Record #:

5200

Author(s):

Hill, Michael

Abstract:

The Saluda Grade in Polk County, rising an average of 4.7 feet for every 100 feet in length, is the steepest standard-gauge mainline railroad grade in the country. The three-mile grade which opened in 1878, crests in Saluda. The line was built in some of North Carolina's most rugged mountains.

Source:

Tar Heel Junior Historian (NoCar F 251 T3x), Vol. 40 Issue 2, Spring 2001, p24-25, il

Subject(s):

Railroads--Grades; Railroads--Polk County--History