HELPER STEAM ENGINES

[Anonymous]

Just as the prototype railroads are doing, we modellers are increasingly desirous of running ever longer trains.
Is there a commercially available FREE-ROLLING, LIGHT-WEIGHT steam locomotive that can be used as a mid-train or end-of-train DUMMY helper ?
If not, what is the easiest method of making a Dummy steam helper engine ?

[MidlandPacific]

Well, Keystone makes a dummy Shay, and Roundhouse used to make (if memory serves) a dummy 0-8-0T; neither is really serviceable as a helper, though. Easiest engines to convert would probably be tender drive (less likely to require replacement of drivers with insulated wheels), but they tend to be small.

These days, you're probably best off going over to DCC and converting your engines. That way you could run the train with a helper AND handle the cutoff realistically at the top of your grade.

[orsonroy]

A dummy steam loco? Why would anyone want THAT?

If you want a dummy steamer, find a junker at a swapmeet, and remove the motor, gears, and tender wipers. Lubricate everything to minimize drag, and enjoy!

[Anonymous]

Dummy steam? yeeesh!

Not to mention the weight on the train.. That dummy engine may be just enough to prevent the whole thing from making the top of the grade =)

I always stated "Add horsepower!!" until something gives! If you cant get the horses, torque the hell out of it until you do.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by orsonroy

A dummy steam loco? Why would anyone want THAT?

You might want to reconsider that. Review the merits of adding a powered second steamer. The real RRs don't use dummies.
Tell us what kind of steam loco you are running and somebody here will help you up the grade.

[twhite]

Are you looking to double-head, or use mid-train helpers? A great many prototype railroads did both, depending on the size of the train and availability of motive power at the time. Double-heading is the easiest solution, unless you're DCC equipped, just get two locomotives that are within quite close and reasonable running range of each other. Mid-train is much trickier, because the locomotives have to be EXACT in their starting and running voltage--haven't tried it yet, but I've got two BLI's with identical settings, and someday when I get really brave, I'm going to try them out. It's just that I've got a particularly nasty chasm below my Summit, and it's on a curve and a 2.4 grade. So until I get REALLY brave, I'm sticking to double-heading.
Tom

[Leon Silverman]

The problem with a dummy locomotive (steam or diesel) in the middle or end of a train is than dummy locomotives generally weigh more than equivalent sized rolling stock. This can result in the train ahead of the dummy being pulled off the track around a curve.
You might want to use a "powerless" engine instead. By that I mean a powered engine that can't push or pull too much. Take a conventional plastic bodied engine that has no sound (meaning a hollow tender) or traction tires, and preferrably 4 wheel tender trucks. If the boiler weight cannot be removed, increase the spring tension on the pilot trucks to reduce the pressure on the driving wheels. There have been complaints in this column about the heavy tender weight on the Lionel Challenger. So make the tender as heavy as possible. To prevent the tender from pushing the train downhill, add enough washers between the wheels and the sideframes so that the wheels exhibit a little drag but can still rotate. Vary these adjustments until the engine can pull only about two or trhee cars without slipping. This way, it can be placed anywhere in the train without actually "helping" it.

[IRONROOSTER]

If you really want a dummy, you'll probably have to take a powered plastic engine, remove the motor and weights. You may have to do some other modifications to get the weight down. What you are looking for is weight comparable to a freight car of the same length. This will let you run it at the rear of the train without putting too much drag on the real engine and help avoid derailments. You may have to work over the rods and valve gear to make sure they are very free - no binding. You want the dummy to free roll down the same grade your freight cars do.
Good luck
Paul