Can anyone give a guestimate as to whether a VGN Blue Ridge class could haul, on a 0.3% grade, 8,500 tons of coal, at 35-37mph?
Practically identical to the C&O's of the same wheel arrangement?
Yes, the VGN Blue Ridge class and C&O Allegheny class were virtually identical.
You might find your answer in Gene Huddleston's book...'Allegheny - Lima's Finest".
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Per data on steamlocomotive.com:
C&O Class H-8 numbers 1600-1644 were built from 1941 through 1944 and were delivered with 25,000-gallon tenders.
Virginian Class AG numbers 900-907 were built in 1945 and were delivered with 26,500-gallon tenders.
C&O Class H-8 numbers 1645-1659 were built in 1948 and were delivered with 26,500-gallon tenders.
Comparison photos here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/trains/comments/sq4t00/just_a_quick_question_is_there_any_difference/
8500 tons total, including the cars?
If so, 9000+ tons including the engine, so rail tractive effort needs to be somewhere around 90000-100000 pounds on 0.3%, and of course the engine can't manage that at 35+ mph.
So if someone claimed the engine could haul 8500 tons at 35-37 mph, the first guess is that the grade wasn't really 0.3% at that location. I've never seen a VGN track chart -- maybe they're not that exact.
(Come to think -- wasn't the eastward VGN ruling grade east of Princeton always 0.2% or 0.6%?)
Maybe they were looking down the hill?
Same me, different spelling!
That's exactly the kind of info I was looking for; thank you! No one told me that. In TS2022 I have downloaded a VGN Blue Ridge plus VGN hoppers, and was wondering how many tons I could haul to get 35mph on a 0.3 grade. I do know the eastward VGN ruling grade from Victoria, VA was 0.3 most of the way to Norfolk.
Thanks!!
VGN Jessthe eastward VGN ruling grade from Victoria, VA was 0.3 most of the way to Norfolk.
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