My poor Mikado 2-8-2 won’t pull my 8 dominion passenger cars up the 4.25% grade…(duh)… but while visiting a layout this past winter what they did to solve this problem is too hide a motor taken from another locomotive in the baggage car which is usually the first car behide the tender. The only problem I have so far is finding a good used 6 wheel loco to hide in the baggage car… Most loco wheels are larger diameter than the ones on the passenger cars. What loco can I use? Has someone else done this already as well? Do I extend the drive shafts to power both front and back of the baggage car or just one? The good thing is there’s lots of room for the motor(s) and decoder(s)…(ho scale)…
Do what the real railroads did when one locomotive wasn’t enough. Double head. In steam days, when the :“Owl” ran heavy, SP would actually double-head cab-forwards over Tehachapi.
Andre
There are power trucks for just this situation. Check the Walthers on line catalog for inspiration.
Ok, sounds like you fully realize the problem - the 4 plus percent grade.
That’s more appropriate for a narrow gauge RR, and not a Mike pulling standard passenger cars.
If you insist, the best way around this is to double head, or use a pusher. If you are running DCC, that’s pretty easy and lots of fun.
Or add a nitro pwer jet turbo booster! And maybe a flux capacitor.
I vote for double heading too.
That and doing what I did, Removing the 4+% grade.
[8-|]
Walthers has several power trucks available from different manufacturers. Availability may be an issue, but you should be able to order the items straight from the manufacturer or pick one up from e-bay.
Northwest Short Line makes an 8’ wheelbase 36" wheel, code 110 tread Stanton Drive Power Truck. Everything is contained in the truck including motor, and it sells for $84.95 list. Standard DC.
The Coach Yard makes two different power trucks, one 2-axle and one 3-axle. The two axle is suggested for adding a boost to head-end power on passenger trains - exactly what you want. It says “suitable for cars w/ 8’6” to 9’ wheelbase", so I guess the truck has a wheelbase somewhere in that range. It ways that it has available mountings for 8’6" or 9’ sideframes, although it does not say that you can shift where the axles on the truck are. List price is $119.95.
The 3-axle truck has less information on Walthers. It looks like a standard 3-axle passenger truck sideframe, but it does not specify a wheelbase. List price is $129.95.
If the sideframes do not match, you can always replace the original sideframes with the ones from the old passenger car trucks.
If it comes down to it and you can’t find anything that will fit, you could always jury-rig an old-style rubber band drive to the truck. Hide a motor inside the baggage compartment and run the band down to the axles.
Hope this helps.
S&S
I would vote for the helper also,hopefully you will find out you only need one,41/2 is pretty steep…
Cheers,
Frank
A quick search at Walthers brings these up:
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/224-9
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/224-10
Hope this helps,
NW