Wonder what your little steam locos will pull? Some examples.

[Anonymous]

https://youtu.be/oSzxBE9Ga8Y

Here are a few screen shots from a recent video (link above) showing some numbers for my shays, climax locos, decapods etc.

[doctorwayne]

Interesting results, although the numbers seem on the low side to me.  It did prompt me to get out my pull meter, though, and I tested several locos.

A brass Mogul (ex-B&M B-15) showed at 2.4oz., as did my Bachmann 4-6-0s and a Proto USRA 0-8-0.

Slightly better was a brass 0-6-0 at 2.8oz, and an Athearn Mikado at 2.9oz. My Bachmann 2-8-0s came in at 4.4oz., closely followed by a Bachmann USRA Light Mountain with 4.5oz.
All of these locos have been modified with additional weight.

While I don't normally run diesels, I did test a few.  An unmodified Atlas S-2 came in at 3.1oz., while a re-motored and ballasted Athearn Blue Box geep showed 5.1oz. and a ballasted Model Power FA-2, with its original motor, hit 5.4oz. 
A bit of a surprise was the one diesel which I do run often, a Rivarossi combine which I've made into a doodlebug.  It showed a pulling force of 4.4oz., not bad for a can motor running a single truck out of an Athearn Blue Box F-unit.

Pretty-well all of these, the switchers and doodlebug excepted, normally run with another locomotive due to the numerous grades and curves.

Wayne

["JaBear"]

Interesting video, I enjoyed the look around the layout as much as your findings. The only thing I’ve done so far to improve a locomotives pulling power was to add some more weight, mostly up front, on a 2-10-2, the main aim being to balance the loco on its drivers.

Thanks for sharing,

Cheers, the Bear.    

[gregc]

while the drawbar load for 12 small ore cars is only 0.2 oz (friction), what about on a grade?

for grades up to 10%, the drawbar force increases by approx car weight time grade / 100.  A 4" car should weight ~3 oz (NMRA guideline).   On a 1% grade, the drawbar force increases by 0.03 oz. or for 12 cars, 0.36 oz.

The total drawbar force including friction would be 0.56 oz.   A 1% grade might be a problem for a locomotive that can only pull 0.5 oz.

[jalajoie]

The best video I have seen in a long time. The WOW factor is present in all aspect. Thanks for sharing.

[RR_Mel]

 

WOW!!!

 

Super video with good information!

 

I just thought I had a lot of locomotives, at last count 72.  Mine are pretty well balanced at close to half and half Steam & Diesel.  All are from the mid 1950s era.  Most of my diesel fleet are stock out of the box, no added weight.  My preference diesel operation is a pair of Athearn SD40-2 frames with Cary E7 shells so they’re heavy and have all kinds of drawbar pull.

 

I only add weight to my steam fleet that have been remotored with rare Earth magnet motors to prevent over heating.  I have a large (to me) fleet of Rivarossi Cab Forwards, all but one remotored (five have Faulhaber 2224RS motors) most have quite a bit of added weight.  A Rivarossi articulated locomotive out of the box has a hard time climbing my 3½% grades with a caboose in tow, no traction.  I use #8 bird shot glued to the shells for added weight, the BBs fit into all the tight spots easily for max weight.

 

The Rivarossi is pretty out of the box but worthless pulling a grade, maybe 3 oz. drawbar pull on level track.  With 9 to 10 oz. of added bird shot the drawbar increases to just under 6 oz.   The extra weight also makes them run better, stops the Rivarossi Wobble.

 

My means of measuring drawbar pull isn’t the best, an old Postal spring type meter.

 

Great subject with good info.

 

Mel

 

My Model Railroad

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

 

Bakersfield, California

[farrellaa]

Very nice video and interesting info you have shared. Would like to see more of how you creat/built the sound cars. Nice background photo/mural too!

   -Bob

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the comments.

I have a few videos out there that might answer some questions.  Type in sssisskokid on youtube.  I think I have a playlist of 15 or so.

It is good to see the numbers some of you get match with mine.  Yes, all the numbers seem on the low side perhaps, but these are the smallest of the small in my roster (except the mountain).  And all are out of the box Bachmann Spectrum..no brass, no weights, no rubber tires etc.  So yeah those fractions of an ounce are correct.  Of course my Y3bs and a few others do better for traction, but steam locos are poor pullers generally because there is little weight added in the factory and all the drivers split the traction to a greater degree than a diesel.

Here is the companion video about larger steam locos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KHxw-Ta6-s  You can imagine that there is a diminishing return on the traction of a larger steam loco, whose weight is distributed over more and more wheels.  The heavier 2-8-8-2s are not significantly better pullers than a 4-8-2.

However, when a friend had over his brass Y class, we forgot to measure the tractive effort, but it is a very heavy beast.

My best pulling locos (ones I would use with a track cleaner for example) are perhaps a couple of SD45s or SD60s which together pull closer to 6 ounces.

Grade and tight curves add drag significantly alright.  My big test for pulling is that 4 per cent grade hill.  But still, all steel wheels are a big help and I am still surprised how smoothly trains can run.