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}} The Johnstown Inclined Plane is a funicular in Johnstown, Cambria County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The incline and its two stations connect the city of Johnstown, situated in a valley at the confluence of the Stonycreek and the Little Conemaugh Rivers, to the borough of Westmont on Yoder Hill. The Johnstown Inclined Plane is billed as the "world's steepest vehicular inclined plane", as it is capable of carrying automobiles, in addition to passengers, up or down a slope with a grade of 70.9 percent.〔 The travel time from one station to the other is 90 seconds. After a catastrophic flood in 1889, the Johnstown Inclined Plane was completed in 1891 to serve as an escape route for future floods, as well as a convenient mode of transportation for the residents of the new communities situated above the valley. It was operated by Cambria Iron Company and its successor Bethlehem Steel until 1935, when it was sold to the borough of Westmont. The incline was briefly shut down in 1962 when its supply of power from Bethlehem Steel was terminated. Twice in its history, the Johnstown Inclined Plane fulfilled its role as a means of evacuation from floods—once in 1936 and again in 1977. The incline was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and was designated a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark in 1994. It had major renovations in 1962 and from 1983 to 1984. == 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 broad gauge railroad tracks with a 70.9 percent grade or an angle of 35 degrees and 28 minutes from the horizontal. The incline is long and ascends vertically to the top of Yoder Hill and the borough of Westmont, the station of which is at an elevation of above sea level. The rails are supported by 720 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 wide, tall, and 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 , 6×36 right regular lay, steel wire rope. They are wound around a , drum that connects the cars together. The cable on the north track is long, while the south cable is shorter. Each car weighs , but they, and consequently the cables, can carry an additional load of . A 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 safety cable capable of withstanding is also connected to the cars.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Johnstown Inclined Plane」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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