This railroad has near 5%!
Steepest I’ve ever ran on was the Boeing Hill. 5.7% grade from sealevel up to the Everett Boeing plant. Locomotives had dynamic brakes that worked down to 2 mph. And we upped the air from 90 psi to 110.
Saluda was badass and was /still is a fetish of mine. Learned about it in MR mag about 1982.
611 once pulled an excursion up Saluda. She needed a couple of diesel helpers, but a great time was had by all - except perhaps the engine crews! Oh, Duke power also had a service siding near Winston-Salem, NC that was like a logging grade. I just barely made it up riding the Track Geometry Car. The roadmaster on board told us it took 5 diesels pulling and 5 diesels pushing to deliver one 100ton hopper car of coal. Don’t know if that is true, but it did seem plausible.
Cheers, David Meashey