The Johnstown Inclined Plane opens in Johnstown,…
June 1891 CE
A 896.5-foot (273.3 meter) funicular, 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", and can carry automobiles and passengers, up or down a slope with a grade of 71.9%.
The travel time between stations is ninety seconds.
After the catastrophic flood in 1889, the Johnstown Inclined Plane is completed in 1891 to serve as an escape route for floods, as well as a convenient mode of transportation for residents of the new communities above the valley.
It is operated by Cambria Iron Company and its successor Bethlehem Steel until 1935, when it will be sold to the borough of Westmont.
The incline will be briefly shut down in 1962 when its supply of power from Bethlehem Steel is terminated.
Twice in its history, the Johnstown Inclined Plane will fulfill its role as a means of evacuation from floods—once in 1936 and again in 1977.
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Northern North America
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