Worlds colliding

[nachoman]

So ... Saluda, N.C. is the steepest grade in the country, huh? Hmmm! I had been under the impression that the grade out of the Wyoming Valley (out of Scranton, PA) was the steepest, but maybe it's just one of the steepest.

I have a photo in one of my books of a coal drag coming up out of that valley, and as I recall the photo, counting the smoke plumes, there are five locos at the point, four amidships and another six at the rear, pushing, with the little bobber tacked on behind. I can't say for sure what's up front, but all of the power leaning against the load at the rear are Consolidations. My guess is that all of the firemen are busy shoveling!

I think it was called the steepest "mainline" railroad grade. If you want to count branchlines or spurs, steeper grades exist. If you want to count narrow gauge or logging lines, there were/are even steeper grades. I think a portion of the Cass Scenic Railroad in WV is around 11%. And of course, rack railroads or incline railways were built even steeper than that.