Meanings
nounhelper grade (plural helper grades)
plural helper grades
- USrail transportA railroad gradient where helper locomotives are required to assist the train locomotives.
On February 5-6, 1960, this westbound train made its run in 25 hr. 40 min. despite falling temperatures, fog, rain, sleet and snow; a 1 in 54 helper grade to the summit of the Alleghenies; and a load of 55 cars carrying 100 trailers for a gross tonnage of 3,856 tons.
1960 November, David Morgan, “"Piggyback"—U.S. success story”, in Trains Illustrated, page 684
Cite this entry
APA
helper grade. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/helper%20grade
MLA
“helper grade.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/helper%20grade. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “helper grade,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/helper%20grade.
Source: helper grade on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.