147:
formally accepted from the Daft and
Company firm which had been involved in its construction, and engineers from that company laid the incident at failure to lower the sprocket wheel to the rack system when the motor failed. Additionally, the route's terrain made its operation fragile: Snow was known to put it out of operation.
150:
While problematic, the line was considered to be a demonstration of the Daft system, and so it was little surprise that a number of pictures were posed. Of 7 pictures known to exist, six appeared in the Street
Railway Review, and showed the rack system and the motor-trailer operation of the system.
186:
was acquired, triggering a lawsuit over the legality of company with a street railway charter owning an inclined railway. This suit, combined with the purchase of the
Pittsburgh, Knoxville & St. Clair Electric Railroad property which was then not operated, suggests the possibility that if the
146:
The operation proved troublesome from the start. A motor failed and ran away with a car in tow, before derailing, wrecking at Pius Street near St. Michael's Church. At least one of the injured passengers suffered wounds which were initially considered possibly fatal. The line had not as yet been
142:
A contemporary account during construction put construction costs at between $ 140,000 and $ 150,000 per mile. While the line opened June 25, 1888, it was already in financial trouble, and promptly stopped operating. 5 12-ton motors with the Daft propulsion design drew 16 foot trailers to haul
158:
was planning to apply for the charter, the line had according to contemporary accounts just managed to resume normal operations. By the time that incline opened in the summer of 1890, they had acquired a controlling interest in the St. Clair
Electric Railroad.
187:
suit failed, the
Birmingham Traction company would have an alternate connection to its extant hilltop lines prior to those lines being directly connected by rail down the side of the hill to the river valley below, but there is no documentation of this plan.
174:
to provide service to the hilltop communities of
Knoxville, Allentown and Beltzhoover. The line was abandoned on the hillside below Washington (now Warrington) Avenue. Verner was the president of the Birmingham Traction Company at the time of the purchase.
169:
At the demands of the creditors, the line was sold in 1892. The line was purchased by Murray Verner for $ 2,500 plus $ 60,000 due on the mortgage and $ 18,000 in receiver certificates. The
Arlington Avenue portion of the line was subsequently used by the
134:
Chartered June 22, 1886, the
Pittsburgh, Knoxville and St. Clair Street Railway Company began at Carson Street, followed South 13th south to a ramp which included a toothed rack system, and after crossing the
676:
681:
154:
The line was locally considered to have failed by
January 1890, due to issues with the conduit which ran down the center of South Thirteenth Street. But by the end of the month, when the
244:
136:
553:
671:
284:
581:
312:
126:
System, the line struggled with difficult terrain, required expensive bridges, and failed financially within just 3 years of opening.
637:
179:
171:
62:
218:
A digest of the acts of
Assembly relating to, and the general ordinances of the city of Pittsburgh from 1804 to Sept. 1, 1886
216:
44:
609:
79:
139:, ran to the top of the hill, then along the ridge line on Arlington Avenue to the city line at Brownsville Road.
163:
183:
196:
123:
445:
155:
665:
615:
587:
559:
451:
318:
290:
34:
499:
473:
340:
258:
526:
166:, another Daft system, without power, as that system lacked its own substation.
74:
643:
222:
30:
418:
392:
366:
122:
was one of the earliest electric street railways. A licensee of the
162:
By December 26, 1890, the line failed, leaving the connecting
321:: American Society of Mechanical Engineers. 1890. p. 852
314:
Transactions of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
562:: The Street Railway Publishing Company. 1890. p. 394
618:: The Street Railway Publishing Company. 1892. p. 51
590:: The Street Railway Publishing Company. 1891. p. 34
677:
Defunct public transport operators in the United States
143:
passengers over a line with a maximum grade of 15.48%.
120:
Pittsburgh, Knoxville & St. Clair Electric Railroad
17:
Pittsburgh, Knoxville & St. Clair Electric Railroad
454:: Windsor and Kenfield Publishing Company. p. 646
293:: The Electrical Publishing Company. 1888. p. 328
109:
73:
68:
58:
50:
40:
26:
21:
178:At about the same time this line was acquired by
682:5 ft 2½ in gauge railways in the United States
8:
172:Pittsburgh & Birmingham Traction Company
63:Pittsburgh & Birmingham Traction Company
16:
137:Pittsburgh, Virginia and Charleston Railway
245:"Life in Western Pennsylvania 1840-1970"
208:
15:
7:
225:: Edwin K Meyers. 1887. p. 534
646:: John S Murray. 1894. p. 330
14:
425:. Pittsburgh. November 27, 1888
672:Defunct Pennsylvania railroads
533:. Pittsburgh. January 25, 1890
506:. Pittsburgh. January 18, 1890
480:. Pittsburgh. January 17, 1890
1:
399:. Pittsburgh. August 29, 1888
373:. Pittsburgh. August 30, 1888
347:. Pittsburgh. August 28, 1888
113:2 miles (3.2 km) in 1890
265:. Pittsburgh. March 30, 1888
500:"The insulation is perfect"
698:
611:The Street Railway Journal
583:The Street Railway Journal
555:The Street Railway Journal
164:Suburban Rapid Transit Co.
80:Pennsylvania Trolley Gauge
527:"That New Inclined Plane"
447:The Street Railway Review
259:"A passing embarrassment"
639:Pittsburgh Legal Journal
474:"Not yet satisfactory"
393:"A thrilling accident"
423:Pittsburgh Daily Post
397:Pittsburgh Daily Post
341:"A disastrous wreck"
184:Mount Oliver Incline
531:Pittsburgh Dispatch
286:Electrical Engineer
197:Pittsburgh Railways
180:Birmingham Traction
18:
444:Daft, Leo (1896).
51:Dates of operation
156:Knoxville Incline
117:
116:
689:
656:
655:
653:
651:
642:. Vol. 41.
634:
628:
627:
625:
623:
606:
600:
599:
597:
595:
578:
572:
571:
569:
567:
550:
544:
542:
540:
538:
523:
517:
515:
513:
511:
504:Pittsburgh Press
496:
490:
489:
487:
485:
478:Pittsburgh Press
470:
464:
463:
461:
459:
441:
435:
434:
432:
430:
415:
409:
408:
406:
404:
389:
383:
382:
380:
378:
371:Pittsburgh Press
363:
357:
356:
354:
352:
345:Pittsburgh Press
337:
331:
330:
328:
326:
317:. Vol. 11.
309:
303:
302:
300:
298:
281:
275:
274:
272:
270:
263:Pittsburgh Press
255:
249:
248:
241:
235:
234:
232:
230:
213:
104:
100:
98:
97:
93:
90:
45:Allegheny County
19:
697:
696:
692:
691:
690:
688:
687:
686:
662:
661:
660:
659:
649:
647:
636:
635:
631:
621:
619:
614:. Vol. 8.
608:
607:
603:
593:
591:
586:. Vol. 7.
580:
579:
575:
565:
563:
558:. Vol. 6.
552:
551:
547:
536:
534:
525:
524:
520:
509:
507:
498:
497:
493:
483:
481:
472:
471:
467:
457:
455:
450:. Vol. 6.
443:
442:
438:
428:
426:
417:
416:
412:
402:
400:
391:
390:
386:
376:
374:
365:
364:
360:
350:
348:
339:
338:
334:
324:
322:
311:
310:
306:
296:
294:
289:. Vol. 7.
283:
282:
278:
268:
266:
257:
256:
252:
243:
242:
238:
228:
226:
215:
214:
210:
205:
193:
182:, the adjacent
132:
102:
95:
91:
88:
86:
85:5 ft
84:
83:
54:1886–1892
12:
11:
5:
695:
693:
685:
684:
679:
674:
664:
663:
658:
657:
629:
601:
573:
545:
518:
491:
465:
436:
419:"Local Briefs"
410:
384:
358:
332:
304:
276:
250:
236:
207:
206:
204:
201:
200:
199:
192:
189:
131:
128:
115:
114:
111:
107:
106:
77:
71:
70:
66:
65:
60:
56:
55:
52:
48:
47:
42:
38:
37:
28:
24:
23:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
694:
683:
680:
678:
675:
673:
670:
669:
667:
645:
641:
640:
633:
630:
617:
613:
612:
605:
602:
589:
585:
584:
577:
574:
561:
557:
556:
549:
546:
532:
528:
522:
519:
505:
501:
495:
492:
479:
475:
469:
466:
453:
449:
448:
440:
437:
424:
420:
414:
411:
398:
394:
388:
385:
372:
368:
362:
359:
346:
342:
336:
333:
320:
316:
315:
308:
305:
292:
288:
287:
280:
277:
264:
260:
254:
251:
246:
240:
237:
224:
220:
219:
212:
209:
202:
198:
195:
194:
190:
188:
185:
181:
176:
173:
167:
165:
160:
157:
152:
148:
144:
140:
138:
129:
127:
125:
121:
112:
108:
103:1,588 mm
81:
78:
76:
72:
67:
64:
61:
57:
53:
49:
46:
43:
39:
36:
32:
29:
25:
20:
648:. Retrieved
638:
632:
620:. Retrieved
610:
604:
592:. Retrieved
582:
576:
564:. Retrieved
554:
548:
535:. Retrieved
530:
521:
508:. Retrieved
503:
494:
482:. Retrieved
477:
468:
456:. Retrieved
446:
439:
427:. Retrieved
422:
413:
401:. Retrieved
396:
387:
375:. Retrieved
370:
361:
349:. Retrieved
344:
335:
323:. Retrieved
313:
307:
295:. Retrieved
285:
279:
267:. Retrieved
262:
253:
239:
227:. Retrieved
217:
211:
177:
168:
161:
153:
149:
145:
141:
133:
119:
118:
35:Pennsylvania
27:Headquarters
75:Track gauge
666:Categories
644:Pittsburgh
223:Harrisburg
203:References
31:Pittsburgh
69:Technical
59:Successor
650:July 31,
622:July 31,
616:New York
594:July 31,
588:New York
566:April 5,
560:New York
537:April 5,
510:April 5,
484:April 5,
458:April 5,
452:New York
429:April 5,
403:April 5,
377:April 5,
351:April 5,
325:July 31,
319:New York
297:July 31,
291:New York
269:April 5,
229:July 31,
191:See also
99: in
22:Overview
367:"Local"
130:History
94:⁄
110:Length
41:Locale
652:2010
624:2010
596:2010
568:2016
539:2016
512:2016
486:2016
460:2016
431:2016
405:2016
379:2016
353:2016
327:2010
299:2010
271:2016
231:2010
124:Daft
668::
529:.
502:.
476:.
421:.
395:.
369:.
343:.
261:.
221:.
33:,
654:.
626:.
598:.
570:.
543:.
541:.
516:.
514:.
488:.
462:.
433:.
407:.
381:.
355:.
329:.
301:.
273:.
247:.
233:.
105:)
101:(
96:2
92:1
89:+
87:2
82:,
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.