Johnstown incline

After the Johnstown Flood killed over 2,200 residents on May 31, 1889, the city rebuilt and developed new residential areas on higher elevations. The Johnstown Inclined Plane was built to serve the residents of one of these new communities, Westmont

In addition to its normal service, the Inclined Plane was used to rescue Johnstown residents in two floods:[1] March 1, 1936, when nearly 4,000 escaped via the Inclined Plane; and July 20, 1977, when it was also used to bring rescuers, their boats and other rescue equipment down into the valley.

The inclined was designed by Pittsburgh engineer Samuel Diescher.[4] He had previously worked on other funiculars, including the Monongahela and Duquesne Inclines in Pittsburgh, and later designed the machinery used to operate the original Ferris wheel at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois.

* Perpendicular Lift: 502.2 feet (153 m)[5]
* Elevation at Summit: 1,693.5 feet (516 m)
* Angle: 35 degrees, 25 minutes
* Lights: 114 high pressure sodium lamps
* Cars: 15 ft 2 in x 15 ft 6 in x 34 ft (4.6 x 4.7 x 10.4 m), 38 tons each
* Length: 896.5 feet (273 m) from top to bottom
* Grade: 70.9%
* Ties: 720 in total, each 12 in x 12 in x 14 ft (305 mm x 305 mm x 4.3 m)
* Rails: total length: 3,586 feet (1093 m), total weight: 120,553 lb (54,682 kg)
* Cable Size: 2 in (51 mm) powersteel, wire rope, 6 x 36 right regular lay