[PRCo] Dubuque, Iowa incline

[Bob Rathke]

Last week I sent this message and attached photos off-list, and have =
been receiving comments and questions, so I decided to forward it to the =
trolley list. If you've seen this post before....here it is again:

In late June I was in Iowa and stopped in Dubuque - along the =
Mississippi River about 200 miles west of Chicago - to ride the Fenelon =
Place Elevator ("incline" to Pittsburghers).

I've ridden the Fenelon incline numerous times over the years, and my =
reaction is always how similar it is to Pittsburgh inclines....and that =
not all of Iowa is flat. The bluffs above downtown Dubuque and along the =
east side of the river rise 200+ feet. The Dubuque incline resembles a =
1/3-size version of Pittsburgh's Monongahela Incline. It was built in =
1882 as a private railway for a banker who worked downtown and lived on =
the top of the hill (Fenelon Place). The incline is still privately =
owned and is in daily use, mostly as a tourist attraction although some =
local residents use it to commute to/from downtown. The area at the =
bottom of the incline is a shopping and entertainment area called Cable =
Car Square (not unlike Pittsburgh's Station Square).

Attached are some photos showing:

- The upper station and observation deck which are much much larger than =
the unattended lower station. The second floor above the upper station =
was not a residence, but years ago was built as a private retreat for =
card players in the neighborhood.

- The incline is a 3-rail configuration with a passing rail at the mid =
point of the track, and there are no doors on the upper ends of the =
cars. The doors on the lower end of the cars open and close mechanically =
(not electrically) only when the cars are in the unattended lower =
station.

- In the telephoto shots looking down the track, note that the =
descending car had stopped about 50 ft. short of the lower station. I =
thought it might be a mechanical problem, but then I saw a man in a =
straw hat, and carrying a weed whacker, get out the rear door. It turns =
out that he's the owner of incline, and was preparing to work his way =
back up the right-of-way clearing brush.
Something you don't see along the Monongahela Incline.

Dubuque is an interesting place and worth a trip.=20

Bob 8/8/09




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