Johnstown Inclined Plane

40°19′32″N 78°55′43″W / 40.32556°N 78.92861°W / 40.32556; -78.92861

Johnstown Inclined Plane
Overview
LocaleJohnstown, Pennsylvania
United States
Transit typeFunicular
Annual ridership63,764 (2017) Decrease 2.3%
Websitewww.inclinedplane.org
Official nameJohnstown Inclined Railway
DesignatedJune 18, 1973
Reference no.73001597[1]
ArchitectSamuel Diescher
Official nameJohnstown Incline
DesignatedSeptember 1994
Reference no.180[2]
Operation
Began operationJune 1, 1891 (1891-06-01)
Operator(s)CamTran
Technical
System length896.5 ft (273.3 m)
Track gauge8 ft (2,440 mm)

The Johnstown Inclined Plane is a 896.5-foot (273.3 m) funicular in Johnstown, Cambria County, Pennsylvania, U.S. 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". It can carry automobiles and passengers, up or down a slope with a grade of 71.9%.[2][3] The travel time between stations is 90 seconds.

After a catastrophic flood in 1889, the Johnstown Inclined Plane was completed in 1891 to serve as an escape route from floods in the valley, as well as a convenient mode of transportation for residents of the new communities 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.

  1. ^ "Johnstown Inclined Railway". NPSGallery. National Park Service. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "#180 Johnstown Incline (1891)". American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference baltimore was invoked but never defined (see the help page).