What is your favorite mountain grade?

[MidlandPacific]

Nobody's mentioned one of the best surviving narrow gauge jewels: the Guayaquil & Quito Railroad in Ecuador. Its ascent to Urbina Summit via the Chanchan River Canyon is as impressive as anything in Colorado, and it caps out at 11,841 feet, which tops Alpine Tunnel. AND you can ride on the roof. AND it's still run (when it runs, which isn't often) by telegraphed train order. And did I mention that you could ride on the roof?

[Modelcar]

...Sure, the easten Allegheny range reaches up to the 6000 ft level. And just think out west, the Sante Fe crossed at Flagstaff at 7000 ft...!
I can really dial into the 2258 height as my home area in Somerset Co., Pa. tops off at just above 2,200 ft. Stoystown, Pa.at the top of town.

[GP40-2]

Modelcar:

From USGS Topography Maps

The B&O line at the yards in Cumberland is at 640' elevation.
The summit at Sandpatch is at 2258' elevation. (The mountain over Sandpatch Tunnel is around 3100' elevation)
Vertical Rise= 1618'

The 17 Mile Grade crests at 2628' at Altamont MD, for a 1988' vertical rise from Cumberland.

What's was amazing (for Eastern railroading) was the Tygart Subdivision in WV. It crested the Allegheny Mountains in a valley at 4066' elevation. Even at that elevation, the ridges stood nearly 1000' above the line!

[daveklepper]

The point remains that a line can have fewer trains with more tonnage at the same time. Of course in steam the Pennsy had a tremendous variety of smaller power with 2-10-0'sa, 2-8-2's, and 4-6-2's doing most of the work, until some J's and T-1's and an occasinal Q-2 came along, and then in diesels, first generation, there were Baldwin'sand Alcos as well as E-7's, E-8's, GP-7's, GP-9's, and F-7's, while the N&W diesselized with GP-9's for every single thing, and in steam in was pretty much just Y's and A's. In addtion to an easier grade, the N&W had more powerful locomotives, meaning fewer locomotives to the same job. The time the N&W really shone of us fans, though, was when it was still putting on a great steam show while the rest North America was diesel.

[Modelcar]

....If we count the location from Cumberland up....on the B&0, isn't that elevation gain figure much less that the 2000 ft. gain.....? Especially up around Sand Patch. And to get to Cumberland from the SE, the grade is really not mountain type railroading...Or am I assessing it wrong...?

[GP40-2]

Dave:

I realize the PRR had lots of passenger traffic on the main between Pittsburgh and Philly, but they also moved a tremendous amount of coal and steel products from the Pittsburgh area over Horseshoe too.

What you really need to see is the yearly gross tonnage reports for both the PRR main and the N&W main for the years in question to find out if Oldtimer's statement is correct.

So far, Oldtimer has not offered any proof for his statement.

In any event, the N&W certainly had a much easier time getting over the Alleghenies. I believe it's mainline grade was only around 1% and gained only around 500 feet in elevation (I'll have to research the exact figures). Almost not worth calling it a mounatin grade.

Nowhere near as tough as the PRR grade, and not even in the same league as the 2000' vertical rise B&O grades.

[Dayliner]

Two that have been mentioned and three that haven't:

1. CPR's Field Hill over Kicking Horse Pass: two spiral tunnels, fantastic scenery, loads of history, and good traffic volume.

2. Soldier Summit, UT

3. UP's climb over the Blue Mountains in Oregon includes a neat horseshoe curve.

4. BC Rail (sorry, CN) up through Cheakamus Canyon, memorable for me because it's the only place I've seen steam work a steep grade: 3716 with a four-car passenger train doing 4 mph "I-think-I-can-I-think-I-can"

5. CN north of Lillooet to Kelly Lake, a spectacular climb from the Fraser River up to the Interior Plateau along the side of the canyon. Starting next year, you'll be able to ride passenger trains over it again (or take the WCRA's excursion next month).

[cherokee woman]

I don't have a favorite. Locomutt says if he has to pick a favorite, he picks
Muldraugh Hill, on I-65, going towards Elizabethtown, KY.

[Modelcar]

....Horseshoe is a very scenic location in the summertime....Plus the structure of the railroad sure tops it off. Read about the history and creation of the location before you visit to understand what is there and why and you will appreciate it more....

[Sterling1]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Sterling1

The three mountain grades that N&W/NS has with steam and diesel power.
Donner is somewhere in my top 25-30
Tehachapi just for the loops and the scenery.
I have to see Horse Shoe and Sand Patch for myself though before I decide . . .

I ought to visit some of the major mountain grades around instead of looking at pictures.

[Sterling1]

The three mountain grades that N&W/NS has with steam and diesel power.
Donner is somewhere in my top 25-30
Tehachapi just for the loops and the scenery.
I have to see Horse Shoe and Sand Patch for myself though before I decide . . .

[Modelcar]

Oh yes, my preference is real trains by far....The models I had preceeded HO by quite a few years...Specifically 027 gauge.
Item: First production {1961} Chevy 409 ci engines were....360 hp....then 409 hp and finally later with 2-4bbl's 425 hp. Believe my memory serves me correctly on that.

[spbed]

Actually my memory says it was 428HP but I could be incorrect. [:p][:)]

I have found as I have gone out into the real RR world I seem to have lost some of my passion to run my HO trains. I rather watch a video of the real deal. I guess the HOs served a purpose until I had the opportunity to venture out into that real RR world. [:p][:o)]

Originally posted by Modelcar
[

Living nearby to MP 186 of the UPRR  Austin TX Sub

• Reply