Today the Monongahela Incline is operated by the Port Authority of Allegheny County, which also operates the of Pittsburgh's transit system, mainly as a tourist attraction. The result was the Monongahela Incline, which opened on May 28, 1870. Washington, remembering the seilbahns (cable cars) of their former country, proposed the construction of inclines along the face of Coal Hill. The predominantly German immigrants who settled on Mt. However, travel between the 'hill' and other areas was hindered by a lack of good roads or public transport. This created a serious housing shortage as industry occupied most of the flat lands adjacent to the river, leaving only the steep, surrounding hillsides of Mt. Pittsburgh's expanding industrial base in 1860 created a huge demand for labor, attracting mainly German immigrants to the region. It is also one of two surviving inclines (the other is the nearby Duquesne Incline) from the original 17 passenger-carrying inclines built in Pittsburgh starting in the late 19th century. An observation deck was added at the top affording a view of Pittsburgh's 'Golden Triangle', and the Duquesne Incline is now one of the city's most popular tourist attractions.īuilt in 1870, the Monongahela Incline is the oldest continuously operating funicular in the United States. The cars have been stripped of paint to reveal the original wood. The incline has since been totally refurbished.

It was a huge success, and on July 1, 1963, the incline reopened under the auspices of a non-profit organization dedicated to its preservation. But local Duquesne Heights residents launched a fund-raiser to help the incline.

Major repairs were needed, and with so few patrons, the incline's private owners did little. In 1962, the incline was closed, apparently for good. By the end of the 1960s, only the Monongahela Incline and the Duquesne Incline remained. But as more roads were built on “Coal Hill” most of the other inclines were closed. Inclines were then being built all over Mt. Washington residents who were tired of walking up footpaths to the top. It later carried passengers, particularly Mt. Originally steam powered when first completed in 1877, the Duquesne Incline was built to carry cargo up and down Mt. The Duquesne Incline is a funicular located near Pittsburgh's South Side neighborhood and scaling Mt.

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