Engine Slips its Wheels

[starman]

Hi All

I have a MTH J Class engine, HO scale.  When going up a 2% grade with no curves, and no cars, the engine slips, and sometimes comes to a stop while spinning its wheels.  I tried putting on the traction tires that came with the engine, but they just walk off when the engine is going straight and level.  What can I do to improve engine traction?  Thanks for your help.

Jack

[MisterBeasley]

I have a couple of diesel switchers with traction tires and they work just fine.  I've had them for years.

We're these the original traction tires, or could they have been replaced?  It sounds like the traction tires could be too large for the wheels.

You could try a product called Bullfrog Snot, which is a liquid which goes on the wheels and behaves like a traction tire.  I've never used it.

[Darth Santa Fe]

Are the front or rear trucks too strongly sprung, or possibly have a main body detail resting on them and preventing full traction from the drive wheels?  I have a BLI 4-6-4 that had similar traction problems, and I found that the rear truck spring was so strong that 4 out of 6 drivers weren't even sitting on the track.  Cutting the spring down completely fixed it.

[Overmod]

I am tempted to add that, unlike in real life, you can easily run a HO J with the leading and trailing trucks completely removed.  That will quickly and positively determine if one or t'other truck is lifting the frame.

Also, with the trucks off you can put the engine on a glass plate or mirror to check that all the drivers are in alignment.

[gmpullman]

starman

I tried putting on the traction tires that came with the engine, but they just walk off when the engine is going straight and level.

Is there a recess machined into the wheel tread, Jack? Many MTH and BLI steam locos come with spare traction tires but unless there is the specific wheel with the groove cut in the circumference the tire will certainly spin off (plus it will not track well due to the flange being covered). Sometimes the traction tire driver is included in the box, too, but you'll have to install it.

Good Luck, Ed

[gregc]

starman

What can I do to improve engine traction?

add weight

[Overmod]

I am wondering about a couple of things.

How many of the drivers are 'grooved' for traction tires on the locomotive?

As Ed indicated, you need a traction tire of correct dimensions on any driver with a 'recess', but no traction tire on any driver that doesn't.

Only the outer 'lip' of the groove in the driver keeps the tire from 'walking off'.  If the tire has increased diameter or hardened with age, that lip may no longer work.  Adhesive on the inside of the tire will not make it work -- you'll wind up with an eccentric 'tread' at best.

The reference to multiple 'tires' has me wondering -- to get these on or off would require considerable work removing and replacing rods and perhaps valve gear.  Then doing it again when the tire(s) 'walk off'.  Someone doing this amount of tinkering would likely be comfortable checking the tread on the driver pairs for wear and using a caliper to check that diameters match.

I'm thinking he may need a source of 'new' traction tires that fit his grooved drivers...  one source might be here:

https://www.trainz.com/products/mth-de-1600015-15-2mm-x-1-3-mm-ho-traction-tire?variant=43535790571642

[snjroy]

I would check wheel contact (as mentionned by Darth), and make sure that the track is clean.

I have used Bulfrog snot. It works very well.

Simon

[starman]

Thanks to all who have replied. Any more comments will be welcome.  I now have many things to try.  Hopefully, I'll find a fix to the problem soon.  I did connect my N&W 2-8-8-2 to all of my passenger cars and it pulled them up the grade like it was running on level track.  It certainly seems to be a problem with my J Class engine.  I'll let y'all know what happens as I try to find, and fix, the problem.

Jack

 

[starman]

gregc

Gregc, do you have any suggestions as to how I could add weight to my J Class?  Thanks,

Jack

 

 

 

starman

What can I do to improve engine traction?

 

 

add weight

 

 

[MisterBeasley]

gregc

 

 

starman

What can I do to improve engine traction?

 

 

add weight

A cruel comment two days after Thaksgiving!  I need to lose weight now.

[gregc]

starman

Gregc, do you have any suggestions as to how I could add weight to my J Class?

fill a small bag with small gauge buckshot and fit it into the engine compartment around the other components

[starman]

Thanks, Gregc!

[starman]

Darth Santa Fe suggested that perhaps the trucks on my J Class were too strongly sprung.  Overmod said I could remove and run my J Class without the trucks to see if one or the other truck is lifting the frame so that the drive wheels are not pressing down on the track as they should.  So, with that information, I removed both trucks and the J Class pulled all of my passenger cars up the grade like it was running on a flat track.  So, I think I found the problem.  I am going to add back one truck to look for where the problem may be. 

Darth Santa Fe, will you please tell me how you cut down your spring and how much you cut off.  I don’t want to cut off too much spring to start with and would appreciate any guidance you may have.

I knew this forum would provide me with the answer I needed.  Y’all always come through.

While I’m taking about my J Class, does anyone have an exploded diagram of a MTH J Class item# 80-3268-1 that they would be willing to copy and text the diagram to me.  In all of the literature that came with my engine, an exploded diagram was not among the literature.  Thanks!

Jack

[doctorwayne]

I agree about adding weight, and usually make some lead castings suited to fit into places within (or on) each locomotive.  An easy way is to take the plastic air or water reservoirs of the steam locos, and simply replace them using brass tubing filled with molten lead, and then drilled to accept phosphor-bronze wire as the piping.  Even a piece of sheet lead in the underside of the cab roof will help to improve traction.

Cheers, Wayne