C&O Canal Incline Plane

A photo of the incline plane from the 1870s

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Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits

To alleviate traffic congestion on the C&O Canal, the Incline Plane allowed coal boats to be transported down to the Potomac River by means of a system of caissons, pulleys, steel cables and counterweights. After an accident in 1877 in which three men were killed, the caissons were drained of water before the boats descended. In 1878, 1,918 trips were recorded on the Incline Plane. Also in that year, a model of the Incline Plane was exhibited at the World's Fair in Paris. After the 1889 flood, the Incline Plane was not repaired.