Re: Steepest train/tram line

["David Ryder" <daver@fastinternet.net.au>]

Are we talking about long continuous grades or short momentum grades ?

Short grades of say 100 metres can be very steep because the momentum of a
moving train will help carry it through it, unlike a continuous grade of say
1,000 metres where the train must be able to keep moving using its own
power.

I think these two types of gradients should be treated seperately in
comparisons of steepness.

Regards trams, I remember Brisbane trams seemed to handle any grade that a
car could though they used to wheel slip a lot if starting on a steep
incline. There were tracks down the middle of the roads even in the most
hilly suburbs but I do not know what the actual grades were.