St. Clair Incline
Encyclopedia
The St.. Clair Incline was built in 1886 and operated by St. Clair Incline Plane Company, and was also known as the South Twenty-second Street Incline. It was a double track
incline
in Pittsburgh, from Josephine St. to Salisbury St. The lower station was near Bane School, at the intersection of S. 22nd Sreet and Josephine. The upper station was at Fort Laughlin
in Arlington Heights (Pittsburgh)
, now the site of Arlington Playground on Salisbury Street.
The incline was 2,000 ft long, with a vertical rise of 250 foot. It closed in 1935.
It was designed by the engineer, John N. McRoberts. As it carried both freight and passengers over steep tracks laid on the ground, it could be considered to be a cable railway
.
In addition to these, a fatality was also recorded at the Knoxville Incline
on October 7, 1953.
incline
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 Pittsburgh, from Josephine St. to Salisbury St. The lower station was near Bane School, at the intersection of S. 22nd Sreet and Josephine. The upper station was at Fort Laughlin
Fort Laughlin
Fort Laughlin was an Civil War redoubt, built in 1863 for the defense of Pittsburgh by the employees of Jones and Laughlin Iron Works, and named for James H. Laughlin. It was also known as Fort McKinley or Fort Ormsby. It was a circular earthwork on Ormsby's Hill, now part of Arlington Park on...
in Arlington Heights (Pittsburgh)
Arlington Heights (Pittsburgh)
For the Monroe County community, see Arlington Heights, Pennsylvania.Arlington Heights is a south neighborhood on Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The zip code used by residents is 15210, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 3...
, now the site of Arlington Playground on Salisbury Street.
The incline was 2,000 ft long, with a vertical rise of 250 foot. It closed in 1935.
It was designed by the engineer, John N. McRoberts. As it carried both freight and passengers over steep tracks laid on the ground, it could be considered to be a cable railway
Cable railway
A cable railway is a steeply graded railway that uses a cable or rope to haul trains.-Introduction:...
.
Fatal Accident
At 3:30 in the morning of April 6, 1909, an accident occurred when engineer Jesse Burton fainted against the controls, releasing the brake. As the upbound car reached the top, it slammed into the upper support, bounced away and rolled freely back down the grade. The impact had knocked both cables from their drums, so the car at the lower station did not provide a counterbalance on the move. The night turn had ended shortly before at D.O. Cunningham Glass on Jane St. near the lower station, and the upbound car was taking some passengers home. After the impact at the top, three young men jumped during their descent. One, Frank Bredl, 17, jumped early and survived. The others, Albert Klingenberger, 16, and Arthur Miller, 17, died from their injuries. A postcard of the era showed the aftermath of the accident.In addition to these, a fatality was also recorded at the Knoxville Incline
Knoxville Incline
The Knoxville Incline was an inclined railway that ran between Pittsburgh's South Side and Knoxville neighborhoods. The incline was constructed in 1890, and was demolished in 1960. It was designed by John H. McRoberts, with a length of 2644 feet. The Knoxville Incline was operated by the...
on October 7, 1953.
Maps
- 1916 Map of Pittsburgh, showing name and location http://images.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/maps/showmap.pl?client=maps&image=16v06p08&levels=5&originx=0&originy=3475&lastlevel=2&fullheight=6832&fullwidth=9582&level=3&size=0&tnail.x=11&tnail.y=54