Saluda Grade
There is a right way to build a railway up a mountain. The Swiss, for example, have covered their country with curvy, winding rack railways that start in the valleys and reach for the snow-capped peaks.
There is a wrong way to build a railway up a mountain. The Porterfield & Ellis Railroad, a turn-of-the-century logging operation out of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, ran trains up and down a 20% grade to cross a river valley.
And then there’s Saluda Grade. Stretching 3 miles between Melrose and Saluda, N.C., the “Mountain of Challenge,” as it was sometimes referred to, gained 606 feet in elevation. With a 4.7% grade, and with a short section reaching a whopping 5.1%, it was the steepest adhesion railroad in the United States.
And yes, it was.
While operations over the line have been suspended since December of 2001, the line has still been owned and lightly maintained by Norfolk Southern for the last 23 years. No trains had graced its rails in that time, but the possibility, no matter how faint, remained. After all, until just two years ago, the remaining sections of line leading up to the grade were still in active service.
However, the axe has finally fallen. In October of 2024, Norfolk Southern filed to officially abandon Saluda, along with most of the line that the grade had connected, a 31-mile stretch that extends further into North Carolina, and across the border into South Carolina. The steepest railway in America would be no more. In its place: a rails-to-trails initiative that has taken years to get off the ground.
From rails to trails
The motion for abandonment comes amid announcements from the Saluda Grade Trail Conservancy — a consortium of three regional organizations; PAL: Play, Advocate, Live Well, Upstate Forever, and Conserving Carolina — that they have agreed to purchase the line from Norfolk Southern.
Cliff Garner, Norfolk Southern assistant vice president, real estate & facility services, says, “At Norfolk Southern, we’re committed to helping the communities our rail network touches thrive. We appreciate the partnership from Saluda Grade Trails Conservancy and we look forward to seeing the conservancy’s plans come to fruition.”
While due diligence and final funding for the trail purchase still need to be completed, the Conservancy anticipates no major issues, and expects the purchase to be completed in the second quarter of 2025. The anticipated Saluda Grade Trail will travel through Inman, Campobello, Landrum, Tryon, Saluda, and Zirconia (see map below).
When it comes to the eventual goals of the conservancy and the trail itself, Conservancy founder and Upstate Forever board member Glenn Hilliard says, “The goal of the Saluda Grade Trails Conservancy is to facilitate the acquisition of the Saluda Grade rail corridor for a rail-to-trail conversion that travels from the rolling countryside of Upstate South Carolina, through historic and vibrant small towns, and into the spectacular mountain scenery of Western North Carolina. There is potential for future connector trails that would link the Saluda Grade to other major regional trail systems, forming a regional network that includes the Ecusta Trail, Hellbender Trail system, Palmetto Trail, Swamp Rabbit Trail, and The Daniel Morgan Trail System in Spartanburg.”
At this time, specifics of the trail’s construction are not set in stone. Hilliard continues,“Trail construction will likely occur in segments as proposed in our Feasibility Study and as funding allows. Once we take ownership of the corridor our Trail Planning and Design team will work with local towns, counties and municipalities to begin trail planning and design. We will know more about segment prioritization, construction, and timing during the Trail Planning & Design phase.”
How do you feel about the proposed trail? Add your opinion in the comments below.
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