Which Locomotive to get for a 2.5 incline layout

[ebtbob]

Good Evening All,

   Now I have been known to read things and miss information,  so if I missed the following,  forgive me.   One factor that is usually not discussed when talking about grades and pulling power is the rolling stock.  How well does it roll?   If you have cars that roll like a track cleaning car,  then good luck.   But a 2.5% grade,  while not the best,  should not be overwhelming.  Also,  the mention of more wheels,  on steam engines,  might be preferential, is not always true.   On my On30 railroad,  m
y Bachmann 2-6-6-2 does not pull anywhere near what my 2-8-0 and 4-6-0s pull.

[rogertra]

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

You need specially designed wheels, with a groove in them, for awful rubber tires.  Yes, rubber tires are awful.

It's better to carefully add weight, in the right places so the engine is balanced around the centre of the driving wheels wheel base.  Rubber tires lead to motor burn out as the wheels can't spin if the engine stalls on a grade.  The other problem is they end up wearing down so the engine wobbles and then need to be replaced, if you can still find the right ones, etc., etc..  I avoid them like the plague.  Also design your model railroad with grades of 2% or possibly 2.5% but preferably less.  If you have to have 2.5%, then after adding weight, run and accept what you get.  Anything steeper than 4%, at the very most, will really limit pulling power and will look toy like on all but possibly a logging branch.

Cheers

Roger.

[Doneldon]

Rich-

Traction tires aren't just rubber bands put on  any old drive wheel; the wheels have grooves in them in which the traction tires are installed. This is to  keep the bands from coming off of the metal wheels. So ... adding traction tires means you would also have to install the correct style and size wheels on one axle. There is a solution which is a lot less complicated -- Bull Frog Snot. This is a liquid you apply to one drive wheel. I haven't used it myself but several people on this board have made positive comments about it.
                                                                                                                                                                                 -- D

[electrical whiz kid]

Doneldon;
All things considered, I have never had a problem with an engine not pulling a realistic load up a hill.  I try to keep my grades reasonable, back off on radii, and keep the motive power in good shape.  I wasn't sure about the tires, and the thought of using snot-real or manufactured-kind of grosses me out.
Rich C.

[Doneldon]

Rich-

Like you, I am somewhat repelled by the choice of the manufacturer of BFS to adorn his product with a name which can only be described as what one would come up with when looking sophomorically for the most sensational if not the most downright repugnant label one could put on a product in a family hobby for what seems otherwise to be a decent product. Also like you, I believe that good maintenance and reasonable layout design obviate most of the traction problems one might otherwise encounter. I don't use BFS myself though I have seen many positive posts about it. I view it as probably superior to traction tires but not a panacea to be used in lieu of proper maintenance and design. I apologize if my post intimated that I thought you aren't on top of maintenance or layout design; that was most certainly not my intent.
                                                                                                                                                                               -- D

[electrical whiz kid]

Doneldon; Not a problem-I hadn't taken it that way.  Trains run good, health is good, the walk into retirement is moving along...What more to ask for?
Rich C.

[MarkInLA]

Just thought I'd add one small detail to grade problem: If your 2.5% grade is on a curve you may as well call it a 3.5 - 4% grade as curve adds friction on inner flanges adding drag to train. I found this out after building my layout. I thought I was so cool about working out the one curved grade to be about 2.5-ish . THEN I realized the mistake after engines slipped on it.. But, since it's a 3.5Mi. class 2 switchback branch, 4-6 cars is enough to depict correct train lengths anyhow..

[Doneldon]

Just thought I'd add one small detail to grade problem: If your 2.5% grade is on a curve you may as well call it a 3.5 - 4% grade as curve adds friction on inner flanges adding drag to train. I found this out after building my layout. I thought I was so cool about working out the one curved grade to be about 2.5-ish . THEN I realized the mistake after engines slipped on it.. But, since it's a 3.5Mi. class 2 switchback branch, 4-6 cars is enough to depict correct train lengths anyhow..

Mark-

You can even see this on a layout with no grades. Watch carefully as a train reaches a curve, especially sharpish ones. It will slow and change its sound as it reaches the curve and it will speed up again as it exits the curve.
                                                                                                                                                       -- D