| St. Clair Incline | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Locale | South Side Slopes, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Coordinates | 40°25′18″N 79°58′29″W / 40.4218°N 79.9746°W |
| Service | |
| Operator(s) | St. Clair Incline Plane Company |
| History | |
| Opened | March 5, 1888[1] |
| Dismantled | 1934 |
| Closed | c. 1932 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 2060 ft (610 m) |
The St. Clair Incline, also known as the South Twenty-second Street Incline,[2] was built in 1886–1888 and operated by St. Clair Incline Plane Company.[3][4] It was a double track[4] incline on the South Side Slopes of Pittsburgh from Josephine St. to Salisbury St. The lower station was near the intersection of S. 22nd Street and Josephine. The upper station was on Salisbury Street across from the former Fort Laughlin site eventually occupied by Arlington Playground. The incline was 2,060 ft (628 m) long, with a vertical rise of 361 ft (110 m).[5] It was designed by engineer J. H. McRoberts.[5] As it carried both freight and passengers over steep tracks laid on the ground, it could be considered to be a cable railway. Its path was not of constant slope but became progressively steeper toward the top, tracing a parabolic arc.[5] It is uncertain exactly when the incline closed permanently, but it was reported as shut down in a 1932 Associated Press article about the "passing" of Pittsburgh's inclines.[6] The structure was dismantled in 1934.[7][8]
- ^ "Two Railways". Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette. March 6, 1888. p. 2, col. 6.
- ^ Fleming, George T., ed. (1916). Pittsburgh, How to See It. W.G. Johnston. pp. 70–71.
- ^ Annual Report of the Secretary of Internal Affairs of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: Railroad, Canal, Navigation and Telegraph Companies. Part 4. 1889. p. 1324.
- ^ a b Boucher, John Newton (1908). A Century and a Half of Pittsburg and Her People. Pittsburgh: Lewis Publishing Company. p. 339.
- ^ a b c "The Inclined Planes". The Street Railway Journal Souvenir: 40. October 1891.
- ^ "Autos Spell Passing of Pittsburgh Inclines". Altoona Tribune. Associated Press. 15 March 1932. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Rickety Steps Keep Residents out of Church". The Pittsburgh Press. 14 November 1934. p. 19.
- ^ "Wrecking 22nd St. Incline". The Pittsburgh Press. 19 August 1934. Classified sec., p. 4.
