Which Locomotive to get for a 2.5 incline layout

[almudallal]

My concern is which of these locomotives would be powerful enough to pull my rolling stokes ( 4 )
up the 2.5 incline .

which engine is powerful enough
which one would you recommend
Please advise

Thank you



Spectrum HO 80130 Great Northern Railway Modern Baldwin 4-4-0 Steam DCC SOUND


or


Bachmann 51807 HO-Scale DCC Sound Alco 2-6-0 Steam Loco PRR-Pennsylvania #3233

[jward]

do you mean a 2 1/2% grade?

if pulling power is what you want, the 2-6-0 would be better than the 4-4-0. more drive wheels usually translate to more pulling power. thus, a 2-8-0 would be even better than either of the two locomotives you mentioned.

[trainmainbrian]

I would go the Diesel Loco Route myself... Your Steam Loco wont Pull your Grade if you try to add more Car's & "that's kind of why you cant add more that ( 4 ) cars now" to your grade.... Thus you will have to add another Loco on your Head End for added pulling power... Or put a Helper Loco on the Rear end "SHOVING" to make your Grade..... If you go the Diesel route  chances are you will pull your grade NO PROBLEMS.

[WoundedBear]

Your Steam Loco wont Pull your Grade if you try to add more Car's & "that's kind of why you cant add more that ( 4 ) cars now" to your grade.... Thus you will have to add another Loco on your Head End for added pulling power... Or put a Helper Loco on the Rear end "SHOVING" to make your Grade

That's funny. My small driver 4-6-0's can haul ten 40 foot pieces of rolling stock up a 2.1% incline and be quite sure footed about it. And no, I don't use BFS.

Sid

[jbrock27]

tb, not all diesels are created equal.  Diesels of different manufacturers have different pulling capacities.  I have found heavier loco=greater pulling capability.  I know that some would disagree, but I also find diesels with flywheels to run better and pull more, than those w/o.

[JNXT 7707]

You want better pulling power, with 'all things being equal' pick the heavier loco. Neither the track or the train you are pulling cares if it's a diesel or a steamer. I have a simple F7 diesel with a NWSL can motor and the 'super weight' that will pull right with my heavy Allegheny. Weight (traction) + good motor = pulling power.

[rogertra]

Your Steam Loco wont Pull your Grade if you try to add more Car's & "that's kind of why you cant add more that ( 4 ) cars now" to your grade.... Thus you will have to add another Loco on your Head End for added pulling power... Or put a Helper Loco on the Rear end "SHOVING" to make your Grade

That's funny. My small driver 4-6-0's can haul ten 40 foot pieces of rolling stock up a 2.1% incline and be quite sure footed about it. And no, I don't use BFS.

Sid

I get similar results Sid.  Mine will pull 14 plus cars on the straight and level with no wheel spin.

Cheers

Roger.

[Doneldon]

You want better pulling power, with 'all things being equal' pick the heavier loco. Neither the track or the train you are pulling cares if it's a diesel or a steamer. I have a simple F7 diesel with a NWSL can motor and the 'super weight' that will pull right with my heavy Allegheny. Weight (traction) + good motor = pulling power.

JNXT-

It's not quite as easy as all that. Diesels have the advantage of having smaller drive wheels than anything powered by steam except maybe a few geared steamers. That alone makes it impossible to find a steam engine and a diesel/electric which can be fairly compared. Even allowing for this, I'd always bet on the heavier locomotive to have the greatest pulling power.
                                                                                                                                                                                            -- D

[trainmainbrian]

Your Steam Loco wont Pull your Grade if you try to add more Car's & "that's kind of why you cant add more that ( 4 ) cars now" to your grade.... Thus you will have to add another Loco on your Head End for added pulling power... Or put a Helper Loco on the Rear end "SHOVING" to make your Grade

That's funny. My small driver 4-6-0's can haul ten 40 foot pieces of rolling stock up a 2.1% incline and be quite sure footed about it. And no, I don't use BFS.

Sid

I stand corrected....... I just thought steam Locos are more suited for level track........

[almudallal]

Thank you for your reply.
I still wish to get  a Steam engine even though I agree the diesel has more pulling power.
The Track is 22" radius ,2.5 grade/incline .
I agree with the fact that the 2-6-0 is theoreticaly mire powerful becused of more wheels ,but
It is interesting how the price of the:
Spectrum HO 80130 Great Northern Railway Modern Baldwin 4-4-0 Steam DCC SOUND is double that of the Bachmann 51807 HO-Scale DCC Sound Alco 2-6-0 Steam Loco PRR-Pennsylvania #3233.

[Doneldon]

almu-

There are more than just a few minor differences between the DCC Sound Value 2-6-0 and the DCC full sound Spectrum 4-4-0. For one important thing, the American is a Spectrum model. This isn't merely semantics. Spectrum items have a lot more detail, much of which must be expensively hand installed. The paint finishes are better, in my experience. And the difference in features between the limited DCC sound value decoder and the full-bore Tsunami decoder in the Spectrum models is significant. Whether the 4-4-0 is worth the added cost is a question only you can answer for you. And of course there's the added wrinkle that the two locos aren't directly comparable in terms of what the originals were designed to do. Although both can be used in dual service (freight and passenger) the 4-4-0s came with high-stepping large wheels for optimal passenger performance at the time and with smaller wheels with greater pulling power for hauling freight which was less time sensitive.

All of that said, I wouldn't buy either model for the set up you describe. If you have fairly steep grades but 22" curves, I suggest that you step up to a 2-8-0 Consolidation. Connies were numerous on every railroad and every kind of service, which is strong testimony about their utility. A properly-weighted 2-8-0 will out pull both the 4-4-0 and the 2-6-0, and look damn smart doing so. Bachmann's version is a near classic. Everyone I talk to has one and just about everybody is happy with the loco.
                                                                                                                                                                                               -- D

[almudallal]

Dear Doneldon

Thank you for your elaborate response . It was really very helpful
I see your points and tend to agree with them ,I have decided to go with the Bachmann 2-8-0 model

regards,

[rogertra]

Dear Doneldon

Thank you for your elaborate response . It was really very helpful
I see your points and tend to agree with them ,I have decided to go with the Bachmann 2-8-0 model

regards,

Good choice.  I have between six and eight of them, some still unpacked. 

Cheers

Roger.

[ALCO0001]

Hello,
I would suggest anything BUT the ALCO 2 6 0.I have a 1 1/2 percent grade and it would not pull more than 1- 50 ft. box car up this grade,

but we found the drive axles were uneven causing the 6 wheel drive reduced to only 4 wheels since the center driver was not touching the

rail,sad to say ,I wonder what a good one could pull?,The  sd40-2 Diesels can pull the house. All of there 4 axle DIESELS pull well,except the

s2,s4 ALCO Switchers,There light and need some weight added,And there dd40 will pull anything that you can give it plus.The Spectrum

Dash 8 will pull the house!Just from experience ,Hope this helps!
Jack

[electrical whiz kid]

Is there room to put a rubber tyre on the centre wheel?
Rich C.