The descent process began when trains arrived at Saluda. When the entire train was atop Saluda and reassembled, the train would continue west to Asheville.ĭescending the grade was an even more daunting challenge. Once the first section of a train was taken to Saluda, the locomotives would return running light to Melrose and repeat the process. Legendary Saluda Grade Few challenges in all of American railroading exceeded that of ascending and descending the 4.7 grade between Saluda and Melrose, and special procedures were utilized to ensure safe operations.įor the majority of trains climbing the grade westbound, “doubling” or “tripling” the grade between Melrose and Saluda was required. Track speed over much of the line is 40 mph, with the most treacherous mountain sections limited to 20 mph. The Saluda Grade route is signaled single track, with lengthy passing tracks at key locations, including Asheville, Buena Vista, Naples, Hendersonville, Saluda, Melrose, Campobello, and Hayne. In the era represented by the route, a number of attractive ex-Southern Railway depots were extant and are included at trackside. There are more than 40 rail-served industries along the route, including the Skyland coal-fired power plant, the Cane Creek industrial complex, wood and lumber yards, and numerous cement, quarry, warehousing, and manufacturing industries. The route as created for Train Simulator Classic is also remarkably rich in rail-served lineside industries, lengthy spurs, and branches. In crossing the Blue Ridge, the line calls upon numerous additional grades of more than 1 per cent, and the rolling, “saw tooth” profile of the line makes operating trains a constant engineer’s challenge of effective throttle and braking use. The legendary climb to Saluda from Melrose, with its 4.7 per cent grade is the signature element of the line, but it is far from the sole challenging feature of the route. Both Asheville and Spartanburg (Hayne) are home to large rail yards.īetween Asheville and Spartanburg, the Saluda Grade route wends its way over and through the Blue Ridge Mountains. Spartanburg, South Carolina, similarly was (and is) a busy junction between Southern Railway lines including the Saluda Grade route and the Southern Railway main line (stretching between Washington, D. In railroading terms, it was (and is) a focal point of railroading, as Southern Railway lines from all directions converged at Asheville. In the Southern and early NS years, the line was known as the “A&S,” while later it was NS’s “W Line.” Asheville, set amid the splendor of the Blue Ridge, is a famous tourist destination and home to the Biltmore Mansion of railroad tycoon George Vanderbilt. Route Across The Blue Ridge As created for Train Simulator Classic by High Iron Simulations, the Saluda Grade: Asheville -Spartanburg route extends 70 route miles between Asheville North Carolina, and Spartanburg, South Carolina. Today, the eastern portion of the line (Spartanburg – Landrum) remains a part of the Norfolk Southern system, while the western segment (Asheville – East Flat Rock) is operated by regional railroad Blue Ridge Southern. Giant Norfolk Southern operated over Saluda Grade until 2001, when tonnage on the line no longer justified its use as a through route. The line opened in 1878 and thirteen years later Southern Railway took control and operated the route for nine decades, until 1982 when Southern and Norfolk & Western joined to form today’s Norfolk Southern. In history, the Saluda line was the great endeavor of Southern Railway predecessor Spartanburg & Asheville, and so it was the “S&A” climbed the mountain the hard (which is to say, steep) way. The Blue Ridge Mountains are among the tallest in the Appalachian Chain and the eastern slope of the range largely lacks foothills to allow for a gentler climb. How could it be that a key rail route of the great Southern Railway hosted a grade of nearly 5 percent? Simply put, there was no choice. Between Melrose and Saluda, stood a railroad grade averaging 4.7 percent – thus Saluda’s claim as America’s steepest standard-gauge mainline grade. The Carolina Division was large and bustling, extending from Charleston and Spartanburg, South Carolina, to Asheville, North Carolina, and yet it was the remarkable railroad grade standing between the mountain hamlets of Melrose and Saluda, North Carolina that made the route both an American railroading icon and a name to be respected and, on occasion, feared by railroaders. Introduction And History Tucked in the southwest corner of North Carolina along the east face of the towering and magnificent Blue Ridge Mountains, Saluda Mountain stood astride the Southern Railway’s Carolina Division.
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