NS 611 has just conquered the 4.7% Saluda Grade and is heading out across Summit Lake on the way to Asheville. The end of the NS steam program is less than a month away!
When you say the word Saluda to some of the most senior members of Norfolk Southern crews and even those who have retired from the railroad, it still brings up images of the steepest grade on a standard gauge line in the United States at 4.24%.