The Saluda Grade Railroad was first built in the 1870s to connect Spartanburg, SC with Asheville, NC—transporting goods and people to and from the growing communities in the mountains. However, to accomplish this, it was necessary to find a route up the forbiddingly steep Blue Ridge Escarpment. The Saluda Grade was determined to be the most feasible way up the mountains, even though the maximum grade was nearly 5%. The line was laid with considerable adversity as laborers—both convicts and free workers—suffered from illness and accidents. In July 4, 1878, the first train chugged slowly up the mountains to Saluda.
In the following years, the steepness of the grade led to dangerous derailments and crashes. So the railroad innovated to improve safety. They built spur lines that could be used to arrest a runaway downhill train. They would also split trains into two or more sections to reduce the weight—a technique that was necessary for both uphill and downhill travel.
As the nation’s transportation system shifted away from rail, the railroad gradually became obsolete. In 2001, Norfolk Southern stopped running trains on this line. More than two decades later, the tracks are in disrepair and inoperable—but they can be brought back to life as a vibrant rail trail that will bring economic vitality to local communities, just as the railroad did when it first connected the mountains with the Piedmont nearly 150 years ago.
The current owner, Norfolk Southern, has no interest in restoring the tracks or running trains on this line. The railroad has signed an agreement setting terms for the purchase of this corridor for a rail trail. However, if in the future, the line is once again needed for rail travel, it would be possible to bring back a railroad on this route. The Saluda Grade Trail will be created through a federal “railbanking” program that allows an inactive rail corridor to be used as a trail until such a time that the route is needed again for rail transportation.
The inclusion of steep gradients on railways avoids the expensive engineering work required to produce more gentle gradients. However the maximum feasible gradient is limited by how much of a load the locomotive(s) can haul upwards. Braking when travelling downhill is also a limiting factor. There have been various solutions to hauling rail mounted vehicles up or down inclines. These include simple rail adhesion, rack railways and cable inclines (including rail mounted water tanks to carry barges). To help with braking on the descent, a non-load-bearing "brake rail" located between the running rails can be used, similar to the rail used in the Fell system, e.g. by the Snaefell Mountain Railway on the Isle of Man.
Tramways and light railways often have steeper gradients than heavier railways. This is because all wheels are usually connected to engine power in order to give better acceleration. Grades of 5% are not uncommon on them. Metros and pure commuter railways often also allow steeper gradients, over 4%, for the same reason. High-speed railways commonly allow 2.5% to 4% because the trains must be strong and have many wheels with power to reach very high speeds. For freight trains, gradients should be as gentle as possible, preferably below 1.5%.
Examples
[
edit
]
The list below is of some of the steepest gradients on adhesion railways, in order of decreasing steepness:
See also
[
edit
]
Further reading
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]