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HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE JOHNSTOWN INCLINE

Johnstown, Pennsylvania has become known for many things, among them a reputation for its devastating floods. The largest flood in Johnstown’s history occured on May 31, 1889, when some 2,209 people lost their lives.
Although the destruction was great, the people of Johnstown began to rebuild their lives and community. The Cambria Iron Company, then the largest landowner in the county, began developing a hill-top community on Yoder Hill.
The grade between Johnstown and the new community, eventually named Westmont, was over seventy percent, too steep for horses and wagons. In order to make the development accessible to Johnstown, the Cambria Iron Company began construction of an inclined railway in 1890.
Many of the parts of the Incline were manufactured in Johnstown by the Cambria Iron Company, a predecessor of Bethlehem Steel Corporation, since railroad rails were one of the company’s main products at the time.
Due to the unique design of the Incline, many of the tools for construction and maintenence were hand-crafted at a blacksmith shop on the work site. They are still used today.
On June 1,1891, the Johnstown Incline opened for business. It provided convenient transportationup Yoder Hill, connecting the valley floor to the new residential development of Westmont Borough.
The move to higher land was encouraged and grasped with enthusiasm,especially with the trepidation of the Great Flood still fresh in the memories of survivors of the disaster.
The construction of the Incline made this move possible. Almost 600 acres of land were developed for residential building in the new community of Westmont, which became one of the nation’s earliest residential suburbs. Its population grew from 30 in 1890 to almost 500 only two years later.
On March 31,1936, the flood waters again ran through Johnstown. The Incline proved its worth to the communtiy, carrying almost 4,000 men,women, and children to safety. Flood waters hit Johnstown again on July 20, 1977. The Incline carried people up to safety, as well as boats,emergency personnel, and equipment down to the valley to aid in rescue operations.
Originally, the Cambria Iron Company incorporated the Cambria Inclined Plane Company to attend to the business of the Incline.In April 1935, Westmont Borough beganoperating the inclined plane, after purchasing it from the Cambria Inclined Plane Company for the price of one dollar.
Following World War II, the use of the Incline declined after better roads hadbeen built up Yoder Hill. In April 1961, it was closed by Westmont due to the financial burden and safety concerns over deteriorated equipment.
Under public pressure against closing it, theoperating responsibilities were transferred to the Cambria County Tourist Council under a lease agreement.
After restoration of the inclined plane by many community volunteers, it was reopened in July 1962. Facing the possibility of closing again in the early 1980’s, the ownership of the Johnstown Inclined Plane again changed hands.On March 8,1983, the Cambria County Transit Authority became the Incline’s third owner,purchasing it from Westmont Borough for the price of one dollar.
This purchase allowed the transit authority to seek public funds and grants.Once funds were secured, the transit authority was able to repair the Incline as well as improve the hilltop station.An attractive visitor center was built along with ascenic overlook offering a panoramic view of downtown Johnstown and the Conemaugh Valley below.
Also located at the Incline site are a souvenir shop and dining facilities. Other improvements were made that allow tourists to view the driving drum and other mechanical equipment in operation.
These improvements allow the Incline to continue to serve the community as well as the tourists.In its one-hundred-three years of operation, the Incline has carried over forty million passengers.Although it is now primarily a tourist attraction, it continues to transport workers between the city and Westmont Borough.

DESCRIPTION OF THE LANDMARK
The 896.5 foot-long (273.3 m) Johnstown Inclinerises 502.5 feet (153 m) on a continuous 71.97%grade, the steepest continuous grade of any incline.
It was designed as a balanced incline witha double track and two cars. As one car goes up the incline the other car heads down, allowing the weight of the two cars to counterbalance each other and assist the motor in moving the cars.These cars were designed originally to provide passengers, as well as horse and carriage, a level ride.
The horse and carriage would ride on the upper deck and the passengers would enter the bottom of the car from a door on the lower floor of each station. Upon renovation in 1921, the double-deck cars were restored. The refurbished cars were designed to accommodate both vehicles and passengers on the upper deck Each car can hold up to fifteen tons, and is attached to a steel cable.
These cables are made up of six individual ropes, each spun from 36 strands oftempered steel, and formed around a core of hemp. The two hoisting cables are approximately1,075 feet (328 m) long with a two-inch (51 mm)diameter. They are wrapped around a drivingdrum, 16 feet (4.9 m) in diameter and weighing three tons (2722 kg), which winds and unwinds the cables simultaneously.
The cables run from the driving wheel through large sheeves thatchange their direction and align them with the tracks. Each cable uses an air brake, inconnection with a large dead-man emergency brake connected to the cables for safety, which automatically takes hold, in the event of a poweror operator failure. The original power source tothe incline was a steam engine. Today the inclineis operated by a 400 HP (298 kW) electric motor.
This motor drives the cast-steel drum.The Johnstown Incline uses many interestingmechanical features.
For instance, the powerplant is located at a 90 degree angle to the top ofthe railway, rather than directly beneath it, as wascustomary. This and other unique featuresexemplify its historical significance.
It is an historicexample of the ingenuity and enterprise of the imaginative and skilled Welsh, German, andSlavic people who conquered natural obstacles and frustration to develop a sound industrial economy in Western Pennsylvania.Drawing of original cars used on the Inclined Plane.

DESIGNER:SAMUEL DIESCHERSamuel Diescher was one of the many immigrants who helped to pioneer technology in America. Born in 1839 in Budapest,Hungary, he was educated at Carlsruhe Polytechnic College,Germany, and at the University of Zurich, Switzerland. Dieschercame to America in 1866 and settled in Cincinnati, Ohio. He soon married Caroline Endres and worked with her father on otherinclines. He relocated to Pittsburgh, and after working as anassistant city engineer, he formed his own firm of consulting engineers. By the end of the 1870’s he had designed and supervised the construction of one inclined plane in Cincinnati and three in Pittsburgh. He continued to do transportation work, but diversified his skills into improving coal cleaning and cokeprocessing. He soon became involved with cable railways and electric street cars, but continued to design inclines.
Up until some years before his death, Sam Diescher was very active in Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce work, and also was president of the Engineer’s Society of Western Pennsylvania in 1905. He also was notedfor designing the mechanical parts of G.W.G. Ferris’ wheel that was such a marked feature at the Chicago World’s Fair held in 1892-1893.
In 1908, Samuel Diescher retired from engineering and two of his sons assumed the responsibilities of the firm. He passed away on December 24th, 1915, leaving behind a legacyof engineering achievement that includes the Johnstown Incline.An Uphill view of the Incline.
REGIONAL HISTORIC MECHANICAL ENGINEERING LANDMARK JOHNSTOWN INCLINE 1891 THIS IS ONE OF SEVERAL, SIMILAR INCLINES BUILT IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA DURING THE LATE NINETEENTH CENTURY.
IT WAS DESIGNED BY SAMUEL DIESCHER (1839-l915)AFTER THE GREAT FLOOD OF 1889, TO PROVIDE AN EFFICIENT MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION BETWEEN WESTMONT AND THE CONEMAUGH VALLEY.
THE JOHNSTOWN INCLINE IS AMONG THEWORLD’S STEEPEST VEHICULAR INCLINES,WITH A 71 PERCENT GRADE. ITS LENGTH IS896.5 FEET. THE INCLINE SAVED MORE THAN 4,000 LIVES IN THE FLOOD OF 1936.

Courtesy of ASME
THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICALENGINEERS - 1994.




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