Editing Fenelon Place Elevator

{{short description|Funicular railway in Dubuque, Iowa.}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2022}}{{Infobox rail line
| name                            = Fenelon Place Elevator
| image                           = Fourth Street Elevator in Dubuque, Iowa.jpg
| image_width               = 
| caption                         = Fenelon Place Elevator in Dubuque, Iowa
| type                            = [[Commuter rail in North America|Commuter rail]]
| system                          = 
| status                          = 
| locale                          = [[Dubuque, Iowa]]
| start                           = Hilltop
| end                             = 
| stations                        = 2
| routes                          = 
| daily_ridership                 = N/A
| open                            = 
| close                           = 
| owner                           = Fenelon Place Elevator Company
| operator                        = City of Dubuque
| character                       = Commuter rail line
| linelength                      = 296 feet (90 m)
| tracklength                     = 
| tracks                          = 
| gauge                           = {{track gauge|3ft}}
| electrification                 = 
| speed                           = 
| elevation                       = 
| coordinates                     = {{coord|42.49645|-90.66905|display=inline,title}}
| map                             = {{routemap
|inline = y
|style = white-space:nowrap; 
|title = Fenelon Place Elevator 
|title-bg = 
|navbar = Fenelon Place Elevator 
|navbar pos = 2 
|map = 
KBHFa~~512 Fenelon Place
LOCK2d!~STR
KBHFe~~Hilltop
}}
}}

The '''Fenelon Place Elevator''' (also known as the '''Fourth Street Elevator''') is a {{RailGauge|3ft|lk=on}} [[Narrow gauge railway|narrow gauge]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Trams of the World 2017|url=http://blickpunktstrab.net/wordpress2/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/tramsderwelt2017.pdf|publisher=Blickpunkt Straßenbahn|date=January 24, 2017|access-date=February 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170216202427/http://blickpunktstrab.net/wordpress2/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/tramsderwelt2017.pdf|archive-date=February 16, 2017}}</ref> [[funicular]] railway located in [[Dubuque, Iowa|Dubuque]], [[Iowa]], United States. It was listed in the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1978.<ref name="latimes">Stewart, Connie (2011-11-05). [http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-hometown-dubuque-20111106,0,561245.story Railway not inclined to be a target]. ''LA Times''. Retrieved on 2011-11-07.</ref>  It was included as a [[contributing property]] in the [[Cathedral Historic District (Dubuque, Iowa)|Cathedral Historic District]] in 1985,<ref name="Hawks">{{cite web |author1=Hawks |first=Lisa |author2=Myhre-Gonyier |first2=Pam |title=Cathedral Historic District |url={{NRHP url|id=85002501}} |access-date=2017-01-03 |publisher=[[National Park Service]]}} with {{NRHP url|id=85002501|photos=y|title=photos}}</ref> and in the [[Fenelon Place Residential Historic District]] in 2015.<ref name="Jacobsen">{{cite web |author=Jacobsen |first=James E. |title=Fenelon Place Residential Historic District |url=https://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/places/pdfs/15000787.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202092138/https://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/places/pdfs/15000787.pdf |archive-date=Feb 2, 2017 |access-date=2017-01-28 |publisher=[[National Park Service]]}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Fenlon Place elevator 1940.tif|thumb|Fenelon Place Elevator in 1940]]
A predecessor to the Fourth Street Elevator was built in 1882 for the private use of local banker and former state senator J.K. Graves.  The funicular was opened to the public in 1884, charging 5 cents per ride.  After several fires, the existing funicular was rebuilt in 1893 on the footprint of the 1882 incline; the 1893 funicular inaugurated the use of the [[cable railway|cable car]] technology that continues in use.<ref name="Elevator">{{cite web|url=http://www.dbq.com/fenplco/history.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020428144054/http://www.dbq.com/fenplco/history.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2002-04-28 |title=Fenelon Place Elevator Company History |work=Fenelon Place Elevator Company |access-date=2011-11-06 }}</ref>

==Location==
The upper station of the elevator is located at 512 Fenelon Place, while the lower station is located at the western end of Fourth Street. At the top, there are two observation decks, which offer a commanding view of the downtown Dubuque area. The states of [[Iowa]], [[Illinois]], and [[Wisconsin]] can all be seen from the observation decks.<ref name="fenplco">{{cite web|url=http://www.dbq.com/fenplco/prices.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20021028051316/http://www.dbq.com/fenplco/prices.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2002-10-28 |title=Ride Rates |publisher=Fenelon Place Elevator Company |access-date=2015-05-10 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dbq.com/fenplco/info.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020428143712/http://www.dbq.com/fenplco/info.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 28, 2002 |title=Fenelon Place Elevator Company |publisher=Fenelon Place Elevator Company |access-date=2015-05-10 }}</ref>

==Function==
The [[funicular]] is {{convert|296|ft|m}} long, and angles up at 41 degrees with a vertical elevation of {{convert|189<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fenelonplaceelevator.com/ |title=Home |website=fenelonplaceelevator.com}}</ref>|ft|m|1}}. The two cars start at opposite ends, passing each other at the midpoint of the elevator.  The two cars counterbalance each other, drawing motive power from an engine in the station house at the top of the hill.  The engine only needs to overcome inertia and friction and compensate for the varying weight of the passengers in the cars.{{citation needed|date=November 2011}}

The Fourth Street Elevator is run from April 1 to November 30. The hours are from 8 am to 10 pm.<ref name="fenplco" />

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Fourth Street Elevator car from above.jpg
Dubuque IA - 4th Street Elevator.jpg
4thElevator4.jpg
Operator's House for the Fourth Street Elevator in Dubuque, Iowa.jpg
View North from the Fourth Street Elevator in Dubuque, Iowa.jpg
Photo from observation deck of the Fourth Street Elevator.jpg
</gallery>

== See also ==
* [[List of funicular railways]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Fenelon Place Elevator}}
*[http://www.fenelonplaceelevator.com Fenelon Place Elevator Company web site]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20141217084754/http://www.eastonsarticle.com/ ''Easton's Article'' web site] - production used the Fenelon Place Elevator as a featured movie location in December 2010

{{National Register of Historic Places}}
{{NRHP in Dubuque, Iowa}}

[[Category:3 ft gauge railways in the United States]]
[[Category:Culture of Dubuque, Iowa]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Dubuque, Iowa]]
[[Category:Funicular railways in the United States]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Dubuque, Iowa]]
[[Category:Passenger rail transportation in Iowa]]
[[Category:Transportation in Dubuque, Iowa]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Dubuque, Iowa]]
[[Category:1882 establishments in Iowa]]
[[Category:Cableways on the National Register of Historic Places]]
[[Category:Rail infrastructure on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa]]
[[Category:Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Iowa]]