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

In the tunnels east of the Terminal Station the ruling grade is 1.5% for both east-bound and west-bound traffic.

From Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Vol. LXVIII, Sept. 1910 The New York Tunnel Extension of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Paper No. 1150 by Raymond, Charles W.

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

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.