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The steepest grade on Arenzville hill is a very short stretch of 1.79%, but is generally between 1.1% and 1.5%. Keep in mind there are also several sharp curves. Even today, helper locomotives are often called off the extra board in Beardstown to shove the taconite (and maybe coal?) trains over the hill. I was on a 17,000 ton loaded ore train bound for Granite City, IL and we had two engines on the front and a DPU on the rear. They called an extra helper crew, consisting of a brakeman and engineer, to use an SD70MAC that was standing by in the yard to shove us over the hill. The steepest grade between Frederick and Vermont via the new line is .33%, but is mostly between .25% and .3%. Joe LeMay __._,_.___ Posted by: mp36er@sbcglobal.net __,_._,___ |