the Ducane Incline is an iconic piece of Pittsburgh history and kind of a testament to the city's Innovative spirit in the late 1800s this Historic finic Railway carries passengers up and down the steep slopes of Mount Washington and it's not just vital Transportation it's a piece of Pittsburgh's industrial Heritage top of the box all right the ducain inclin opened its doors to the public on May 30th 1877 it was named after the French military officer marquee decain and the incline was one of several such systems built in Pittsburgh during the Industrial boom its primary purpose was to transport workers and materials between the bustling industrial Valley of Pittsburgh and the residential areas up on the hilltop at the time Pittsburgh was a booming steel town and efficient Transportation was crucial to maintaining the rapid pace of industrial growth [Music] [Music] the Decay incline is not just a transportation tool but it's a historic Monument it's one of the two that remains of the original 15 that once served p Berg its longevity is a testament to the care and design that has been maintained over decades but in 1962 the incline was closed briefly due to declining use and the rise in the use of automobiles but a dedicated group of volunteers and Civic leaders worked tily and brought it back in 1963 [Music] as you look down from the observation platform you can see the really cool Mr Rogers Memorial also as you're looking out over the city I started wondering how many bridges were there look at this video and count how many different Bridges you see I can't remember but I thought it was like 17 or 18 which was pretty [Music] amazing the design of the decaying incline is a Marvel engineering it operates on a finic system which is a type of cable Railway where two cars are connected by a cable and counterbalance each other as one car ascends the Steep incline the other descends with the cable provid the necessary traction and control the Duane incline features about 798 ft long track 30° incline and the ascent covers a vertical distance of 400 ft the incline is equipped with two cars and each can carry up to about 30 passengers [Music] [Music] today the decaying incline's much more than a functional transport system it's a cultural icon it provides one of the most picturesque views of Pittsburgh especially at sunset or during the city's vibrant fireworks display the inclines observation decks offer stunning panoramic vistas of the citycape and include views of the alagan mananga hila and Ohio Rivers thanks so much for watching this brief video on the Duane incline I hope you enjoyed it and I hope also to see you on the next video