Monongahela Incline

The Monongahela Incline opens on May 28 1870, designed by Prussian‑born engineer John Endres and assisted by his daughter Caroline Endres, marking the first passenger‑carrying funicular in the United States. It receives its first major upgrade in 1882 when a steel structure replaces the original timber, and the original steam drive is converted to electric power in 1935. After being listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, the incline and the nearby Duquesne Incline are designated Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmarks by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1977, a year in which both serve more than one million riders. Renovations in 1982–83 replace track, cars and stations; further work in 1994 updates the upper and lower stations, restores the cars and installs new electric motors and controls, while the most recent overhaul in 2022–23 modernizes mechanical controls, the electrical system and adds exterior track lighting. Operated today by Pittsburgh Regional Transit, the incline—still the oldest continuously operating funicular in the United States—briefly closes on February 2 2019 after flood damage and reopens on May 10 2019 following extensive repairs.