Johnstown Inclined Plane

The Johnstown Inclined Plane is a funicular in Johnstown, Cambria County, Pennsylvania, U.S. 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. Designed by Hungarian-American engineer Samuel Diescher, it was completed in 1891 following the Johnstown Flood two years prior. The funicular was intended to serve as an escape route during floods—a purpose it served during the Johnstown floods of 1936 and 1977—as well as a convenient mode of transportation for residents atop Yoder Hill. With a grade of approximately 72%, it holds the Guinness World Record as the steepest vehicular funicular in the world. The incline is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is designated a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark.

The funicular consists of two cars running on parallel tracks, which travel an Template:Convert route and ascend Template:Convert vertically, making the journey in 90 seconds. The cars are open to the elements, with an enclosed seating area, and can carry both passengers and automobiles. The cables connecting the cars are steel wire rope, wound around a drum that is powered by an electric motor. As one car descends, the other ascends and acts as a counterweight. The incline's upper station in Westmont contains a visitor center, gift shop, and observation deck, while the lower station in Johnstown is accessed by the Inclined Plane Bridge.

Originally operated by Cambria Iron Company and its successor Bethlehem Steel, the Johnstown Incline was initially well-used, but ridership began to decline after 1919 because of the growing popularity of automobiles. Following two attempts to close it down, the funicular was sold to the borough of Westmont in 1935. The incline was briefly shut down in January 1962 when its supply of power from Bethlehem Steel was terminated, and the Cambria County Tourist Council took over operations that July following a renovation. The Cambria County Transit Authority (now CamTran) took over the incline in 1983, and the funicular reopened in August 1984 following an 18-month renovation. The incline's lower station was temporarily closed in the early 2000s due to the replacement of the Inclined Plane Bridge, and the entire funicular was closed for a further renovation in 2021.

Design

Route and tracks

The Johnstown Inclined Plane was designed by Hungarian-American engineer Samuel Diescher, who had also designed the Duquesne, Castle Shannon and Fort Pitt inclines in Pittsburgh.Template:Sfn The funicular consists of a parallel set of Template:RailGauge broad gauge railroad tracks.<ref name="History y266">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> With a grade of approximately 72%,Template:Efn it holds the Guinness World Record as the steepest vehicular funicular in the world.<ref name="n171776949">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="baltimore" /> The incline is Template:Convert long, ascending Template:Convert vertically to the top of Yoder Hill and the borough of Westmont.<ref name="ASME x796">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="n171775750">Template:Cite news</ref> The upper station, atop Yoder Hill, is at an elevation of Template:Convert above sea level.<ref name="tech guide">Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Efn Originally, each station had wrought-iron railings and boom barriers.Template:Sfn

The rails are supported by 720  railroad ties made from Southern Yellow Pine, each measuring Template:Convert long. The incline is illuminated at night by 114 high-pressure sodium-vapor lamps mounted along the sides of tracks.<ref name="tech guide" /> There was a stairway between the tracks with 966 steps; this was removed Template:Circa.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Vehicles

Two cars traverse the slope; as one descends, the other ascends and acts as a counterweight.<ref name="Kennedy e837">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="n171861569">Template:Cite news</ref> The cars are Template:Convert wide and about Template:Convert long,<ref name="n171775750" /><ref name="n171762347">Template:Cite news</ref> with a roof measuring Template:Convert high.<ref name="baltimore" /> Each car has space for either 65 people, 6 motorcycles, or an automobile.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Although the cars are open to the elements, an enclosed seating area with a bench is situated along the outer side of the incline.<ref name="baltimore">Template:Cite news</ref>

The cables connecting the cars are Template:Convert, 6×36 right regular lay, steel wire rope.<ref name="n171863290">Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Sfn They are wound around a Template:Convert, Template:Convert drum that connects the cars.<ref name="ASME x796" />Template:Sfn The cable on the north track is Template:Convert long, while the south cable is Template:Convert shorter.Template:Sfn Each car weighs Template:Convert,<ref name="ASME x796" /><ref name="Kennedy e837" />Template:Sfn but they and the cables can carry an additional load of Template:Convert.<ref name="ASME x796" /><ref name="n171762347" />Template:Sfn A Template:Convert electric motor drives the drum, simultaneously winding and unwinding the cable, to propel the incline.<ref name="Kennedy e837" />Template:Sfn The Johnstown Inclined Plane is unusual in that the motor and winch are located at a 90-degree angle to the incline instead of directly underneath it.Template:Sfn Operation of the incline is controlled via a foot pedal located in a booth in the upper station.<ref name="nyt">Template:Cite news</ref>

An emergency brake engages if the air pressure needed to control the incline is insufficient; the brake also engages if a dead man's switch is tripped in the operator's booth.<ref name="ASME x796" /><ref name="nyt" /> In addition to the hauling cables, a Template:Convert safety cable capable of withstanding Template:Convert is connected to the cars.Template:Sfn

• The room that houses the incline's hoisting mechanisms
  The room that houses the incline's hoisting mechanisms
• The upper station has an observation deck and visitor center/restaurant adjacent to it
  The upper station has an observation deck and visitor center/restaurant adjacent to it
• The enclosed passenger area, with bench.
  The enclosed passenger area, with bench.
• The main deck of the car, which is large enough to hold several motorcycles or an automobile.
  The main deck of the car, which is large enough to hold several motorcycles or an automobile.

History

Background and construction

Inclines are common in Europe,<ref name="Fountain" /> and immigrants, like the German, Slavic, and Welsh people who settled near Johnstown, remembered them from their native lands and brought the concept to the United States.Template:Sfn The earliest inclines in the United States were a series of 10 that were built in the 1830s as part of the Allegheny Portage Railroad.<ref name=Fountain /> The portage railroad carried canal boats over the Allegheny Mountains to connect the canals from Pittsburgh to the ones from Philadelphia. Pittsburgh at one time also had "at least 17" inclines, many of which carried both passengers and freight; two of these inclines (including the Nunnery Hill Incline) were curved.<ref name=Fountain>Template:Cite news</ref>

On May 31, 1889, the South Fork Dam collapsed upstream of Johnstown on the Little Conemaugh River. The resulting deluge devastated the city, killing 2,209 people<ref name="baltimore" /> and destroying 1,600 houses in low-lying areas.<ref name="n171765209">Template:Cite news</ref> As the city rebuilt, the Cambria Iron Company started work on a residential development atop Yoder Hill.<ref name="n171765209" />Template:Sfn To provide easy transportation on the steep slope for residents of the new community of Westmont, the company constructed an inclined plane. In addition to being a convenient mode of transportation, the Johnstown Inclined Plane doubled as an escape route in case Johnstown was flooded again.<ref name="n171765209" />Template:Sfn

Diescher was hired by Cambria Iron to design the incline. The rails used in the incline were manufactured in Johnstown at Cambria Iron, and many of the construction tools handcrafted there.Template:Sfn The Inclined Plane Bridge was also built to connect the lower station with the rest of Johnstown. Originally named the Cambria Inclined Plane, the Johnstown Inclined Plane opened on June 1, 1891.Template:Sfn It had cost $133,296 to build.<ref name="n171767663">Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Sfn The funicular was originally operated by the Cambria Inclined Plane Company, a subsidiary of Cambria Iron.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Cambria Iron ownership

The convenience the incline provided stimulated a rapid growth of population in Westmont and made the borough one of the country's first suburbs.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Over 40 million trips were taken on the incline in its first 80 years of operation.Template:Sfn<ref name="n160567810">Template:Cite news</ref> When the incline was built, it used double-decker cars that were Template:Convert wide and Template:Convert long.Template:Sfn The double-decker cars had horses and wagons riding on the main, upper deck and passengers riding in a compartment below.Template:Sfn Originally, the incline used a compressed air system to reverse direction.Template:Sfn In its heyday, the funicular operated 24 hours a day, and both cars ran continuously.<ref name="nyt" /> Only one human fatality has occurred at the incline; it was determined that the incident was not caused by the incline itself.Template:Sfn There were two incidents in the 1920s when horses aboard the incline became spooked and leapt from the car onto the tracks.<ref name="nyt" />

The incline's original steam engine was disconnected on January 6, 1912, and replaced with an electric motor.Template:Sfn After receiving complaints about fares, Pennsylvania's Public Service Commission (PSC) mandated in 1915 that the Cambria Inclined Plane Company revise the fares for the route.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Johnstown Inclined Plane saw its highest-ever annual ridership in 1919, when the incline carried 1,356,393 pedestrians and 124,825 vehicles.<ref name="n171765209" /> Afterward, ridership steadily declined due to the increased popularity of vehicular transport.<ref name="n171765209" /><ref name="n171763708">Template:Cite news</ref> The double-decker cars were reconfigured into a single-decker design in 1921.<ref name="n171765209" />Template:Sfn

Ridership was one-third of 1919 levels by the 1930s,<ref name="n171765209" /> prompting the Cambria Inclined Plane Company to ask the PSC for permission to discontinue service in December 1930.<ref name="n171773255">Template:Cite news</ref> The company claimed that the funicular was unprofitable, that the approach roads to the stations were in disrepair, and that vehicles could just use highways nearby,<ref name="n171773255" /> but local automobile owners and Johnstown's city council opposed the proposal to close the Cambria Incline to vehicles.<ref name="n171774012">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The PSC ultimately declined the closure request in May 1931, mandating that the approach roads be repaired,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> though the Cambria Inclined Plane Company claimed that it would be impractical to repair the approach roads.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The company again applied for permission to abandon the incline in December 1934.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Westmont government ownership

Mid-1930s to early 1960s

The Johnstown Inclined Plane's tracks as seen from the upper station. The trackbed is made of wood. The lower station is visible in the background, and the Inclined Plane Bridge crosses the Stoneycreek River behind the lower station.

A view of the Johnstown Inclined Plane's tracks from the upper station

To avert the funicular's closure, Bethlehem Steel, the successor to Cambria Iron, proposed selling the Johnstown Inclined Plane to the Westmont borough government. A new law and two orders had to be enacted to allow the Westmont government to take over the Cambria Inclined Plane.<ref name="n171772466">Template:Cite news</ref> The Pennsylvania General Assembly passed the first of these bills in February 1935, allowing Westmont to buy the Cambria Inclined Plane Company.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The borough of Westmont finalized its purchase in April 1935<ref name="n171772466" />Template:Sfn for a nominal fee of $1.<ref name="n171765209" /><ref name="n171772466" /> That June, the General Assembly passed a second bill permitting Westmont to operate feeder bus services to the funicular's stations,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Governor George Howard Earle III signed the bill.<ref name="n171772905">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the year after it took over the incline's operation, Westmont earned $1,603 from the route.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

During the Johnstown flood on March 17, 1936, nearly 4,000 people were evacuated from Johnstown to higher ground via the incline;<ref name="n171863290" /><ref name="nyt" /> afterward, rescue workers used the funicular to help with the flood-cleanup efforts.<ref name="n171955759">Template:Cite news</ref> The Johnstown Incline also continued to serve as a mode of public transportation between the bottom and top of the hill.<ref name="n171863290" /> From February 1938 to July 1953, the Johnstown Traction Company operated transit buses from Johnstown to Westmont with the "fully loaded public buses" being carried by the incline.<ref name="nyt" />Template:Sfn Newer buses were too large to fit on the incline's cars, leading to the discontinuation of the bus service on the incline. As a result, commuters had to transfer from local buses on either end of the incline.<ref name="Hillinger d145">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Ridership on the incline increased again in the 1940s, when it accommodated 700,000 annual passengers,<ref name="n171765209" /> some of whom rode the funicular to avoid paying for gasoline during World War II.<ref name="nyt" /> The construction of highways nearby in the 1950s prompted many of the incline's former riders to drive instead,<ref name="n171765209" /> and by 1957 the borough of Westmont was contemplating closing the incline.<ref name="n171766641">Template:Cite news</ref> Though the Johnstown Incline remained open, was losing $25,000 a year by 1961.<ref name="nyt" /> Around that time, volunteers renovated the Johnstown Inclined Plane to attract visitors;<ref name="n171747011">Template:Cite news</ref> this work included painting the Inclined Plane Bridge near the lower station.<ref name="n171766641" />

Cambria County Tourist Council takeover

Bethlehem Steel stopped supplying electricity to the Johnstown Inclined Plane when the factory switched to a system that could not be used on the incline. This forced the incline to close on January 31, 1962.<ref name="n171747011" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The closure prompted the public to advocate for the incline's continued operation;<ref name="n171766641" /> as a result, the electric motor was rewound, ties were replaced, and the cars were repainted.<ref name="nyt" />Template:Sfn The Cambria County Tourist Council was organized to raise money to operate the incline, with the goal of raising $10,200 before the end of February 1962,<ref name="n171766641" /> and it solicited donations from Pennsylvania residents.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Westmont government subsequently said that it did not want to demolish the incline but was also unwilling to sell or continue operating it.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In April, the borough government agreed to lease the incline to the Cambria County Tourist Council.<ref name="n171767663" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The incline reopened on July 4, 1962, coinciding with Independence Day.<ref name="n171765209" /><ref name="n171767663" /> Initially, the Cambria County Tourist Council paid a nominal fee of $10 annually.<ref name="n171776949" /><ref name="n171766298">Template:Cite news</ref> When the incline reopened, the cars did not run continuously; instead, they operated only after at least eight fare-paying passengers had gathered in each car.<ref name="n171766298" /> One observer wrote that, although it was theoretically possible to drive between Westmont and Johnstown, it "is much more fun and certainly more direct" to ride the incline instead.<ref name="n171861569" />

During the early 1970s, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Planning and Development Commission authorized the construction of a diorama depicting the Johnstown Inclined Plane.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By then, the funicular was primarily used as a tourist attraction,<ref name="n171863290" /><ref name="n171954980">Template:Cite news</ref> recording an average of 80,000 annual passengers.<ref name="n171955157">Template:Cite news</ref> The safety cable was replaced in the mid-1970s with wires from Bethlehem Steel's plant.<ref name="n171863290" /> On July 20, 1977, during that year's Johnstown flood, the incline was again used as an escape route, evacuating 1,500 residents from the valley to Westmont.Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Afterward, the incline carried rescue equipment and emergency personnel into the valley;Template:Sfn tourists also gathered at the upper station to survey the damage, hampering the cleanup efforts.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

CamTran ownership

1980s and 1990s

A side view of the Johnstown Inclined Plane. The car is painted red, with yellow windows. The track slopes down from top left to bottom right.

Side view

By July 1982, there were plans to renovate the Johnstown Incline, and the Cambria County Tourist Council sought money from the federal and state governments to fund the renovation. The incline had to be sold to the Cambria County Transit Authority (now CamTran) to become eligible for government funding.<ref name="n171762347" /> The route closed for repairs in January 1983,<ref name="Hillinger d145" /><ref name="n160567574">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="n160567694">Template:Cite news</ref> at which point the renovation was planned to cost $1.7Template:Nbspmillion.<ref name="n160567694" /> The federal government funded 80% of the renovation, while the local government provided the remainder;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> in addition, local businessmen W. E. and Rudolph Schoneck agreed to finance 3.5% of the renovation's cost.<ref name="n171762347" /> The government of Westmont subsequently agreed to sell the incline to the Cambria County Transit Authority for a nominal fee of $1.Template:Sfn<ref name="n171762070">Template:Cite news</ref> The sale was finalized on March 8, 1983.Template:Sfn

The renovations were completed on August 22, 1984, and the incline was rededicated on September 6.<ref name="asme" /> Sources disagree on whether the project cost $3.2 million<ref name="n171762070" /> or $3.5 million.<ref name="n171776949" /><ref name="Hillinger d145" /><ref name="n171779618">Template:Cite news</ref> The Pittsburgh Press wrote at the time: "For Johnstown, the incline has, in more ways than one, provided a lift."<ref name="n160567810" /> By then, the incline was locally known as the "Heavenly Hoist" and was one of three remaining passenger inclines in Pennsylvania, along with the Duquesne Incline and Monongahela Incline in Pittsburgh.<ref name="Hillinger d145" /> The Johnstown Incline carried about 80,000 people per year (including about 100 daily commuters) after it reopened, though it primarily functioned as a tourist attraction and was losing money.<ref name="n171765209" /> Due to the high cost of operating the funicular, CamTran leased it to the Cambria County Tourist Council, though the federal government continued to give CamTran about $538,000 annually to operate the funicular.<ref name="n171762070" />

In advance of the Johnstown Flood's 100th anniversary, in the late 1980s, the Johnstown Incline received about $1.6 million<ref name="n171763532">Template:Cite news</ref> or $1.9 million for further renovations.<ref name="n171767663" /><ref name="p392158491">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="n171765051">Template:Cite news</ref> This funding would be used to construct a visitor center next to the upper station,<ref name="n171763532" /> which was to include a restaurant and bar, meeting room, theater, and presentation room.<ref name="n171767663" /> The visitor center was supposed to be completed in July 1988,<ref name="n171767663" /> but it was still unfinished when Johnstown began commemorating the flood's centennial in mid-1989.<ref name="n171767895">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A reporter for the Los Angeles Times wrote the same year that the incline carried at least 30 vehicles a day.<ref name="Hillinger d145" /> The visitor center had opened by 1991.<ref name="n171769483" /><ref name="n171771420">Template:Cite news</ref> The original restaurant closed and was replaced by another restaurant in the 1990s.<ref name="n171780485">Template:Cite news</ref> A footbridge spanning Pennsylvania Route 56 between the incline's lower station and Vine Street was opened around 1994.Template:Sfn By then, The Globe and Mail reported that the incline often went several days without carrying any vehicles.<ref name="p1143142988">Template:Cite news</ref> By late 1995, there were plans to close the Johnstown Incline temporarily so the Inclined Plane Bridge could be rebuilt.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The closure was postponed because officials could not find the necessary parts for the repairs;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> the incline was shuttered for repairs during two weeks in early 1998.<ref name="p391464254">Template:Cite news</ref>

2000s and 2010s

In early 2000, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) commenced a $2.9 million renovation of the Incline Plane Bridge next to the lower station, and a shuttle bus began running between the lower and upper stations.<ref name="n171861963">Template:Cite news</ref> The incline remained open for round-trip journeys from the upper station, and the restaurant and visitor center continued to operate;<ref name="n171861963" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> at the time, the incline carried 120,000 annual riders.<ref name="n171776949" /><ref name="n171779004">Template:Cite news</ref> The bridge reopened in 2001, but its beams were of the wrong size, which forced PennDOT to close it for repairs.<ref name="p391230647">Template:Cite news</ref> By then, the incline was in danger of closing permanently due to a funding shortfall,<ref name="p391230647" /> since visitors erroneously thought that it had stopped running during the bridge's closure.<ref name="n171779004" /> The route's closure was averted after officials launched a promotional campaign, created an endowment fund, and rescheduled the repairs so they took place outside the busy summertime season.<ref name="n171776949" /> The bridge closed in September 2001 to allow PennDOT to finish repairing the deck;<ref name="n171776949" /> the restaurant in the visitor center closed permanently due to the resulting reduction in traffic.<ref name="n171779618" /><ref name="n171776474">Template:Cite news</ref> The bridge reopened on December 14.<ref name="n171779004" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In the two years after the incline's reopening in 2001, annual ridership declined by 40%, in part due to the closure of the restaurant.<ref name="n171779618" /> As a result, the funicular was closed on weekdays for two months in 2003,<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref> and it was also closed during the winters starting in 2002–2003.<ref name="n171781377">Template:Cite news</ref> The Johnstown Incline's operators offered discounts to residents of Cambria County to encourage local visitation.<ref name=":0" /> Andy Lasky proposed reopening the restaurant in the Johnstown Incline's visitor center in 2003;<ref name="n171780194">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="n171780363">Template:Cite news</ref> the plans faced opposition because they entailed removing part of the neighboring hillside and expanding the visitor center's parking lot.<ref name="n171779618" /> A judge ultimately approved Lasky's petition to allow the parking lot to be expanded,<ref name="n171780194" /><ref name="n171780363" /> but the parking-lot project was deferred due to a lack of funding.<ref name="n171781377" /> Lasky formally leased the restaurant space in 2004.<ref name="n171780485" />

The Johnstown Inclined Plane was closed from September 9 to October 14, 2010, for the installation of a new Template:Convert "hoist brake shaft".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> From October 29 to 31, 2012, CamTran shut down the incline fearing power outages during Hurricane Sandy.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Asiago's restaurant moved into the visitor center's restaurant space in 2013.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Two resistors failed and stopped the incline near the stations on June 28, 2014;<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> repairs took approximately a month after consultants diagnosed the failure.<ref name="griffith">Template:Cite news</ref> Sensor issues briefly disrupted service in August 2014<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and again in December 2014, forcing the incline to start its winter maintenance period early.<ref name="griffith" /> In addition, the firm NexGen was hired in 2015 to refurbish the incline's cars for $3.7 million.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> By 2017, local residents were advocating for a $10 million renovation of the Johnstown Incline,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> partially financed by Act 44 funds from the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC).<ref name="n171782742">Template:Cite news</ref> The design process was 60% completed by 2019, when a dispute between PennDOT and the PTC arose over whether the project was eligible for Act 44 funds.<ref name="n171782742" />

2020s refurbishment

File:Johnstown Inclined Plane operation.ogv

Two cars traversing the slope

In 2021, the incline closed for a renovation, which was expected to cost more than $12 million;<ref name="Griffith l174" /> the visitor center and Asiago's restaurant remained open during the project.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The refurbishment included restoration of the cars, a complete overhaul of the mechanical and electrical systems, and replacement of all the track ties.<ref name="Stabert u188">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Griffith l174">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The project was funded by a variety of state and federal funds, including part of a $24 million federal grant from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity program.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Donations from local foundations also covered some of the restoration cost.<ref name="Griffith l174" /><ref name="Slusser g179">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> By July 2022, the incline's ties had been replaced, a drainage system had been added, and vegetation had been planted around the incline.<ref name="Slusser g179" />

Though the project was supposed to be completed in early 2023,<ref name="Berkey t528">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the renovation stalled after work was 92 percent complete.<ref name="Owens r845">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Berkey d240">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Local TV station WJAC-TV reported in May 2023 that the incline's reopening had been delayed due to issues in completing and delivering the sheave wheels, to which the cables are attached.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> After further issues arose, CamTran halted the renovation in January 2024.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The sheave wheels had been delivered but needed to be remade;<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> officials had also discovered damage to one of the cables, and the incline needed to be inspected and recertified before it could reopen.<ref name="Berkey a521">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The same month, CamTran began soliciting bids for the replacement of a footbridge at the bottom of the incline.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In May 2024, CamTran awarded three contracts for the renovation of the incline's visitor center, its observation deck, and the footbridge.<ref name="Berkey a521" /> Due to the continued delays, CamTran declined to review bids for replacement cables that September, as the cables were not ready to be installed.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Work resumed in December 2024 after CamTran finished investigating the cable damage.<ref name="Berkey t528" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> By March 2025, CamTran wanted to reopen the Johnstown Incline by the end of the year,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and the replacement sheave wheels were installed that April.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> By that July, workers had conducted successful test runs of the funicular cars and were adding sensors.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> CamTram was hiring staff for the incline by September 2025,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and the Pennsylvania government inspected the incline the next month.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Current operations

Template:Historical populations Since the 1980s, the incline has become one of the main tourist attractions in Johnstown, with people visiting the incline to "ride for fun, nostalgia and novelty."<ref name="baltimore" /> In 2021 (prior to its temporary closure), the Johnstown Inclined Plane had an annual ridership of 20,193 passengers, a decrease of 50.5 percent from the previous year.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Primarily used for tourism, the incline's use by commuters, who bike or walk to work, has also increased.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> CamTran's Route 18 transit bus offers connections between the incline and downtown Johnstown.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:As of, the cost for a ride on the incline is $3 or $5 for a roundtrip, while the one-way fare for automobiles is $8.<ref name="visit">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The incline takes around 90 seconds to travel between stations; the same trip takes 10 minutes by automobile.<ref name="nyt" /> There are parking lots next to both stations.<ref name="n171771420" /> When in regular operation, the incline is inspected daily before it opens to the public.<ref name="n171781069">Template:Cite news</ref>

The upper station has a gift shop selling souvenirs and snacks.<ref name="Fountain" /><ref name="visit" /> Adjacent to the station is a visitor center made of glass and brick.<ref name="p1143142988" /> The mechanical room housing the incline's hoisting mechanism is visible from the gift shop and the visitor center.<ref name="n171769483">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="visit" /> The visitor center has a restaurant, telescopes, and displays about Johnstown's floods,<ref name="n171769483" /> in addition to dioramas of Johnstown inside.<ref name="p1143142988" /> An observation deck providing views of the incline, the city, and the valley is located on the opposite side of the station from the visitor center.<ref name="n171771420" /><ref name="visit" /> There is also a Template:Convert American flag outside the visitor center.<ref name="n171781069" /> Since the 1970s, the upper station of the Johnstown Incline has also led to a series of multipurpose trails.<ref name="Stabert u188" /> One of these trails is a sculpture trail with eight works by local artist James Wolfe,<ref name="n171771420" /> who made the sculptures in 1989 using remnants of the Bethlehem Steel factory in Johnstown.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Next to the lower station, the Inclined Plane Bridge spans the Stoneycreek River, providing access to the rest of Johnstown. This bridge is variously cited as measuring Template:Convert<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> or Template:Convert long.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The bridge connects to Pennsylvania Routes 56 and 403.<ref name="n171771420" /> The Johnstown Flood Museum is about three blocks away from the lower station.<ref name="p392758066">Template:Cite news</ref>

Recognition and landmark designations

The incline has been featured on media such as a commemorative coin memorializing the 1889 Johnstown Flood<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and a postal cancellation issued in 1979.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Cambria County Tourist Council published a book about the incline in 1985.<ref name="n171765209" /><ref name="n171763708" /> In addition, the Johnstown Inclined Plane was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 18, 1973,<ref name="focus" /> and it was designated an Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) in September 1994.<ref name="asme" />

See also

• List of funicular railways
• List of Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmarks
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Cambria County, Pennsylvania

References

General sources

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External links

• Johnstown Inclined Plane