Have you seen our May 2005 Railroad Blueprint: Sand Patch, Pennsylvania? What is your favorite mountain grade?
Hands down, Cajon pass. 3 tracks,60+ trains a day, UP & BNSF. What else could you ask for ??
My favorite is Horseshoe Curve.
…Yes, the eastern side of the grade up the Allegheny’s…From Altoona to Summit. I.8% avg. grade…Horseshoe curve and at one time 4-tracks wide and ROW still that width…and now 3-tracks. Don’t know the count of traffic now in 24 hr. period but it is substantial…Tunnels at the summit to get under the last few hundred ft. of mountain. Ex. Pennsylvania’s Broadway route and now NS.
Cumbres, Marshal, Red Mountain, Borias, Alpine, Haggerman.
The not-much-used-anymore Tennessee Pass. Only got to railfan that once before they shut her down. Still holding out hope that someday they may re-open it.
Chris
Denver, CO
…Guess I should mention Saluda grade in NC, but alas it too now is closed…Not abandoned but closed for the unforeseeable future. 4.7% grade…! Several miles.
Tehachapi. I love seeing a long train run over itself on the loop[8D].
Tehachapi. Hands down
Mine is probably Tehachapi.
I like Tehachapi and Cuesta.
Tehachapi because of the freight traffic and all the tonage it plays host to and the horseshoe curves.
I like Cuesta because passenger traffic rolls over it.
N&W’s Alleghany Mountain in the pre-Virginian-merger-'50’s. Handled more tonnage per 24-hour period than any other stretch of railroad in the world, even Horseshoe. Handled fourteen passenger trains in each direction. Handled a branch line train.
All with steam locomotives.
The problem was, that since they didn’t have to drive 3000 miles to get there, railfans didn’t care, much.
Their loss.
Old Timer
[#ditto]
I would even go further and say between Johnstown and Altoona as my favorite mountain grade. I know my beloved Conrail was sending between 50-55 trains a day over the Alleghenies, (January TRAINS 1985) and I think NS may be sending even more.
I would have to say the Cajon pass. Big volume, beautiful scenery & a big grade. All in one spot! [:I][:D][:p]
[quote]
Originally posted by apusztai
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…Old Timer: How may tracks is {was}, the area of N&W through the Allegheny’s you relate in your above post…?
Glorietta Hill (and you get Raton, Apache Canyon & Mora’s Canyons as part of the bargain)
[:D][:D][:D]
Sand Patch, Sand Patch, Sand Patch!!
Saluda NC…the steepest in the U.S. One of my favorite videos is “611 Redux” which documents N&W 611 battle against this grade both up and down.
Iager to Bluefield WV.
Sandpatch is next
In another thread (Madison) it was posted that Madison @ 5.89% is steeper then Saluda @ 4.8% I think [8D][:o)]
[quote]
Originally posted by wallyworld
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