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70-655: The Johnstown Inclined Plane is a 896.5-foot (273.3 m) funicular in Johnstown , Cambria County, Pennsylvania , U.S. The incline and its two stations connect the city of Johnstown, situated in a valley at the confluence of the Stonycreek and the Little Conemaugh rivers, to the borough of Westmont on Yoder Hill. The Johnstown Inclined Plane is billed as the "world's steepest vehicular inclined plane". It can carry automobiles and passengers, up or down

140-511: A GPS -enabled telephone not moving for a period of time, or merely failing to type a code within a few minutes of a computer's boot . An example of a software-based dead man's switch is one that starts when the computer boots up and can encrypt or delete user-specified data if an unauthorized user should ever gain access to the protected computer. Google's Inactive Account Manager allows the account holder to nominate someone else to access their services if not used for an extended period (the default

210-646: A vehicle or machine , it has since come to be used to describe other intangible uses, as in computer software . These switches are usually used as a form of fail-safe where they stop a machine with no operator from a potentially dangerous action or incapacitate a device as a result of accident, malfunction, or misuse. They are common in such applications in locomotives , aircraft refuelling , freight elevators , lawn mowers, tractors, personal watercraft , outboard motors , chainsaws, snowblowers , treadmills, snowmobiles , amusement rides , and many medical imaging devices. On some machines, these switches merely bring

280-570: A 972-foot (296 m) safety cable capable of withstanding 165 short tons (149.7 metric tons; 147.3 long tons) is also connected to the cars. Inclines are common in Europe, and immigrants, like the German , Slavic , and Welsh people who settled near Johnstown, remembered them from their native lands and brought the concept to the United States. The earliest inclines in the United States were

350-614: A convenient mode of transportation, the Johnstown Inclined Plane doubled as an escape route in event of flood. Diescher was hired by Cambria Iron to design the incline. The rails used in the incline were manufactured in Johnstown at Cambria Iron, and many of the construction tools handcrafted there. The 232-foot (71 m) Inclined Plane Bridge was built to span the Stoneycreek River to provide access to

420-417: A dead man's switch called an "operator-presence control", which by law must stop the blades within three seconds after the user releases the controls. Attached across the handle is a mechanical lever connected by a flexible cable to the kill switch on the engine. While mowing, the operator must always squeeze the lever against the handle. If the operator ever loses grip of the handle, the blade will disengage or

490-418: A dead man's switch to be used to activate a harmful device, such as a bomb or improvised explosive device . The switch that arms the device is only kept in its "off" position by continued pressure from the user's hand. The device will activate when the switch is released, so that if the user is knocked out or killed while holding the switch, the bomb will detonate. The Special Weapons Emergency Separation System

560-421: A dead man's switch, this type of device (a command loss timer) is not actually a dead man's switch, because it aims to recover from a hardware failure rather than the absence of human operators. It is generally called a watchdog timer , and is also used extensively in nuclear power control systems. System components on a spacecraft that put it into a safe mode or cause it to execute default behaviors when no command

630-457: A handle. While some pedal switches must simply be held down in order for the machine to function (this system is often found on amusement rides, where the operator is likely to remain in a standing position for a lengthy period of time while the ride is in motion), this method has some shortcomings. In the Waterfall train disaster , south of Sydney, Australia, in 2003, the driver suddenly died of

700-419: A heart attack, and his slumped body kept the pedal depressed. There are some solutions to this issue that are now used in modern pedal systems. The pedal can have a vigilance function built in (a dead-man's vigilance device , driver vigilance device or DVD ), where drivers must release and re-press the pedal in response to an audible signal. This prevents it from being defeated by the above circumstances and

770-651: A series of 10 that were built in the 1830s as part of the Allegheny Portage Railroad . The portage railroad carried canal boats over the Allegheny Mountains to connect the canals from Pittsburgh to the ones from Philadelphia . Pittsburgh at one time also had "at least 17" inclines—some carried passengers, others freight, while another two inclines (like the Nunnery Hill Incline ) were curved. On May 31, 1889,

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840-431: A slope with a grade of 71.9%. The travel time between stations is 90 seconds. After a catastrophic flood in 1889 , the Johnstown Inclined Plane was completed in 1891 to serve as an escape route from floods in the valley, as well as a convenient mode of transportation for residents of the new communities above the valley. It was operated by Cambria Iron Company and its successor Bethlehem Steel until 1935, when it

910-419: A switch adjusted to an adolescent's or adult's weight. On recreational vehicles such as boats, personal watercraft and snowmobiles, and on the control panel of many amusement rides , the user or operator has a cord or lanyard attached to their wrist or life jacket, that is in turn attached to a key mounted on the dead man's switch. Should the rider fall off the vehicle or the operator at least move away from

980-415: A vigilance function to this type of pedal results in a very safe system. However, isolation devices are still provided in case of equipment failure, so a deliberate override is still possible. These isolation devices usually have tamper-evident seals fitted for that reason. The dead man's switch can also be located beneath the seat of a vehicle or machine and engages if the operator is not in the seat holding

1050-461: Is a standard feature on most British DSD systems. If the timer period is beginning to expire, a visual and audible warning is given. If the operator fails to acknowledge the warning, a penalty brake application results. Some types of locomotive are fitted with a three-position pedal, which must normally be kept in the mid position. This lessens the likelihood of accidentally defeating it, although it may still be possible to deliberately do so. Adding

1120-504: Is also used on the R143 and other New York City Subway cars while under CBTC operation. In the US, older locomotives produced before 1995 did not originally carry this feature, but given the modular nature of the system it is not uncommon to find them retrofitted. Some aeroplanes use vigilance control to minimize hypoxia , descending to lower altitude if the pilot is unresponsive. In 2019,

1190-531: Is an application of this concept in the field of nuclear weapons. A more extreme version is Russia's Dead Hand program, which allows for either automatic or semiautomatic launch of nuclear missiles should a number of conditions be met, even if all Russian leadership were to be killed. A similar concept is the handwritten letters of last resort from the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to

1260-438: Is provided by a "dead man's handle" or pedal. If the driver is taken ill and releases this, the power will be shut off and an emergency brake application will be initiated to stop the train. More recent safety standards do not consider this to be adequate, as the driver may slump over the dead man's handle and continue to hold it down even though they are not capable of controlling the train. Modern trains overcome this risk with

1330-402: Is received within a predefined time window can be considered a dead man's switch, but hardware or software that attempts to receive a command from human operators through an alternate channel is an auto-recovering or adaptive communications system, not a dead man's switch. Voyager 2 recovered from a command receiver failure with a command loss timer. In most trains, a basic level of protection

1400-451: Is removed, releasing the rod's contact with the internal switch, instantly cutting power and applying the brakes. Though there are ways that this type of dead man's control could conceivably fail, in practice they have proven highly reliable. On some earlier equipment, pressure was not maintained on the entire controller, but on a large button protruding from the controller handle. This button also had to be pressed continuously, typically with

1470-463: Is the release of the decryption key, as with Vault 7 . A related device is a kill switch . Interest in dead man's controls increased with the introduction of electric trams (streetcars in North America) and especially electrified rapid transit trains. The first widespread use came with the introduction of the mass-produced Birney One-Man Safety (tram) Car , though dead-man equipment

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1540-415: Is three months). Some solutions available to the public utilize the growing market of mobile devices. Instead of sending an automated e-mail, they will send a push notification directly to the mobile device, and can alert family and friends in a much more convenient way. Many spacecraft use a form of dead man's switch to guard against command system failures. A timer is established that is normally reset by

1610-464: The Garmin G3000 became the first general aviation avionics suite capable of automatically diverting an aircraft to the nearest airport and landing it in the event a pilot fails to interact with the aircraft's controls or respond to system prompts. This automation capability has been made possible by advancements in computing, control, and navigation technologies and is of particular importance in

1680-633: The South Fork Dam collapsed upstream of Johnstown on the Little Conemaugh River . The resulting deluge devastated the city, killing 2,209 people. As the city rebuilt, the Cambria Iron Company started work on a residential development atop Yoder Hill. To provide easy transportation on the steep slope for residents of the new community of Westmont, the company constructed an inclined plane. In addition to being

1750-424: The controller handle , the device that regulates traction power. If pressure is not maintained on the controller, the train's emergency brakes are applied. Typically, the controller handle is a horizontal bar, rotated to apply the required power for the train. Attached to the bottom of the handle is a rod that when pushed down contacts a solenoid or switch inside the control housing. The handle springs up if pressure

1820-432: The Johnstown Inclined Plane had an annual ridership of 20,193 passengers, a decrease of 50.5 percent from the previous year. The upper station has a gift shop selling souvenirs and snacks. A visitor center is located adjacent to the station. The mechanical room housing the incline's hoisting mechanism can be viewed from windows in the gift shop and the visitor center lobby. An observation deck providing views of

1890-553: The Stoneycreek and Conemaugh Rivers overflowed their banks. The floodwaters continued downstream and eventually reached Pittsburgh . From February 1938 to July 1953, the Johnstown Traction Company operated transit buses from Johnstown to Westmont with the "fully loaded public buses" being carried by the incline. Bethlehem Steel stopped supplying electricity to the Johnstown Inclined Plane when

1960-608: The Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.132 via cp1112 cp1112, Varnish XID 950473578 Upstream caches: cp1112 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 08:36:03 GMT Dead man%27s switch A dead man's switch is a switch that is designed to be activated or deactivated if the human operator becomes incapacitated, such as through death , loss of consciousness , or being bodily removed from control. Originally applied to switches on

2030-433: The addition of a vigilance system to the dead man's system. A buzzer or bell sounds every minute or so in order to alert the motorman or engineer. If they do not respond by moving a controller, or releasing and then re-applying the dead man's handle, the system will automatically initiate an emergency brake application. Most major rail systems in the world use this equipment, both in their freight and passenger operations. It

2100-416: The blade from spinning. Some tools go further and have a trigger guard built into the handle, similar to firearm safeties . Only when the user presses in the trigger guard first will it then release its lock on the trigger and allow the trigger to be pressed in. Typically, trigger guards can only be pressed in while the user has a firm grip of the handle. Every walk-behind mower sold in the US since 1982 has

2170-429: The boat from continuing under power but out of control, risking injury to anyone in or out of the water including passengers who may have fallen out or may still be in the boat, and collision damage to any property in the path of this out of control boat; this in turn prevents or limits damage to the boat itself from striking other objects. It is a common and dangerous practice to defeat the kill cord by fixing it to part of

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2240-411: The boat instead of the operator; for convenience. This has been the cause of accidents, some of which were fatal or caused limb loss. Some luggage carts at airports and exercise treadmills have this feature. In the case of treadmills, the dead man's switch usually consists of an external magnet attached to a cord that clips to the user. If the user falls or walks away without turning off the treadmill,

2310-525: The bridge and its access road. It was reopened in April 2001, but again closed in September to allow PennDOT to finish repairs to the bridge deck. The repairs were completed on December 14, 2001. A strong thunderstorm disrupted power to the incline on April 16, 2010, stranding the cars and two passengers almost halfway down the slope. The rescue took three hours, and ended when firefighters rappelled down

2380-407: The cars, a complete overhaul of the mechanical and electrical systems, and replacement all the track ties. The project was funded by a variety of state and federal grants, and donations from local foundations. With the growing usage of the automobile and construction of new roads, ridership on the incline diminished. It was losing $ 25,000 a year by 1961. Since the 1980s, the incline has become one of

2450-463: The commanding officers of the four British ballistic missile submarines . They contain orders on what action to take if the British government is destroyed in a nuclear attack. After a prime minister leaves office, the letters are destroyed unopened. This concept has been employed with computer data, where sensitive information has been previously encrypted and released to the public, and the "switch"

2520-418: The controls, the cord will be pulled out of the dead man's switch, turning off the engine or setting the throttle position to "idle". On powered boats in particular this cord is often called a "kill cord" (for powered boats use around the wrist is not recommended, as it may slip off without cutting the engine). If the helmsman goes overboard or is forced away from the controls, the engine cuts out. This prevents

2590-565: The dead man's device be released momentarily and re-applied at timed intervals. There has also been a proposal to introduce a similar system to automotive cruise controls . Software versions of dead man's switches are generally only used by people with technical expertise, and can serve several purposes, such as sending a stored message, a notification to friends, or deleting and encrypting data. The "non-event" triggering these can be almost anything, such as failing to log in for 7 consecutive days, not responding to an automated e-mail, ping ,

2660-456: The dead man's switch is incorporated into the train's speed control. On the R142A car, the train operator must continually hold the lever in place in order for the train to move. An example of a passenger vehicle using a dead man's switch is on Tesla electric vehicles. When the driver has engaged the semi-autonomous driving system "Autopilot", they must keep their hands on the steering wheel. If

2730-430: The driver immediately. Handle-mounted dead man's switches are also used on many hand-held tools and lawn equipment, typically those that rotate or have blades such as saws, drills, snow blowers and lawn mowers. On saws for example, they incorporate a squeeze throttle trigger into the handle. If the user loses grip of the saw, the springs in the throttle trigger will push it back out to the off or idle setting, stopping

2800-482: The driver takes their hands off the steering wheel for more than 30 seconds, a loud alarm will sound inside the car to wake sleeping drivers; if the driver leaves their hands off for more than a minute, then the car will engage its hazard warning lights and bring the car to a stop. This is done because the Autopilot system is not capable of full-self driving, and requires that the driver be able to take over operation of

2870-582: The early 20th century. The Malbone Street Wreck on the Brooklyn Rapid Transit system in 1918, though not caused by driver incapacitation, did spur the need for universal deployment of such devices to halt trains in the event of the operator's disability. According to a Manhattan borough historian, there have been at least three instances where the dead man's switch was used successfully – in 1927, 1940, and 2010. The status and operation of both vigilance and dead man's switch may be recorded on

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2940-407: The elements, an enclosed seating area with a bench is situated along the outer side of the incline. The cables connecting the cars are 2-inch-diameter (50.8 mm), 6×36 right regular lay , steel wire rope. They are wound around a 3-short-ton (2.7- metric-ton ; 2.7- long-ton ), 16-foot-diameter (5 m) drum that connects the cars. The cable on the north track is 1,075 feet (328 m) long, while

3010-486: The engine will stop, stopping the blades from spinning and (if equipped) any drive wheels from turning. On mowers where the engine stops, this switch configuration also acts as the engine's main kill switch; when the operator wants to stop the engine, he can release the dead man's switch intentionally. On some vehicles, including the diesel-electric railway locomotives in Canada, and on Nottingham Express Transit vehicles,

3080-578: The factory switched to "an incompatible power system", forcing the incline to close on January 31, 1962. Because of public pressure to keep the incline operating, it was reopened in July ;1962 after extensive renovation, in which the electric motor was rewound, ties were replaced, and the cars were repainted. The Johnstown Inclined Plane was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 18, 1973. On July 20, 1977,

3150-508: The incline near the stations on June 28, 2014. Repairs took approximately a month after consultants diagnosed the failure. Sensor issues briefly disrupted service in August ;2014 and, again, December 2014 forcing the incline to start its winter maintenance period early. In 2021, the incline closed for a two year project to extensively renovate the incline at a cost of more than $ 12 million. The refurbishment included restoration of

3220-648: The incline was again used as an escape route, evacuating residents from the valley amid rising floodwaters. It also carried "boats, emergency personnel , and equipment down to the valley to aid in rescue operations". The incline was again sold for $ 1 by Westmont borough on March 8, 1983, to the Cambria County Transit Authority, now CamTran . CamTran initiated a $ 4.2 million renovation on September 7, 1983, replacing "the incline's foundation piers, structural steel, and track." The renovations were completed on August 22, 1984, and

3290-671: The incline was rededicated on September 6. It was designated an Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) in September ;1994. A footbridge spanning Pennsylvania Route 56 between the incline and Vine Street was opened around the same time. On September 1, 2000, the incline was closed when the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) undertook an $ 2.3 million renovation of

3360-513: The incline, the city, and the valley is located on the opposite side of the station from the visitor center. Two hiking trails and several mountain bike trails allow visitors to recreate on the hillside. One of the hiking trails is a sculpture trail , with works created in 1989 by local artist James Wolfe , who used remnants of the Bethlehem Steel factory in Johnstown. Funicular Too Many Requests If you report this error to

3430-574: The lower station of the incline. Originally named the Cambria Inclined Plane, the Johnstown Inclined Plane opened on June 1, 1891 and cost $ 133,296 to build. The convenience the incline provided stimulated a rapid growth of population in Westmont and made the borough one of the country's first suburbs. Over 40 million trips were taken on the incline in its first 80 years of operation. The incline's original steam engine

3500-428: The machines back to a safe state, such as reducing the throttle to idle or applying brakes while leaving the machines still running and ready to resume normal operation once control is reestablished. Dead man's switches are not always used to stop machines and prevent harm; such switches can also be used as a fail-deadly , since a spring-operated switch can be used to complete a circuit, not only to break it. This allows

3570-566: The main tourist attractions in Johnstown, with people visiting the incline to "ride for fun, nostalgia and novelty." Primarily used for tourism, the incline's use by commuters, who bike or walk to work, has also increased. CamTran's Route 18 transit bus offers connections between the incline and downtown Johnstown. As of 2017, the cost for a ride on the incline is $ 3 or $ 5 for a roundtrip. The one way fare for automobiles $ 8. The incline takes around 90 seconds to travel between stations. The same trip takes 10 minutes by automobile. In 2021,

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3640-416: The motor and winch are located at a 90-degree angle to the incline instead of directly underneath it. Operation of the incline is controlled via a foot pedal located in a booth in the upper station. An emergency brake engages if the air pressure needed to control the incline is insufficient; the brake also engages if a dead man's switch is tripped in the operator's booth. In addition to the hauling cables,

3710-478: The palm of the hand so that the button was flush with the top of the handle. Another method used, particularly with some lever-type controllers, which are rotated rather than pushed or pulled, requires that the handle on the lever be turned through 90 degrees and held in that position while the train is in operation. Some dead man's controls only work in the mid position and not with full pressure (see pilot valve ). In modern New York City Subway trains, for example,

3780-456: The receipt of any valid command (including one whose sole function is to reset the timer). If the timer expires, the spacecraft enters a "command loss" algorithm that cycles through a predefined sequence of hardware or software modes (such as the selection of a backup command receiver) until a valid command is received. The spacecraft may also enter a safe mode to protect itself while waiting for further commands. While having some similarities to

3850-402: The south cable is 7 feet (2.13 m) shorter. Each car weighs 22 short tons (20.0 metric tons; 19.6 long tons), but they and the cables can carry an additional load of 15 short tons (13.6 metric tons; 13.4 long tons). A 400-horsepower (298 kW) electric motor drives the drum, simultaneously winding and unwinding the cable, to propel the incline. The Johnstown Inclined Plane is unusual in that

3920-496: The switch cuts power to the treadmill belt. In information security , kill cords are also used in computers to turn off the machine if the user is separated from it. Strategic Air Command developed a dead man's switch for its nuclear bombers, known as Special Weapons Emergency Separation System (SWESS), that ensured the nuclear payload detonated in the event of the crew becoming incapacitated through enemy action. The purpose of this device, unlike other examples mentioned above,

3990-435: The switch down. On modern tractors, the switch will cut the engine while the transmission is engaged or the power take-off is spinning. On riding lawn mowers, the switch is often more extreme where the switch will cut the engine even if the mower is parked and the blades are not spinning. Seat switches can also be used to keep small children from even starting the vehicle since they would not weigh enough to completely hold down

4060-399: The top of Yoder Hill and the borough of Westmont , the station of which is at an elevation of 1,693.5 feet (516.2 m) above sea level. The rails are supported by 720 14-foot-long (4 m) railroad ties made from Southern Yellow Pine . The incline is illuminated at night by 114 high-pressure sodium-vapor lamps mounted along the sides of tracks. There was a stairway between

4130-471: The tracks to reach the car. The Johnstown Inclined Plane was closed from September 9 to October 14, 2010, for the installation of a new 9,000-pound (4,100 kg) "hoist brake shaft." From October 29 to October 31, 2012, CamTran shut down the incline fearing power outages due to the passage of Hurricane Sandy . During the annual Thunder in the Valley motorcycle rally, two resistors failed and stopped

4200-417: The tracks with 966 steps; this was removed c.  1963 . Two cars traverse the slope; as one descends, the other ascends and acts as a counterweight . The cars are 15 feet 6 inches (4.7 m) wide, 15 feet 2 inches (4.6 m) tall, and 34 feet (10 m) long, and are large enough to carry either 65 people, 6 motorcycles, or an automobile. While the cars are open to

4270-474: The train to a stop if necessary. For many decades two people were assigned to electric and diesel locomotives as well, even though a single person could theoretically operate them. With modern urban and suburban railway systems, the driver is typically alone in an enclosed cab. Automatic devices were already beginning to be deployed on newer installations of the New York City Subway system in

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4340-505: The train's event recorder (commonly known as a black box ). Modern locomotive practice is to incorporate the dead-man's and vigilance functions under the control of the alerter or the event recorder. Many dead man's switches are mounted in the control handle of a vehicle or machine and engage if the operator ever loses their grip. Handle switches are still used on modern trams and trains. Pneumatically or electrically linked dead man's controls involve relatively simple modifications of

4410-461: The tram's speed controller is fitted with a capacitive touch sensor to detect the driver's hand. If the hand is removed for more than a short period of time, the track brakes are activated. Gloves, if worn, have to be finger-less for the touch sensor to operate. A backup dead-man's switch button is provided on the side of the controller for use in the case of a failed touch sensor or if it is too cold to remove gloves. A pedal can be used instead of

4480-417: The vehicle without warning, should the car encounter a problem it does not know how to solve. This system uses a torque sensor on the steering wheel of the vehicle: when a driver is simply holding the wheel, they are still applying a small amount of torque to the wheel, confirming for the car that the driver is being attentive; if the driver turns the wheel with more force, all vehicle controls are handed back to

4550-446: Was fail-deadly rather than fail-safe . Once armed, the system would detonate the onboard nuclear weapons if the aircraft dropped below a predetermined level, typically due to being shot down. The main safety failing with the basic dead man's system is the possibility of the operating device being held permanently in position, either deliberately or accidentally. Vigilance control was developed to detect this condition by requiring that

4620-567: Was designed by Hungarian-American engineer Samuel Diescher , who had also designed the Duquesne , Castle Shannon and Fort Pitt Inclines in Pittsburgh. The funicular consists of a parallel set of 8 ft ( 2,440 mm ) broad gauge railroad tracks with a 70.9% grade or an angle of 35 degrees and 28  minutes from the horizontal. The incline is 896.5 feet (273.3 m) long and ascends 502.2 feet (153.1 m) vertically to

4690-409: Was disconnected on January 6, 1912, and replaced with an electric motor. The cars used on the incline were originally double-deckers, but were reconfigured into a single-decker design in 1921. The double-decker cars had horses and wagons riding on the main, upper deck and passengers riding in a compartment below. Only one human fatality has occurred at the incline; it was determined that the incident

4760-404: Was fairly rare on US streetcars until the successful PCC streetcar , which had a left-foot-operated dead man's pedal in conjunction with the right-foot-operated brake and power pedals. This layout has continued to be used on some modern trams around the world. In conventional steam railroad trains, there was always a second person with the engineer, the fireman , who could almost always bring

4830-404: Was not caused by the incline itself. There were two incidents in the 1920s when horses aboard the incline became spooked and leapt from the car onto the tracks. Bethlehem Steel , the successor to Cambria Iron, sold the Johnstown Inclined Plane to the borough of Westmont in April 1935. On March 17, 1936, nearly 4,000 people were evacuated from Johnstown to higher ground via the incline as

4900-524: Was sold to the borough of Westmont. The incline was briefly shut down in 1962 when its supply of power from Bethlehem Steel was terminated. Twice in its history, the Johnstown Inclined Plane fulfilled its role as a means of evacuation from floods—once in 1936 and again in 1977. The incline was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and was designated a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark in 1994. It had major renovations in 1962 and from 1983 to 1984. The Johnstown Inclined Plane

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