Today they are filled with view-loving tourists, but Pittsburgh’s inclines were once the realm of commuters. By the end of the 1800’s, there were 17 inclines taking workers from the neighborhoods on the top of the surrounding (steep!) hills to their jobs in the factories that once lined the rivers.

Originally powered by steam engine, the cars act as counterweights… as one goes up, the other comes down, passing in the middle.

Today, only two inclines are left, catering mostly to tourists. The Monongahela Incline was built 1870 as the first passenger funicular railway in the United States. We rode the Duquesne Incline, which was built a bit later in 1877. Check out the historic photos and watch the machinery at the upper viewing area while you wait for the next car back down.

If you can’t choose between the two, they are only about a mile apart, so you could walk the loop, going up one and down the other. Touristy or not, they are both fun relics of industrial Pittsburgh with spectacular views over the city.