Falls Incline Railway

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Aerial photograph of Horseshoe Falls area, showing the incline railway's yellow roofed terminal buildings
Aerial photograph of Horseshoe Falls area, showing the incline railway's yellow roofed terminal buildings

The Falls Incline Railway, originally known as the Horseshoe Falls Incline, is a funicular railway in the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. It is located beside the world-famous Niagara Falls, at the Horseshoe Falls. The line was built, in 1966, for the Niagara Parks Commission, by the Swiss company Von Roll. It adopted its current name in the 1980s.[1][2]

Unlike the other incline railways at Niagara Falls, the Falls Incline was not built to descend into the Niagara Gorge below the falls. Instead it links the Table Rock Center and Journey Behind the Falls, on the Niagara Parkway just above the falls, to the higher level Fallsview Tourist Area, including the Minolta Tower, the Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort and several hotels.[2]

The funicular has the following technical parameters:[2]

  • Length: 51.8 metres (170 feet)
  • Slope: 30 degrees
  • Cars: 2
  • Capacity: 40 passengers per car
  • Configuration: Double track
  • Maximum speed: 1 metre per second (190 feet per minute)
  • Journey time: 57 seconds
  • Track gauge: 1.85 metres (6 feet)
  • Traction: Electricity

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Transit History of Niagara Falls, Ontario. David A. Wyatt. Retrieved on March 24, 2007.
  2. ^ a b c Falls Incline History. Niagara Parks Commission. Retrieved on March 24, 2007.

[edit] External links


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