Design
The Johnstown Inclined Plane was designed by Hungarian engineer Samuel Diescher, who had also designed the Duquesne, Castle Shannon and Fort Pitt Inclines in Pittsburgh. The funicular consists of a parallel set of 8-foot (2,438 mm) gauge railroad tracks with a 70.9 percent grade or an angle of 35 degrees and 28 minutes from the horizontal. The incline is 896.5 feet (273.3 m) long and ascends 502.2 feet (153.1 m) vertically to the top of Yoder Hill and the borough of Westmont, the station of which is at an elevation of 1,693.5 feet (516.2 m) above sea level. The rails are supported by 720 14-foot (4 m) long railroad ties made from Southern Yellow Pine. The incline is lit at night by 114 high-pressure sodium-vapor lamps mounted along the sides of tracks. There used to be a stairway between the two tracks with 966 steps, but these were removed circa 1963.
Two cars traverse the slope; as one descends, the other ascends and acts as a counterweight. The cars are 15 feet 6 inches (4.72 m) wide, 15 feet 2 inches (4.62 m) tall, and 34 feet (10 m) long, and are large enough to carry either 65 people, 6 motorcycles, or an automobile. While the cars are open to the elements, an enclosed seating area containing a bench is situated along the outer side of the incline. The cables connecting the cars are 2-inch (51 mm) diameter, 6×36 right regular lay, steel wire rope. They are wound around a 3-short-ton (2.7-metric-ton), 16-foot (4.9 m) diameter drum that connects the cars together. The cable on the north track is 1,075 feet (328 m) long, while the south cable is 7 feet (2.1 m) shorter. Each car weighs 22 short tons (20 t), but they, and consequently the cables, can carry an additional load of 15 short tons (14 metric tons). A 400-horsepower (298 kW) electric motor turns the drum, simultaneously winding and unwinding the cable, to power the incline. 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. Operation of the incline is controlled via a foot pedal located in a booth in the upper station.
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. In addition to the hauling cables, a 972-foot (296 m) safety cable capable of withstanding 165 short tons (150 metric tons) is also connected to the cars.
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