when the factory switched to "an incompatible power system", forcing the incline to close on January 31, 1962. Because of public pressure to keep the incline operating, it was reopened in July 1962 after an extensive renovation, in which the electric motor was rewound, ties were replaced, and the cars were repainted.
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on June 18, 1973. On July 20, 1977, the incline was again used as an escape route, evacuating residents from the valley amid rising floodwaters. It also carried "boats, emergency personnel
Emergency service
Emergency services are organizations which ensure public safety and health by addressing different emergencies. Some agencies exist solely for addressing certain types of emergencies whilst others deal with ad hoc emergencies as part of their normal responsibilities...
, and equipment down to the valley to aid in rescue operations". The incline was again sold for $1 by Westmont borough on March 8, 1983, to the Cambria County Transit Authority, now CamTran
CamTran
CamTran, originally called the Cambria County Transit Authority operates mass transit bus service within Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Cambria County,and Windber, Pennsylvania, Somerset County, Pennsylvania. CamTran also operates the Johnstown Inclined Plane, which they took over in 1983 from Westmont,...
. CamTran initiated a $4.2 million renovation on September 7, 1983, replacing "the incline's foundation piers, structural steel, and track." The renovations were completed on August 22, 1984, and the incline was rededicated on September 6. It was designated an Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers is a professional body, specifically an engineering society, focused on mechanical engineering....
(ASME) in September 1994. A footbridge spanning Pennsylvania Route 56
Pennsylvania Route 56
Pennsylvania Route 56 is a major long state highway located in central Pennsylvania. Its western terminus is at the eastern approach to the C.L. Schmitt Bridge in New Kensington. Its eastern terminus is U.S. Route 30 west of Bedford.- Route description :...
between the incline and Vine Street was opened around the same time. On September 1, 2000, the incline was closed when the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation oversees transportation issues in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The administrator of PennDOT is the Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation, currently Barry Schoch Presently, PennDOT supports over of state roads and highways, about 25,000...
(PennDOT) undertook an $2.3 million renovation of the bridge and the access road leading to the bridge. It was reopened in April 2001, but again closed in September to allow PennDOT to finish repairs to the bridge deck. The repairs were completed on December 14, 2001. A strong thunderstorm disrupted power to the incline on April 16, 2010, stranding the cars and two passengers almost halfway down the slope; the rescue took three hours and ended when firefighters rappel
Abseiling
Abseiling , rappelling in American English, is the controlled descent down a rock face using a rope; climbers use this technique when a cliff or slope is too steep and/or dangerous to descend without protection.- Slang terms :...
led down the tracks to reach the car. The Johnstown Inclined Plane was closed from September 9 to October 14, 2010, for the installation of a new 9000 pounds (4,082.3 kg) "hoist brake shaft."
Current operations
With the growing popularity of the automobile and subsequent construction of new roads, ridership on the incline diminished and it was losing $25,000 a year by 1961. However, since the 1980s, the incline has become one of the main tourist attractions in Johnstown, with people visiting the incline to "ride for fun, nostalgia and novelty." Though primarily used for tourism, the incline's use by commuters, who bike or walk to work, has also increased. CamTran's Route 18 transit busTransit bus
A transit bus , also known as a commuter bus, city bus, or public bus, is a bus used for short-distance public transport purposes...
offers connections between the incline and downtown Johnstown. , the cost for a ride on the incline is $2.25 or $4 for a roundtrip; fares for automobiles to be transported by the incline are $6 one way. The incline takes around 90 seconds to travel from one station to the other; the same trip takes 10 minutes by automobile. In 2010, the Johnstown Inclined Plane had an annual ridership of 92,185 passengers, a decrease of 10.1 percent from the previous year.
The upper station of the incline has a gift shop that sells souvenirs and snack foods. A visitors center is adjacent to the upper station; a restaurant, the City View Bar and Grill, is located directly below the center. The mechanical room
Mechanical room
A mechanical room or a boiler room is a room or space in a building dedicated to the mechanical equipment and its associated electrical equipment. Unless a building is served by a centralized heating plant, the size of the mechanical room is usually proportional to the size of the building...
housing the incline's electric motor and hoisting mechanism can be viewed from windows in the gift shop, the restaurant and the lobby of the visitor center. An observation deck
Observation deck
__FORCETOC__ An observation deck, observation platform or viewing platform is an elevated sightseeing platform usually situated upon a tall architectural structure such as a skyscraper or observation tower...
providing views of the incline, the city, and the valley is located on the opposite side of the station from the visitor center. Two hiking trails allow visitors to walk the slope. One is a sculpture trail
Sculpture trail
A sculpture trail—sculpture walk - also known as "a culture walk" - is a walkway through open-air galleries of outdoor sculptures along a defined route with sequenced viewings encountered from planned preview and principal sight lines.-Settings:...
, with works created in 1989 by local artist James Wolfe, who used remnants of the Bethlehem Steel factory in Johnstown.
See also
- List of funicular railways
- List of Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmarks
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Cambria County, PennsylvaniaNational Register of Historic Places listings in Cambria County, PennsylvaniaThis is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Cambria County, Pennsylvania.This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on National Register of Historic Places in the Cambria County, Pennsylvania...