NNG Runaway Safety Tracks

I came across a newspaper article by a former Southern Railway employee reminiscing about the 4.7% eastbound grade between Saluda and Melrose, North Carolina. Two runaway safety tracks were installed after several late 19th century wrecks. The switches were manned and, by default, were aligned for the safety dirt mound. The engineer would have to signal to get the switches thrown for the main. Does anyone know of similar runaway tracks elsewhere? Any iterations of this for narrow gauge grades?

To continue the Saluda story, later years saw an automated switch for the runaway track at the bottom of the grade. After setting retainers at Saluda, departing eastbound trains would trigger a timer. The safety switch would be aligned for the runaway track for 22 minutes, necessitating a maximum downgrade speed of 8mph. After 22 minutes, the switch would align for the main and the signal would change from red to flashing yellow.