Saluda Grade North Carolina

[Mayner]

I did not get much of an opportunity to check out the local railroads during our stay in the Blue Ridge Mountain Foothills in North Carolina, but managed to check out a couple of towns on the disused Norfolk Southern ex-Southern Railway Saluda Grade Line and managed to sample some genuine and very good moonshine.

With its mild (by US standards) climate the foothills has become a haven for retirees from the big cities of North East and Mid West and Climate Change refugees from California and Florida, the CBDs of the smaller cities (villages & towns) have been nicely restored for tourists and out of Stater's in contrast to the more work-day cities where business has shifted from the CBD to out of town malls and shopping centers.

The Saluda Grade was the steepest grade on a US standard gauge main line at 4.7% or 1:21 and has been out of use since 2000 after Norfolk Southern diverted through traffic (including a 12,000Ton coal train) to other routes.

My first glimpse of the route was the restored Depot at Landrum South Carolina, the City (Urban District Council) bought and restored the Depot as a Civil Centre after passenger services ceased during the early 70s

 

The Depot appears to have been recently renovated as a function venue, though restoration work on the coach appears incomplete.

There appears to have been great local pride in the Southern Railway and the amalgamation with Norfork and Western to form NS not exactly seen in a positive light!

The Train Order Board(not a signal!) was probably erected for show, the Southern converted the Saluda Route to CTC control with colour light signalling . Telegraph and Train Order operation became obsolete and the role of the Station Agent redundant with the introduction of Track Warrant Control in the States during the 1980s/90s with Train Crews communicating directly with the Dispatcher (Train Control) using two way radio eliminating the Stations Agents role.

Saluda at the crest of the grade is an almost perfect example of a city with the business and residential districts on opposite sides of the tracks and would make a visually interesting model in its own right

The Depot was relocated from its original site and re-located and re-purposed as a museum in the CBD, the city centre buildings are similar in style to building kits available from Walthers, Kibri and Design Preservation models, the steep wooded hillsides are best modelled in poly foam with specimen trees in the foreground.

Saluda Historic Depot Museum the depot is similar in architectural styling to surviving Depots at adjacent Towns, Landrum appears to be an exception with its simpler roof design.

Main Street USA? The crossing signals are tilted upwards out of use.

Visual quailty is not great, but a taste of the challenges of operating 13,000 Ton Coal Trains on the Saluda Grade Line in Southern Railway days during the 1990s, the Southern and Norfolk and Western preferred to run their freight diesels "long hood forward" apparently to provide better crew protection in grade (level) crossing collisions. Four locos on the head end, and three radio controlled mid train helpers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mike 84C]

Hey John, you alll enjoy the old USofA!! Thats a cool video I have not seen that  before.

[Mayner]

33 minutes ago, Mike 84C said:

Hey John, you alll enjoy the old USofA!! Thats a cool video I have not seen that  before.

Had not heard of the grade before this trip was more interested in checking out the Clinchfield and remains of the Tweetsie narrow gauge which unfortunately did not come to pass

Back in Aotearoa or the "Land of the long white cloud" in Mid-Winter (not too cold, but very damp),

Some good stuff on operation in the early 90s when freight trains had cabooses and freight car grafetti was unknown, there is even a You Tube series on modelling Saluda Grade.