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You are correct. 3 feet of rise in 100 feet is a 3% grade. On a mainline railroad 1 - 1.5% would be a steep grade. Anything above 1.5% would be a very steep grade. The thing to remember that the railroad is most concerned about the "Ruling Grade" the grade which determines the maximum tonnage which can be hauled over a particular line. A line can average .5% but if any part of the line is 1% the Ruling Grade is 1%.
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