"ruling gradient" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "ruling gradients",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "ruling gradient (plural ruling gradients)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
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          "source": "w"
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        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Rail transportation",
          "orig": "en:Rail transportation",
          "parents": [
            "Transport",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1950 December, R. C. J. Day and R. K. Kirkland, “The Kelvedon & Tollesbury Light Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 839:",
          "text": "For the next mile, the line falls, and then rises again, at a gradient of 1 in 50, the ruling gradient of the line.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1961 July, J. Geoffrey Todd, “Impressions of railroading in the United States: Part Two”, in Trains Illustrated, page 425:",
          "text": "In the next 65 miles the train climbs 2,470ft to the Arizona Divide on a ruling gradient of 1 in 70 and in steam days a fleet of helper engines was kept busy assisting the heavy trains over this section.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1962 December, “The Oxted Line diesel-electric multiple-units”, in Modern Railways, page 385:",
          "text": "Minor changes to control gear include the provision of automatic wheelslip protection, since these units will be operated on lines with ruling gradients of 1 in 60 or 1 in 80.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The steepest uphill gradient in one direction on a section of railway line, which determines the load that can be pulled by one locomotive over that section, according to the power rating of the locomotive. A typical ruling gradient could be 1:50 (2%). The ruling gradient can differ in the other direction on the same section."
      ],
      "id": "en-ruling_gradient-en-noun-JUd03TaZ",
      "links": [
        [
          "rail transport",
          "rail transport"
        ],
        [
          "uphill",
          "uphill"
        ],
        [
          "railway line",
          "railway line"
        ],
        [
          "locomotive",
          "locomotive"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(rail transport) The steepest uphill gradient in one direction on a section of railway line, which determines the load that can be pulled by one locomotive over that section, according to the power rating of the locomotive. A typical ruling gradient could be 1:50 (2%). The ruling gradient can differ in the other direction on the same section."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "ruling grade"
        }
      ],
      "topics": [
        "rail-transport",
        "railways",
        "transport"
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "ruling gradient"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "ruling gradient"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "ruling gradients",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "ruling gradient (plural ruling gradients)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
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        "English countable nouns",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English nouns",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "en:Rail transportation"
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      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1950 December, R. C. J. Day and R. K. Kirkland, “The Kelvedon & Tollesbury Light Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 839:",
          "text": "For the next mile, the line falls, and then rises again, at a gradient of 1 in 50, the ruling gradient of the line.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1961 July, J. Geoffrey Todd, “Impressions of railroading in the United States: Part Two”, in Trains Illustrated, page 425:",
          "text": "In the next 65 miles the train climbs 2,470ft to the Arizona Divide on a ruling gradient of 1 in 70 and in steam days a fleet of helper engines was kept busy assisting the heavy trains over this section.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1962 December, “The Oxted Line diesel-electric multiple-units”, in Modern Railways, page 385:",
          "text": "Minor changes to control gear include the provision of automatic wheelslip protection, since these units will be operated on lines with ruling gradients of 1 in 60 or 1 in 80.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The steepest uphill gradient in one direction on a section of railway line, which determines the load that can be pulled by one locomotive over that section, according to the power rating of the locomotive. A typical ruling gradient could be 1:50 (2%). The ruling gradient can differ in the other direction on the same section."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "rail transport",
          "rail transport"
        ],
        [
          "uphill",
          "uphill"
        ],
        [
          "railway line",
          "railway line"
        ],
        [
          "locomotive",
          "locomotive"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(rail transport) The steepest uphill gradient in one direction on a section of railway line, which determines the load that can be pulled by one locomotive over that section, according to the power rating of the locomotive. A typical ruling gradient could be 1:50 (2%). The ruling gradient can differ in the other direction on the same section."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "rail-transport",
        "railways",
        "transport"
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "ruling gradient"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "ruling grade"
    }
  ],
  "word": "ruling gradient"
}