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Jolly good show, eh. What?I'll stick to what I learned and out of trouble.I think you should send the unit back to BLI. I have resisted installing traction tires on all of my engines. Figured I can add a helper if need be to handle a train.I did have a PCM 4-8-4 give me 16 cars with metal wheels dependable service and my M1a got to about 24 cars or so before having real trouble. Again without traction tires. I probably cheated by not having the entire train on the 3% grade. My Heavy Mike can start a 15 car train on a grade after a full stop if needed.I think between 15-25 cars depending on grade is plenty for a 4-8-4. You can always add more engines for more cars if you are able to do so.I know that MR likes to give a number expressed in ounces for drawbar pull. But it is not really adequate. No one really takes the time, space or effort to "Lug down" a model steam engine to stall with a max load of cars.Hence the boasting that might vary between one particular engine and another of the same class.There was a video of three Bowser Heavy Decapods handling a 50+ car coal drag on the BSME's website. That is pretty big train that I know of in the model world. I did start about 40 feet worth of rolling stock with plastic wheels and a variety of weights on a level basement floor several times with double headed articulated steam but they required so much slip and the slack has to be seen to be believed.
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