Mt. Manitou Scenic Incline Railway

Well, I think I'm going to put up a few postcards over the next couple of days. This one goes with some other incline cards I've posted recently. (Click inclines in the labels section to bring them up.) What fascinated me about this one is that it was postmarked "COLORADO SPRINGS MAY 15, 1940 8;30 AM COLO" Take a close look at the clothes the ladies are wearing. The Mt. Manitou Scenic Railway was opened in 1907 to transport pipes for a local water system and then converted into a tourist route. This picture was clearly taken a lot closer to 1907 than 1940. Before it became a tinted linen postcard, the same image was probably sold as a straight up black & white card. With luck I'll be able to find one for the collection. Addressed to "Mr & Mrs James O. Doranth Jr., 7049 S. E. 35th Ave., Portland, Oregon" The message, "Dear Everybody, We motored today about half way to Denver, had lunch at a roadside inn, took a trip through the Garden of the Gods, visited Manitou Springs, and drank of the waters, had a good dinner, and am now reading the magazines and newspapers. We are here and happy. Love to all, Pops. 5/14/40." The caption, "This incline rises to an altitude of 10,500 feet. It's maximum grade is 68%. The views from a series of unobstructed ridges gradually widen as the car makes the ascent and, on reaching the summit, there is unfolded a magnificent panoramic view of mountain and plain." For the record, my research says that the summit of Mt. Manitou is 8,600 feet. The incline closed in 1990 after the track was blocked by a landslide.

The Monongahela Incline

This is a bit of a companion piece to yesterdays post of the Homestead Steel Works, also along the Monongahela River. I was born and raised in a small coal mining town about fifty or so miles from downtown Pittsburgh. In the late fifties and sixties, that was close enough to be accessible but far enough away to be a special treat. Sadly, my father did not share my enthusiasm for Pittsburgh's trolleys, soon to be torn up and replaced by bus lines, and the incline railways to Mt. Washington on Pittsburgh's south side. After I made my inglorious exit from Penn State, (Who knew they were that sensitive about bounced tuition checks.), I moved to Pittsburgh and started taking the inclines up to Mt. Washington for no other reason than that I enjoyed the ride. The Mon Incline and the Duquesne Incline, less than a mile down river, where the two survivors of what once had been 17 funiculars along the Monongahela River Valley. The large building at the foot of the incline on the second card was the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad Terminal. It was pretty much a deserted hulk back then. I used to enjoy sitting in the quiet thinking about what it must have been like before passenger service ended on the south side. Eventually the preservation wing of the urban redevelopment movement got hold of the building. The passenger lobby became an upscale restaurant, and with my downscale income I found myself no longer welcome there. The old freight house became a shopping mall. Don't get me wrong, if that hadn't happened it would have been torn down, but really, how many Gaps can you visit? The Mon Incline was built in 1870. Today it's operated by Port Authority Transit, the public transit agency for Allegheny County. The Duquesne Incline is operated by a private foundation, and if I'm not getting them confused in my memory, the nicer of the two. Neither of these cards was used. On the back of both, "PUBLISHED BY I. ROBBINS & SON, PITTSBURGH, PA MADE IN U.S.A." I Robbins was in business from 1911 to 1943. Also, "PITTSBURGH PROMOTES PROGRESS" As well as the usual spot for stamps, and a not very interesting company logo. Go to Google, type in Monongahela Incline and then hit images. A lot of shots will come up, but be forewarned, a lot of them are of the Duquesne route.

Mauch Chunk

In 1953, the towns of Mauch Chunk and East Mauch Chunk merged, purchased the body of athlete Jim Thorpe from his widow, built a tomb, and changed their name to Jim Thorpe in hopes of attracting tourists. Before that, Mauch Chunk's claim to fame was it's gravity railroad. Built in 1827 to move coal 8.7 miles from the mines at Summit Hill to the coal chutes at Mauch Chunk, the railway used mules to haul the cars to the top of Pisgah Mountain and then used gravity to get back down the mountain. In 1846 a second track was laid and steam winches replaced mules for the uphill. It didn't take long for the coal company to realize that people were willing to pay to take the round trip on the gravity railroad. (The technology used by the gravity railroad is the same used by roller coasters.) The four hour ride to the top and the thirty minute downhill became a major American tourist attraction. Unfortunately, the route couldn't survive the great depression. Foreclosed, the only purchaser to show an interest was a scrapper who purchased the system, tore it up for the value of the rails. This card predates the divided back style that allowed for messages. It's addressed to "Miss Grace Book, No 58 fifth st., Bloomsburg, Pa." Postmarked, "MAUCH CHUNK 1905." The rest of the info is obscured. Printer, "H.C. Leighton Co., Portland, Me., Manufacturers of Postal Cards. Made in Germany. No 1130."