ruling gradient

English

Noun

ruling gradient (plural ruling gradients)

  1. (rail transport) The steepest uphill gradient in one direction on a section of railway line.
    Synonym: ruling grade
    • 1950 December, R. C. J. Day and R. K. Kirkland, “The Kelvedon & Tollesbury Light Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 839:
      For the next mile, the line falls, and then rises again, at a gradient of 1 in 50, the ruling gradient of the line.
    • 1961 July, J. Geoffrey Todd, “Impressions of railroading in the United States: Part Two”, in Trains Illustrated, page 425:
      In the next 65 miles the train climbs 2,470ft to the Arizona Divide on a ruling gradient of 1 in 70 and in steam days a fleet of helper engines was kept busy assisting the heavy trains over this section.
    • 1962 December, “The Oxted Line diesel-electric multiple-units”, in Modern Railways, page 385:
      Minor changes to control gear include the provision of automatic wheelslip protection, since these units will be operated on lines with ruling gradients of 1 in 60 or 1 in 80.

Further reading

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