Re: Steepest train/tram line

["Ron BEST" <ronbest@bigpond.com>]

James Robinson wrote in message <36688076.5651@ERIE.NET>...
>David Bennetts wrote:
>
>> The line at Roaring Camp ... is about 1 in 12 (of course the
>> yanks use a % grade, just to be different.
>
>Interesting that you should bring this up, as Australia seems to be in
>the minority with this one.  I believe most of the rest of the world
>uses percent to describe gradients, which is eminently more intuitive
>than the "1 in" system.  There are a few countries that seem to have
>clinged to the British method, mostly those whose railroads began under
>British influence.  (Though wasn't everybody's?) With the conversion to
>Metric, I would have thought that the description of gradients would
>have changed as well.  Seems to be an anomaly.  Any comments?

Wot's it got to do with going Metric? "1 in 100" is 1 metre up in 100 metres
of track, or 1 Outer Mongolian Cathump up in 100 Outer Mongolian Cathumps of
track. Much more obvious what it means than a percentage! "One percent" of
what??!!

BTW, on a (vaguely) related subject, I heard that when Metrication hit the
Aust. railway systems, Victoria refused to relocate their mile posts to
become kilometre posts, but invented a thing called a "railway distance
unit', equal to 1.61 kilometres!

Also, NSW STILL identify fully-automatic signals by their distance in MILES
and CHAINS from Sydney! There is at least one curious exception, on a line
close to the city. Anyone know what I mean?