What steam locomotives can pull?

[Ron Zee]

I've started with a Yard Boss set and have already started collecting track for a bigger layout. I've been building one that looks pretty good and it's got a 2% grade up and down on it. The little 0-6-0 Switcher that the set came with pulls the included cars okay until it gets near the top of the "up" grade. Then the little wheels start spinning. It makes it to the top but I'm worried about wearing out the "traction" tires and the track too. The same amount of cars (3) pulled with the little F-9 diesel I got used pulls them and a few more, uphill just fine. Then again, it seems a lot heavier than the steamer.
For some reason, I've always been drawn towards steam engines and so I'm wondering what ones out there will pull a few cars and still work on all the 11.25 turns I already have. I'm still running DC. DCC is in the future but not right now.
Thanks for the help. I know I keep asking a lot, but I'm an R/C car racer that's starting a new hobby.

[bobwrgt]

If the 0-6-0 has a coupler on the front you can always run two together. Should get twice the pulling power.
The Bachmann 2-8-0 has been around for years and is a very good engine.

Bob

[brokemoto]

B-mann SPECTRUM 2-8-0

B-mann SPECTRUM USRA heavy 4-8-2

Athearn/MDC-2-8-0

with minor modifications:

Kato USRA heavy 2-8-2 (add traction tyred driver pair)

Model Power 2-6-0 (swap out stock tender for any of B-mann SPECTRUM or Kato USRA standard tender)


The problem with that USRA 0-6-0 is the design of the live (forward) tender truck.  It creates a tremendous amount of drag on the locomotive.  If you will take either the SPECTRUM USRA switcher or slopeback tender, remove the drawbar, remove the stiff wire retaining clip from the drawbr, re-install the drawbar upside down, then re-attach the tender to the engine, that will not only eliminate the drag, it will also give better electrical contact.  Sadly, doing the same thing to the 'prairie' (which is really the USRA 0-6-0 with idler trucks added), does not seem to help.  I suspect that the idler trucks detract from the tractive effort.  One caveat:  this works only on the most recent version of the USRA 0-6-0.  On older versions, you will need to hardwire the tender to the locomotive.

B-mann SPECTRUM USRA light 4-8-2 (shim tyred driver pair)

[Ron Zee]

thanks for the input guys! I'll see what I can do for the tenders drag problem.

[Ron Zee]

Well, i got down eye level with the tender with a flashlight and both axles on the front truck of the tender are not even rolling. Well, one sort of moves but it's definatly not rolling at the speed the loco is going. Does anyone have a fix for this? Is it something that needs to be sent back? Or what part numbers do I need to look into for a replacement tender?

[Ron Zee]

Okay, I got into the front truck and "adjusted" the contact points and got the rear wheels on the truck to move quite well. The front axle though hangs up a little but nowhere near as much as it did. Tried pulling the same 3 cars (all of which roll down the 2% incline on their own) and it spins the wheels less but it still does it. Now I did put a weight on the loco and it'll pull right up the slope with these 3 and more cars on it. Problem is, It looks like crap. There's nowhere to hide the weight! Any other ideas???

[bobwrgt]

Get a second 0 6 0 and run them together or get a bigger engine.

Bob

[skipgear]

If it is one of the newer versions and you really want it to pull, pull the crank pins and mode the traction tired driver from the middle to the rear. The center of ballance on the loco is on the rear driver, not the middle. With the traction tire driver in the middle, any uneven track lifts the center driver off the track.

As far as weight, get some tungsten discs and fill up the steam dome, sand dome and anyplace else you can find. I found a couple discs that wre the perfect size to glue on to the front of the steam chests that got the weight pretty far forward. I also built an all wheels live tender.

Mine will pull 15 cars on level, 12 on a 1% grade, 5-6 on a 2% and 2-3 up a 3%.

[Ron Zee]

Hmm, the traction tire thing makes sense. I'll try that. And hopefully I wont mess it up!