SeanFKelly
Ruling Grade of the Trunk
The "ruling grade" is by definition the grade that determines how much motive power must be assigned for a train to make it over a particular stretch of railroad. Contrary to popular belief, it is NOT always the very steepest grade; a segment of steep grade is in some cases quite short and abutted by a gentler (or even downhill) grade that helps diminish its effect. A key example is the short segment of 2.2% westward grade through the Frank Slide realignment on Crowsnest Pass's eastern approach. The *effective* ruling grade is not really 2.2% - if it was, westbound trains would be assigned much more motive power than they get for that route. That grade is short enough that trains can overcome it with less motive power than would be necessary for a long, sustained 2.2% ascent - so long as they get a running start.
On the Oregon Trunk, the ruling grade is without a doubt the 1.5% (compensated) climb from the Deschutes River at South Junction up through the narrow, rocky confines of Trout Creek Canyon, and beyond to the top of the grade just shy of Madras. Unlike the brief steep stretch at Frank Slide, the Trout Creek grade is a long, steady climb. If a southbound train is going to stall anywhere on its journey from Wishram to Klamath Falls, this is undoubtedly where it will occur.
I had photographed the 7486 south just before 10:30 a.m. at the classic "Twin Bridges" north of Maupin, after which I hopped in my car to pursue, hoping to get ahead maybe once before Maupin. But the Vancouver-to-Fresno freight was making every bit of the allowable track speed up the gentle grade along the Deschutes, and the effort soon became futile. And my fiancée, Dawn, was still sound asleep at our cabin in Maupin.
I rolled into Maupin minutes before 11 a.m., and we were soon moving our handful of bags into the car - Dawn was eager to get out of the "spider cabin". By the time we left Maupin at about 11:30 I had given up hope of seeing that southbound again... until about ten minutes later, when I heard a detector over the radio from somewhere deep in the canyon. The train was still about 10 miles shy of South Junction, its progress slowed by a few stretches of tight curvature in the upper Deschutes Canyon. I asked Dawn to quickly check some mileposts in my crusty old Altamont timetable, and after running a few quick calculations in my head, it seemed feasible that maybe, juuuust maybe, we could beat this train to Trout Creek Canyon.
45 minutes of driving later, we were dropping down the steep notch towards the Trout Creek Ranch. I pulled off on the very narrow shoulder of the road and quickly turned the car engine off to listen for an approaching train. Immediately I could hear the thunder of a train battling the grade. He was close, alright. Ditching the tripod and handing the keys to Dawn so she could chill in the comfortable A/C of the RAV4, I started scrambling up the slope in the 90+ degree heat. Within about 30 seconds I was high enough up to see over the fill and towards the far side of the horseshoe curve. The head end of the VAWFRS was already entering the bottom of the horseshoe. But thanks to the ruling grade of the Trunk, he was CRAWLING - certainly less than 15, and probably closer to 10 MPH. That would provide me just enough time to scramble higher up the ridge to a favorable photo angle.
The train's three GEs - two on the point and one out of sight on the rear - are all down on their knees in a synchronized battle against gravity to lift their tonnage from the depths of the Deschutes Canyon to the high plateau country of central Oregon. It might not have sounded as good as the EMDs and Alcos that accomplished the same job on this grade a half century ago... but it was still damn impressive.
Ruling Grade of the Trunk
The "ruling grade" is by definition the grade that determines how much motive power must be assigned for a train to make it over a particular stretch of railroad. Contrary to popular belief, it is NOT always the very steepest grade; a segment of steep grade is in some cases quite short and abutted by a gentler (or even downhill) grade that helps diminish its effect. A key example is the short segment of 2.2% westward grade through the Frank Slide realignment on Crowsnest Pass's eastern approach. The *effective* ruling grade is not really 2.2% - if it was, westbound trains would be assigned much more motive power than they get for that route. That grade is short enough that trains can overcome it with less motive power than would be necessary for a long, sustained 2.2% ascent - so long as they get a running start.
On the Oregon Trunk, the ruling grade is without a doubt the 1.5% (compensated) climb from the Deschutes River at South Junction up through the narrow, rocky confines of Trout Creek Canyon, and beyond to the top of the grade just shy of Madras. Unlike the brief steep stretch at Frank Slide, the Trout Creek grade is a long, steady climb. If a southbound train is going to stall anywhere on its journey from Wishram to Klamath Falls, this is undoubtedly where it will occur.
I had photographed the 7486 south just before 10:30 a.m. at the classic "Twin Bridges" north of Maupin, after which I hopped in my car to pursue, hoping to get ahead maybe once before Maupin. But the Vancouver-to-Fresno freight was making every bit of the allowable track speed up the gentle grade along the Deschutes, and the effort soon became futile. And my fiancée, Dawn, was still sound asleep at our cabin in Maupin.
I rolled into Maupin minutes before 11 a.m., and we were soon moving our handful of bags into the car - Dawn was eager to get out of the "spider cabin". By the time we left Maupin at about 11:30 I had given up hope of seeing that southbound again... until about ten minutes later, when I heard a detector over the radio from somewhere deep in the canyon. The train was still about 10 miles shy of South Junction, its progress slowed by a few stretches of tight curvature in the upper Deschutes Canyon. I asked Dawn to quickly check some mileposts in my crusty old Altamont timetable, and after running a few quick calculations in my head, it seemed feasible that maybe, juuuust maybe, we could beat this train to Trout Creek Canyon.
45 minutes of driving later, we were dropping down the steep notch towards the Trout Creek Ranch. I pulled off on the very narrow shoulder of the road and quickly turned the car engine off to listen for an approaching train. Immediately I could hear the thunder of a train battling the grade. He was close, alright. Ditching the tripod and handing the keys to Dawn so she could chill in the comfortable A/C of the RAV4, I started scrambling up the slope in the 90+ degree heat. Within about 30 seconds I was high enough up to see over the fill and towards the far side of the horseshoe curve. The head end of the VAWFRS was already entering the bottom of the horseshoe. But thanks to the ruling grade of the Trunk, he was CRAWLING - certainly less than 15, and probably closer to 10 MPH. That would provide me just enough time to scramble higher up the ridge to a favorable photo angle.
The train's three GEs - two on the point and one out of sight on the rear - are all down on their knees in a synchronized battle against gravity to lift their tonnage from the depths of the Deschutes Canyon to the high plateau country of central Oregon. It might not have sounded as good as the EMDs and Alcos that accomplished the same job on this grade a half century ago... but it was still damn impressive.