Steam engine tractive effort

[Trainman203]

2-10-0 Decapod DCC with sound: with motor cv's set right, 12 40' freight cars up a 2%.
2-8-0 DCC with sound: about the same
4-4-0 Richmond/Baldwin DCC with sound: surpisingly still about the same.

[WoundedBear]

"About the same" Is that a scientific term? 

Seriously, I like your idea, but we need video or it never happened. I need to do some testing and recording.

Sid

[Hunt]

Model Railroader Magazine includes Drawbar Pull test results in their Product Reviews.

[Trainman203]

Yes, but whose got all those old issues and going to dig them up?  The 4-6-0 and the decapod were reviewed at least 10 years ago and probably considerably more.

Let the scientists begin their reports.

[baniaj2]

I have a few to share:

Spectrum 2-8-0
per June 1998 MR
"45 free-rolling freight cars on straight level track"
drawbar pull 3 ounces

USRA 4-8-2 light
per Nov 1999
"30 cars on straight level track"
drawbar pull 2.2 ounces

USRA light 2-10-2
per August 2006
"52 free-rolling freight cars on straight, level track"
drawbar pull 3.7 ounces

USRA light 2-8-2
per February 2016
"30 free-rolling 40-foot box-cars on straight, level track"
drawbar pull 2.72 ounces

Need to dig up more, but figured that was a good start.

--Joe

[RAM]

Well the little engine that could.  60 some years ago when I lived in Kansas City, I knew a lot of men that worked for the railroads.   This one man was telling me about a trip from Topeka to KC.  They had a 4-8-2 just out of the shops, and a 4-4-2.  37 cars not much a a train for a 4-8-2.  The 4-8-2 started to run hot and they had to set it out.  It is mainly a down hill run, but he dropped a note off to an operator to tell the operator at Holliday that if they had to stop they would need to send an engine out to get them.  They had a green light at Holiday and some how made it into the yards.

[Trainman203]

I heard a story years ago about one of the the huge modern mogul-sized 4-4-0s on the T&NO pulling around 75 empty gons on level Gulf Coast track.

[nfmisso]

Yes, but whose got all those old issues ....

The DVD is a lot easier to get the old issue information from, no paper to deal with, and it is indexed....