One way to divide the "Types" of stairs on Queen Anne Hill into groups is by looking at their handrails.

Using this system, we can identify five distinct types of stairs: CIP, Pipe Rail, Modern, Trolley Rail, and Hybrid.

This system also proves to be a good indicator of stairs age, as the earliest extant stairs are of the CIP type. Later stairs were made from Pipe Rail, then Trolley Rails were used (interesting story, that), and finally we get to the Modern and Hybrid handrails which incorporate considerations for ADA accessibility and safety.