List of steepest gradients on adhesion railways
Encyclopedia
Steepest gradients on railways are a limiting factor determining how much a locomotive can haul upwards. Braking on the downhill leg is also a limiting factor. There have been various solutions to hauling rail mounted vehicles up or down inclines. These include simple rail adhesion, rack railways and cable inclines (including rail mounted water tanks to carry barges). To help with braking on a descent, a non load bearing 'brake rail' located between the running rails can be used (e.g. Isle-of-Man).
Tramways/Light rail often have higher gradients than heavier railways. This is because all wheels usually are connected to engine power in order to give better acceleration. 5 % is not uncommon on them. Metros and pure commuter railways often allow higher gradients, up to 4 % for the same reason. High speed railways commonly allow 2.5 to 4 % because the trains must be strong and have many wheels with power to be able to reach very high speeds. For freight trains, gradients should be as gentle as possible, preferably below 1.5 %.
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(C = Compensated for curvature)
Tramways/Light rail often have higher gradients than heavier railways. This is because all wheels usually are connected to engine power in order to give better acceleration. 5 % is not uncommon on them. Metros and pure commuter railways often allow higher gradients, up to 4 % for the same reason. High speed railways commonly allow 2.5 to 4 % because the trains must be strong and have many wheels with power to be able to reach very high speeds. For freight trains, gradients should be as gentle as possible, preferably below 1.5 %.
Rack
Steep gradients can be overcome by the use of rack equipment, however it is not practical to equip all locomotives with such equipment. The list below is of some of the steepest gradients on adhesion railwaysRail adhesion
The term adhesion railway or adhesion traction describes the most common type of railway, where power is applied by driving some or all of the wheels of the locomotive. Thus, it relies on the friction between a steel wheel and a steel rail. Note that steam locomotives of old were driven only by...
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Examples
(In order of steepness).(C = Compensated for curvature)
- 1 in 9 (11%) - Cass Scenic Railway (former logging railway) West Virginia, USA
- 1 in 11 (9%) - Allentown light rail line Pittsburgh, USA
- 1 in 12 (8.33%) - Nilgiri Mountain RailwayNilgiri Mountain RailwayThe Nilgiri Mountain Railway is a railway in Tamil Nadu, India, built by the British in 1908, and was initially operated by the Madras Railway Company. The railway still relies on its fleet of steam locomotives. NMR comes under the jurisdiction of the newly formed Salem Division...
, India - 1 in 14 (7.14%) - Hopton InclineHopton InclineThe Hopton Incline was a very steep section of a mineral railway in England worked by adhesion. Its gradient was 1 in 14 .-History:This incline on the Cromford and High Peak Railway was originally worked by a stationary steam engine but was modified later to be adhesion worked by locomotives...
, United Kingdom - 1 in 14.1 (7.1%) - Erzberg Railway, AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
- 1 in 14.2 (7.0%) - Bernina PassBernina RailwayThe Bernina Railway is a single track metre gauge railway line forming part of the Rhaetian Railway . It links the spa resort of St. Moritz, in the Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland, with the town of Tirano, in the Province of Sondrio, Italy, via the Bernina Pass...
, Switzerland; Sacramento Light Rail, Sacramento, California, USA - 1 in 18 (5.5%) - Near Alausi, Ecuador on line to Quito
- 1 in 18 (5.5%) - Flåmsbanen, Norway
- 1 in 18 (5.5%) - Höllentalbahn (Black Forest), Germany
- 1 in 19 (5.3%) - Camden Tram, New South Wales, Australia.
- 1 in 19 (5.3%) - Foxfield Railway, Staffordshire, England
- 1 in 22.5 (4.4%) - Thamshavn Line, Norway
- 1 in 25 (4.0%) - Cologne–Frankfurt high-speed rail line, Germany
- 1 in 25 (4.0%) - Chosica - Galera, Central Railway of Peru
- 1 in 25 (4.0%) - Cumbres Pass, Colorado,
- 1 in 25C (4.0%) - Batlow branch, New South Wales.
- 1 in 25C (4.0%) - Oberon branch, New South Wales.
- 1 in 25C (4.0%) - Dorrigo branch, New South Wales.
- 1 in 26 (3.85%) - Iquique Railway, MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
- 1 in 27 (3.7%) - Werneth bank, United Kingdom.
- 1 in 27 (3.7%) - Mauritius Railways
- 1 in 28 (3.6%) - LGV Sud-EstLGV Sud-EstThe LGV Sud-Est is a high-speed rail line, which links Paris' and Lyon's suburbs, in France. The inauguration of the first section between Saint-Florentin and Sathonay on 22 September 1981 marked the beginning of the re-invigoration of French passenger rail service.This line, subsequently...
high-speed line, France - 1 in 33 (3.0%) - Blue Mountains, New South Wales and other places (2 feet per chain/3 centimetres per metre)
- 1 in 33 (3.0%) - Kalka-Shimla RailwayKalka-Shimla RailwayThe Kalka–Shimla Railway is a narrow gauge railway in North-West India travelling along a mostly mountainous route from Kalka to Shimla. It is known for breathtaking views of the hills and surrounding villages.- History :...
- narrow gauge - 1 in 37 (2.7%) - Brecon and Merthyr RailwayBrecon and Merthyr RailwayThe Brecon and Merthyr Junction Railway was one of several railways that served the industrial areas of South Wales and Monmouthshire. It ranked fifth amongst them in size, although hemmed in by the Taff Vale Railway and Great Western Railway...
, WalesWalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, 7 miles (11.3 km) long - 1 in 37.7 (2.65%) - Lickey InclineLickey InclineThe Lickey Incline is the steepest sustained main-line railway incline in Great Britain and is situated south of Birmingham, in England. The climb is a gradient of 1-in-37.7 for a continuous distance of two miles ....
, BirminghamBirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, 2 miles (3.2 km) long - 1 in 40 (2.5%) - common gradient in New South WalesNew South WalesNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
- 1 in 45.5 (2.2%) - a common summit gradient in USA and CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
- 1 in 50 (2.0%) - Tom Price Mainline; Western Australia (empty direction)
- 1 in 60 (1.66%) - RudgwickRudgwick railway stationRudgwick railway station was on the Cranleigh Line. It opened in November 1865, one month after the rest of the stations on the line, due to objections made by the Board of Trade's Colonel Yolland following the obligatory inspection of the line on 2 May in that year.The Colonel objected to the...
platform with non-continuous brakes - too steep. - 1 in 70.2 (1.42%) - Armagh rail disasterArmagh rail disasterThe Armagh rail disaster happened on 12 June 1889 near Armagh, Ireland when a crowded Sunday school excursion train had to negotiate a steep incline; the steam locomotive was unable to complete the climb and the train stalled. The train crew decided to divide the train and take forward the front...
- steepest gradient - 1 in 76 (1.33%) - Ffestiniog RailwayFfestiniog RailwayThe Ffestiniog Railway is a narrow gauge heritage railway, located in Gwynedd, Wales. It is a major tourist attraction located mainly within the Snowdonia National Park....
, WalesWalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, gravity downhill, horse drawn uphill, replaced by locomotives - 1 in 100 (1.0%) - RainhillRainhillRainhill is a large village and civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, in Merseyside, England.Historically a part of Lancashire, Rainhill was formerly a township within the ecclesiastical parish of Prescot, and hundred of West Derby...
, Liverpool and Manchester RailwayLiverpool and Manchester RailwayThe Liverpool and Manchester Railway was the world's first inter-city passenger railway in which all the trains were timetabled and were hauled for most of the distance solely by steam locomotives. The line opened on 15 September 1830 and ran between the cities of Liverpool and Manchester in North...
, 1830; designed for cable haulage in case the locomotives were too feeble, locomotive yet to be proven. - 1 in 3300 (0.03%) - Liverpool and Manchester RailwayLiverpool and Manchester RailwayThe Liverpool and Manchester Railway was the world's first inter-city passenger railway in which all the trains were timetabled and were hauled for most of the distance solely by steam locomotives. The line opened on 15 September 1830 and ran between the cities of Liverpool and Manchester in North...
, 1830; typical very gentle gradients away from Rainhill; cable haulage not needed
See also
- Heaviest trainsHeaviest trainsThe heaviest trains in the world are freight trains hauling bulk commodities such as coal and iron ore. One might distinguish between regular operations, and occasional record breaking runs...
- Longest trainsLongest trainsConventional freight trains can average nearly 2,000 metres. Freight trains with a total length of three or four times that average are possible with the advent of DPUs , or additional locomotive engines between or behind long chains of freight cars...
- Mountain railwayMountain railwayA mountain railway is a railway that ascends and descends a mountain slope that has a steep grade. Such railways can use a number of different technologies to overcome the steepness of the grade...
- Rack railways
- Ruling gradientRuling gradientThe term "ruling grade" is usually used as a synonym for "steepest climb" between two points on a railroad. But if the steepest climb is, say, a quarter-mile of 2% upgrade preceded and followed by 1.5% grade the "ruling grade" can only be defined arbitrarily....
- Mountain Railways of IndiaMountain railways of IndiaThe Mountain Railways of India refer to the five railway lines built in the mountains of India in the nineteenth and early twentieth century, during the British Raj, which are run even today by the Indian Railways...
- Grade (slope)