Saluda Grade — NS W-Line
SC · Campton, SC → Zirconia, NC
The steepest main-line railroad grade in America, silent since 2001.
Heads up: Rated good, but the grade is extremely steep. Riding down would be dangerous, and Norfolk Southern still owns the line. Get permission.
Between Melrose and Saluda, North Carolina, this line climbs 606 feet in less than three miles up the Blue Ridge escarpment. That's an average grade of 4.24 percent, with one stretch of about 300 feet at 4.9 percent, making it the steepest standard-gauge main-line grade in the country. Runaway trains on the descent made it famous and feared, and the town of Saluda grew up at the top.
Norfolk Southern took the line out of service in late 2001. The rails are still in place, and there have been efforts since to turn the corridor into a rail-trail.
⚠️ Before you go: every railroad on this map is private property. A line that looks abandoned may still be owned by a railroad, used to store rail cars, or put back into service at any time — sometimes with no warning. Before going near any track, make sure it's truly abandoned (no recent use, rails not polished, no signals or cars stored on it) and that you're allowed to be there. Never assume a track is dead.
📷 Photos & stories from riders
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