







Bellevue Incline History

1876-1926



Contributed by Bob O'Brien.

Extracted from his Cincinnati History of the Inclines, compiled by Bob O'Brien.



Officially, the Bellevue Incline was the Cincinnati & Clifton Inclined Plane Railroad, which was built at the head of Elm Street at McMicken Avenue in 1876 and went to Ohio Avenue. The ornate Bellevue House beckoned the city dwellers and visitors to ascend the incline and see the view from the vantage of the veranda. It lasted until 1926.





Bellevue Incline

1876-1926

Bellevue-Clifton-Elm Street-Ohio Avenues

980-1020’ in length, 395’ in height

Hauling Capacity: 20 tons



submitted by Patti Graman





Bellevue House



submitted by Patti Graman







Fairview Incline AKA "Crosstown"

1892-1923

Length: 632.5-700 feet

207' of length was on trestle

Height: 34.44-35 feet high

Fairview Incline did not go to a resort.



Contributed by Bob O'Brien.

Extracted from his Cincinnati History of the Inclines, compiled by Bob O'Brien.



This was the only incline constructed for streetcars and ended up as passenger only. All others started out as passenger and were converted to street cars except Price Hill that remained passenger. It went from McMicken Avenue (Browne Street) to Fairview Avenue. In 1921 because of badly needed repairs it was declared unsafe for streetcars and stationary bodies were mounted for foot passengers. The Streetcar Company built a road around Fairview Hill to replace the incline. The road was completed in 1923 and the incline shut down on December 24, 1923.



Mount Adams Incline



Contributed by Bob O'Brien.

Extracted from his Cincinnati History of the Inclines, compiled by Bob O'Brien.



This was the longest lived of the inclines, the most well known and was finally abandoned in 1948. It was constructed for streetcars and did accomodate wagons and in later years automobiles. The Zoo-Eden car used the incline and carried many to the Zoo over the years-as this was the favorite way of getting there. The reasons the cars stopped using the incline was because the bridge over the entrance to Eden Park had deteriorated and the cars were no longer allowed to cross it. For about a year after the buses used it and on April 16, 1948 it was shut down. Automobiles could use it and it was a short and interesting way to Eden Park. The author used it many times. The fare was 25 cents for car and driver and 5 cents for each passenger and pedestrians were 5 cents each.

At the top of the incline was the Highland House, a brilliantly lighted showplace where even political meetins and conventions could be held. As the end of "gay Nineties" period approached, the Highland House fell victim to the Sunday closing laws and finally was razed in 1895 but the incline

continued for another half a century.

Along with the Price Hill Incline this was the most photographed incline ... the pictures tell the story.











Mount Adams Incline

1876-1948

945’ – 975’ in length

230-270‘ in elevation



submitted by Patti Graman

Mt. Auburn Incline & Zoo Car

(or Main Street Incline)

1871-1898

Submitted by Bob O'Brien

Extracted from Cincinnati History of the Inclines, compiled by Bob O'Brien.



The Mt. Auburn or Main Street Incline was the first of the incline planes built to scale the rugged side of Mt. Auburn, heading directly north of the densely populated basin. It was built for passengers and was completed and started hauling passengers in 1872. In 1878, it was rebuilt with open platforms for horse cars.

This incline was unique among the Cincinati inclines in that the grade was not the same all the way up. The bottom part was much steeper than the top. At top was the very popular Lookout House. In 1889 the incline was electrified and the system started to haul electric cars.

The Main Street incline hauled cars up and down Mt. Auburn until 1898 when the section of the Cincinnati Inclined Plane Railway from downtown was sold to the Cincinnati Street Railway and Vine Street Hill became the route to town.



Mt.Auburn Incline

1871-1898

length 960 feet; 312 feet high

Went to the Lookout House Resort



Contributed by David Heller, Reading, Ohio



From; "Cincinnati Streetcars No.2 The Inclines" by Wagner and Wright. Page 29.

The first of five inclined plane railways in the city, the Main Street Incline scaled the rugged side of Mt. Auburn, heading north of the densely populated basin. This scene is before 1878 when the cabs were rebuilt to haul horsecars. The Lookout House is on the left on top of the hill.

(Cincinnati Historical Society)



