The Saluda Grade Railroad was built in the 1870s and operated for over a century. It holds a special place in history as the steepest standard-gauge mainline railroad in the United States. To link Spartanburg and Asheville, trains crossed the dramatic Blue Ridge Escarpment with its treacherous grade (as high as 5%). The line has been owned and operated by Norfolk Southern since 1982, and the last trains ran on this line in 2001.
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