ruling grade

American  

noun

Railroads.

1. the steepest grade on a given stretch of track, which determines the maximum tonnage that can be hauled in a train having a given horsepower at a stated minimum speed.

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Example Sentences

It shortens the transcontinental route between Denver and Salt Lake City by about 175 miles, cuts the ruling grade from 4% to 2%.

From Time Magazine Archive

There was only one choice of locations: the valley line, where the ruling grade is about nominal.

From Sunlight Patch by Harris, Credo Fitch

It not only saves the three miles I spoke of, but a terrible amount of cutting, and doesn't add a fraction to our ruling grade; bringing us out—I'll tell you where it brings us out!

From Sunlight Patch by Harris, Credo Fitch

So he determined to build from the outset up to the highest standard, securing a lower ruling grade than any other transcontinental enjoyed.

From The Railway Builders A Chronicle of Overland Highways by Skelton, Oscar Douglas

In other words, what is known as the "ruling grade" is a function, strictly speaking, of the length as well as the rate of grade.

From Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Vol. LXX, Dec. 1910 Locomotive Performance On Grades Of Various Lengths, Paper No. 1172 by Randolph, Beverly S.