What is the longest rain your decapod has ever pulled?

[florynow]

Before remotoring, 3, maybe 4 40' cars.

After remotoring and resetting CV's 2, 209 and 210, 12 or so up a 1%, about 20 on level track.


Dear Bach Man:  Please re-offer this beautiful engine with a real motor and a wider spaced C.L piston-to-piston cylinder block so that the rods don't catch on the back of the crossheads..... the main binding problem.

PF

[Jim Banner]

Deca = 10
pod = feet

So does my 4-6-0 qualify as a decapod?

I once left my large scale 4-6-0 out in the rain for two weeks while I was on holiday.  And it still pulled perfectly when I got home.  I am pretty sure that is the longest rain for any of my ten wheeler locomotives.   

That two weeks in the rain was, or at least seemed like, the longest camping trip ever.

Jim

[Thomas1911]

After a generous lubing of side rods, a liberal break-in, and adjusting motor control CV's, my stock-motored Decapods will each pull at least a dozen 40' boxcars on level track.  Throw in my 4% grades though, and that number drops to about 3 cars.  My experience leads me to believe its not really a problem of being under powered, but an issue of tractive effort. If I add a car or two to the train, it will make it a portion on the way up the grade, slow to a stop and just spin the drivers.  Experimenting with some additional weight helped, but not much.

[on30gn15]

Throw in my 4% grades though, and that number drops to about 3 cars. 

That wouldn't be too far off the real world.
A book about the MILW electrification has a photo "At Henderson, 18 miles west of St. Regis" which shows a NP class Z-3 compound 2-8-8-2 in a siding as as Milw's Columbian goes by and mentions the 2-8-8-2 is rated for only 600 tons on NP's 4% grade from Haugan to Wallace in Idaho.

Imagine a 2-8-8-2 pulling only 6 of these "Bethlehem Steel 100 Ton Three-Bay Hopper" - http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/products.php?act=viewProd&productId=1620 - because that's all it can pull.

[jward]

That wouldn't be too far off the real world.
A book about the MILW electrification has a photo "At Henderson, 18 miles west of St. Regis" which shows a NP class Z-3 compound 2-8-8-2 in a siding as as Milw's Columbian goes by and mentions the 2-8-8-2 is rated for only 600 tons on NP's 4% grade from Haugan to Wallace in Idaho.
Imagine a 2-8-8-2 pulling only 6 of these "Bethlehem Steel 100 Ton Three-Bay Hopper" - http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/products.php?act=viewProd&productId=1620 - because that's all it can pull.

that locomotive wpuldn't even pull that many cars. remember, when dealing with freight cars, 100 tons is the cargo it can carry. the car itself weighs another 30 tons or so. 4 cars equals 520 tons. THAT"S all it could pull......

[Jim Banner]

And decapods are 2-10-0's although I think the SP might have called their 2-10-2's "decapods"  And true 2-10-0 decapodshave 12 wheels, not 10 like a ten wheeler.  4-8-0's have the same number of wheels as 2-10-0's, and 6-4-0's, 0-2-8's, 10-0-0's, and 4-0-6's by your definition must be decapods too.

PF

Not my definition, just a direct translation from the Greek.  The same logic would make 12 wheeled locomotives dodecapods.  Or if you don't want to drag the Greeks into it (they have enough problems these days as it is,) just think of decagons and dodecagons.

I have often wondered why they would call a 2-10-0 a decapod.  Perhaps the only 10 wheels they count are the drivers, the "ones that do the walking."  But that would make 0-10-0's, 2-10-2's and 2-10-4's decapods as well.  Instead, we usually call them ten coupled switchers, Santa Fes and Selkirks.  In the UK, I believe 0-10-0 locomotives are called decapods which makes a great deal of sense.  In the US, 2-10-0 and 2-10-2 locomotives are called decapods which makes a lot less sense.  In Canada, 2-10-4 Selkirks have never been called decapods by anybody.

As far as the typo goes, I wasn't laughing at it, just having a bit of fun with it.  If I laughed at every typo that came along, I would have to stay off the net or face the possibility of blowing a lung.

Jim

[rogertra]

A Decapod, Greek for ten (Deca) feet (Pod).  Therefore a Decapod is an engine with 10 driving wheels.


As for how many cars will they pull?  Mine will pull at least 16 cars plus a van.  I've never tried more as that was the longest train that could run on my old GER.

[train guy]

Before remotoring, 3, maybe 4 40' cars.

After remotoring and resetting CV's 2, 209 and 210, 12 or so up a 1%, about 20 on level track.


Dear Bach Man:  Please re-offer this beautiful engine with a real motor and a wider spaced C.L piston-to-piston cylinder block so that the rods don't catch on the back of the crossheads..... the main binding problem.

PF

I DO NOT HAVE A DECOPOD BUT, THE LONGEST TRAIN A TYCO 2-8-0 PULLED WAS 12 CARS (THATS ALL I HAVE, HAVE NOT BUILT UP QUITE A COLLECTION YET)

[on30gn15]

remember, when dealing with freight cars, 100 tons is the cargo it can carry. the car itself weighs another 30 tons or so. 4 cars equals 520 tons. THAT"S all it could pull......

Oops. I've known that for almost 4 decades. Can we blame it on the health problems I'm on Social Security disability for?  I'd be okay with that

[Thomas1911]

Regarding the tractive effort of the decapods, its been mentioned in other threads, but definitely check the pilot truck springs.  One of the two decapods that I own had always been a slightly weaker puller than the other.  Started looking it over and found that the pilot truck had an extra spring installed.  The two springs were stuck together with I guess a proctective oil, like x-acto blades.  Removed the extra spring and tractive effort increased about 25%.

[Doneldon]

Jim-

In the States Selkirks are generally called Texas types because the first ones,
at least in any quantity, were on the Texas and Pacific.
                                                                                 -- D

[pdleth]

The B&M called their 2-10-2, mudsucker. They either carried an elasco feed water heater or a coffin type  very ugly   

[rogertra]

The B&M called their 2-10-2, mudsucker. They either carried an elasco feed water heater or a coffin type  very ugly   

I think you mean an Elesco Feedwater Heater.  :-)