Welcome to Saluda, North Carolina at the top of the Saluda Grade
The Steepest Standard Gauge Mainline Railroad in the United States.

Some pictures take in and around Saluda

Below is a unit coal train coming down to Saluda, NC from Asheville, NC.  This train will go down the mountain as one unit.  There is a mandatory stop at stop board No. 2 to charge all air cyclendars and to walk and inspect the entire length of the train.  Also you will find that there are two engines at the rear of the train that will help push the train over the "hump" at Saluda while the front three engines will be in dynamic braking as it starts down.  Once the train is 3/4 of the way over the Saluda Hump the rear engines will ease back into dynamic braking. The train is approx. one mile long with abougt 125 coal cars each and will have reached the car tunnel 1/2 way down the grade to Melrose Switch.  Max speed these trains are allowed is 8 MPH.  NO BUTS!  8 MPH