Quote from: jonathan on June 19, 2016, 08:27:02 PM
I made the stirrup steps from brass flat bar stock.  They are quite sturdy.

Ahh, some cars down at model RR club, including some of my cars there, are showing the effects of use. Will have to use this idea.
What are specifics on how the steps are attached?

Quote from: jbrock27 on December 29, 2012, 09:58:05 AM
going up an AHM standard trestle  grade with more than 2 cars attached

That is the root of the issue, motor with or without flywheels is of minor to negligible to zero relevance.

QuoteA 4% grade is getting pretty steep and really affects the ability of an engine to haul a train a lot. I have seen some trestle sets that worked out to be nearly 8%; some locos made it to the top and others didn't.

http://www.nmra.org/beginner/track

By way of illustration, NP's big 2-8-8-2 mallet steam locos were rated to pull 4,000 tons on level track, and only around 600 tons on the 4% grade where they paralleled the MILW at one point.

Because of the limit of adhesion of metal wheels on metal rails, trains both real and model lose pulling capacity fast on grades. That 4% grade is a rise of 4 feet/meters in a run of 100 feet/meters. Specific names of units isn't all that relevant since it is the proportion between rise and run, whatever the name the values go by.

In general model trains can pull less on the flat and a little bit more on grades than real trains can.

Here, 2 pages with some explanations and illustrations of turnout/switch parts, and other track parts as well
http://www.railway-technical.com/track.shtml
http://www.railsystem.net/turnouts/

Quote from: jonathan on June 02, 2016, 10:43:21 AMYou will want to solder the joints together, BEFORE you bend the flex track.  This prevents kinks.  If you are not comfortable with soldering, than I would avoid flex track.  Better yet, get comfortable with soldering.    It doesn't take long to learn and is most beneficial when laying track and wiring.

Illustration of that happened recently at our little model RR club on the DCC-only HO layout; we also have a modular HO DC/DCC layout.

Even on what I think is about a 28 inch radius curve, and even having the rial joints offset by a bout an inch difference between inner and outer rail there was a slight kink.
The members who laid and are the ones who primarily operate the DCC-only layout weren't concerned as all their power went through just fine.

However ...

When other members used that layout there were problems at that joint.

Turned out that the primary group used almost all 6 axle power and the other members' 4 axle power had trouble at that joint - the shorter the wheelbase of each truck, the more trouble.
One fellow's brand new DCC 70 tonner derailed every time at that joint.

He cane and showed me his trouble.
I went and got my soldering stuff - problem soon ceased to exist.

I didn't take up the entire curve, which is not yet ballasted. Pulled enough track nails either side of joint to push track toward middle of curve enough to make joint plus an inch or two each side more or less straight.
Tacked it that way with nails against outside rail. Then pretty much saturated the joints with solder. Had to file a bit of excess solder down on inner face of rail web above joiner, but hey, those joints will hold! After solder had cooled I pulled the temporary nails and re-secured the track.

And David's little green 70 tonner now rolls over that joint like it isn't there  
And so does everything else for that matter.

Will be interesting to see if layout visitors notice a few of the auto cars, move on, then turn around, "Wait a minute, was that ..."

I don't get the magazine, so don't know the picture: given that Fate-Root_Heath was sold and became Plymouth in the 1950s-60 it is possible that type of loco is pictured in Jay Reed's book Critters Dinkys and Centercabs, or here on the Plymouth industrial locos page http://www.northeast.railfan.net/diesel81.html

Some of those locos such as the TLC/6 look more like a cartoon of themselves than an actual cartoon would.
There was a model TLF which used a Ford power train.
Brookville had one which used IH tractor power train.

Cork roadbed is a long-used classic. Are plenty of articles how to use it in print and on the web, that is a good thing.

To help it not show under ballast, before laying track I paint cork with acrylic craft paint about same color as ballast will be. Sometimes I even paint the cork on both sides before installing it. Why? I dunno, it just seemed like the thing to do.
Aleen's Tacky craft white glue works fine for me for securing cork.

Since secondary tracks often have lower roadbed profile in real life, on HO layout I'll sometimes use the thinner N gauge cork roadbed for those tracks. Remember, though, that some track length will be needed for sloped elevation change. For that transition a mix of sand the HO and shim the N is used.

I freelance my own quirky little diesels. Freelance line is set in 20th century.
Some sample photos, taken several years ago: our little county seat farm burg of 8,300 or so started a model RR club and being the only On30 modeler there, I got involved in the HO modular layout, so my own On30 progress has become very very slow.
There has been progress made since these photos but there aren't newer images.
The red ones are now green and lettered. Plywood cab one is now silver.
6-axle one sill needs much work.
There are several other large locos in-progress, too.

Also doing some electrics.





















My color inspiration - it is far greener than it looks, must behave like "Green screen" for special effects.
My color is 1/2 and 1/2 NYC Jade and GN Glacier Green.

Factory installed decals? That has me curious as I've not seen a HO car or locomotive which came with such. Everything I've seen in stores, at shows, among our club members, has all been printed/painted lettering from the various manufacturers.
 
Do have a G scale car with factory decals, Bachmann's own A.C. Dole Dairy reefer,

That evidences that factory decals are done, but I haven't seen something in HO, which doesn't mean it doesn't exist, just that it hasn't been seen or heard of before this.

I've also found that that 70% alcohol can sometimes remove paint.
Sometimes alcohol has removed the lettering and left the paint.
It's been kind of a gamble for me.

Have also run in to situations where Scalecoat paint's "Wash Away" paint remover has removed the paint but left the printed lettering.

2000 or so Atlantics were built from 1900 to 1906 according to text on page 121 of Kalmbach's Steam Locomotive Cyclopedia.

Page 127 of Alvin Staufer's 1962 book Pennsy Power mentions someone named Bud Rothar who interviewed an Engineer who said that the E6s version of PRR's Atlantic family were the "nicest hand fired engines ever built" and never had powered stokers. And were nicknamed "Speed Queens". Says they had a good ride but for some reason at around 75mph started a tipsy side to side rocking which could get scary at times with the engine having a top-heavy feel. Best way to solve the problem was to hit 80mph and up. Must have been some kind of harmonic action somewhere. Also says they were economical with coal and water, and were "the pace-setters for timetable operations"

From that and other things I've seen, I have the impression they never did reach the top end of how fast they could go.

But, yeah, the increasing loads led to the K class Pacifics.

Though the Atlantics could haul on level stretches. Page 126 in book gives mention of a fellow who in 1917 recorded E6s number 1321 going through Torresdale, Philadelphia, at 55mph with 21 car mail and express train.
Of course shorter trains could be moved a lot faster.
On tests between Fort Wayne and Valparaiso the E6 non-superheated prototype averaged over 75 mph start to stop with a nine car train.

Give PRR's various flavors of 4-4-2 a 9 to 12 car train, reasonably level ground, and they absolutely would get you where you were going post haste.

I forget who they were, but there were a couple RRs who had some uuuuugly Atlantics. Santa Fe's 1480 class weren't the ugliest but they were a long way from the prettiest.

The best answer is to run your layout at several inches above the minimum radius - running at the extreme edge of the envelope with 6 axle power is like being down on your knees begging and praying to have constant problems come your way.

Okay. I have several of them, and I think it is Jonathan who has quite a few 0-6-0.
Before saying anything else, I'd suggest posting this in the HO section, it will get far more attention there.

On all the ones I have, the tender drawbar has a peg which slides side to side in a slot under cab. It moves freely enough that locos will go around curves down to 9 inch radius for me.
See if something is causing peg on end of drawbar to snag on something in slot, or the flat to snag on something under cab rear.

Next thing is to examine the wheels and trucks.
Do you have a NMRA HO standards gauge? NMRA being National Model Railroad Association. It will tell you whether wheels are in gauge. either too close together or too far apart will cause trouble.
So will wheels which are off-center, or not square to the axle.

Weight can help - to a point.

You have heard the phrase, three point suspension?
What a lot of folks do with car and tender trucks is turn one kingpin screw down to where the truck rotates freely but does not rock much if any. The other truck screw is turned down a bit less so as to allow that truck to rock slightly. Doing so helps cars track over irregularities in the rails.

After that, I'm out of ideas for the moment.

What parts have been looked at closely to see if there is something, such as molding flash, obstructing free movement of the trucks or the drawbar?
What scale the 0-6-0 is can make a difference in what to look for and do - post gives no scale info.

I'm of the mind that that sudden reversing won't be doing the drive train any good.

Quote from: Trainman203 on April 13, 2016, 05:57:23 PM
Here is an interesting article about freight car trucks...
http://mrr.trains.com/~/media/import/files/pdf/4/c/c/mr_pi_5-06_freightcartrucks.ashx

And that nugget of data is indeed interesting,

QuoteA big selling feature of the Andrews design was that journal boxes from older archbar trucks could be reused in new Andrews trucks.