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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