Abandoned Railways: Saluda - North America's Steepest Grade

Learn more about Saluda Grade:
Learn more about the Madison Incline:

Our first episode of Abandoned Railways features the world-famous Saluda Grade. Spanning 2.7 miles from the bottom of the grade at Melrose to the crest at Pace’s Crossing in downtown Saluda, the “Mountain of Challenge” averages an estimated gradient of 4.7%, peaking at 5.1% while gaining an elevation of 606 feet. With the grade railbanked since 2001, the City of Saluda hasn’t seen rail traffic in nearly twenty years — but the residents of this great community still remember the trains. What was once a bustling mainline railroad between Asheville, North Carolina and Spartanburg, South Carolina, is now a lonely, idle stretch of mountainous railroad. Covered in kudzu with multiple track washouts, Saluda Grade is slowly being reclaimed by Mother Nature.

Also featured in the film is the Madison Incline, the steepest line-haul, non-cog standard gauge railroad in North America. Opened in 1841 along the Ohio River in the City of Madison, Indiana, the incline gradient has been in existence for nearly 180 years. At 5.89%, this incredible feat of engineering proved to be a challenge for its operators and was last used in 1992. Today, the incline has become a popular hiking trail and can be accessed from dawn until dusk. Though the railroad has no intention of using the incline in the near future, the tracks remain in place in case they are ever needed again for service to downtown Madison.

Subscribers: help support us by crowdfunding through Patreon or PayPal. With your support, we can continue to produce high-quality railroad media for you to enjoy. Even just $1 per month is a huge help.

Contribute via Patreon:
Contribute via PayPal:

Check out our web store:

Thanks for watching! Please comment, rate, and Subscribe!

Copyright 2019. Any illegal reproduction of this video and its content is strictly prohibited. Full legal action will take place if necessary if reproduced or licensed without expressed written permission from Delay In Block Productions.

Note:

Please excuse the advertisements. Through the Google Adsense program, the advertisements help me pay for the trips I take to capture the trains.

Thanks,

-DIB

Trains For Kids,Thomas The Tank Engine,Chuggington,Trains,Freight Train,Canadian National,Canadian Pacific,Railroads,Amtrak,Norfolk Southern,CSX,BNSF,Union Pacific,Shortlines,Steam Train,Locomotive,Diesel Locomotive,Steam Locomotive,CSX Transportation,