Inclined Plane No. 6

Inclined Plane No. 6 (HM10DA)

Location: Duncansville, PA 16635 Aransas County
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Country: United States of America
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N 40° 27.364', W 78° 33.005'

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Inscription
In front of you is the site of Inclined Plane No. 6, one of ten inclines on the Allegheny Portage Railroad. The track visible today has been reconstructed.

From 1834 to 1854, railroad cars bearing canal boats, freight, and passengers were pulled up and lowered down this slope by a continuous rope driven by steam engines located in an engine house to your right. The rope ran between the rails, supported by idler pulleys every 24 feet. Whenever possible, ascending cars were counterbalanced with descending cars.

In an open shed at the foot of the incline, a "hitcher" connected westbound cars to the main rope with a short rope. Up here at the engine house, another hitcher disconnected them for the continuing journey by horses or locomotives along the Summit Level.

A Passenger's Perspective
"Three short hours have brought you from the torrid plain to a refreshing and invigorating climate. The ascending apprehension has left you, but it is succeeded by the fear of the steep descent which thought trembles in your mind, that it [the tram] may slip over the head of the first descending plane, rush down the frightful steep, and be dashed in a thousand pieces at its foot."
Peregrine Prolin

Actual size cross section of hemp rope
used on Incline No. 6. By 1849, all inclines converted to wire rope which was stronger and more durable.

Inclined Plane - Allegheny Portage Railroad elevation profile [across bottom of marker]
Details
HM NumberHM10DA
Tags
Placed ByNational Park Service
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Friday, September 26th, 2014 at 10:14pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)17T E 707736 N 4481260
Decimal Degrees40.45606667, -78.55008333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 40° 27.364', W 78° 33.005'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds40° 27' 21.84" N, 78° 33' 0.30" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)814
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 2633 Allegheny Portage Railroad & Incline Trail, Duncansville PA 16635, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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