Ok I know that motor control and sound as well as programming options are not the best on the Bachmann sound Value locomotives but I was unpleasantly surprised to find out it had virtually no pulling power. I ran it around the layout a couple times and then hooked up 4 40’ box cars and a caboose and it could’t make it up the 3% grade section. It just sat there and spinned it’s wheels. [sigh]
Is that normal for that loco? Any way to add weight? Anyone want to buy it? [:$]
When sound is added to many loco designs, weight is usually sacrificed to make room for it. This does limit tractive effort.
On the other hand, it’s also a reminder of why 3% grades are already problematic, although many think a design can get away with using that steep of an incline. Fact of the matter is, that number of cars is not too far off what would be prototypical. As a kid, I used to watch Monon RS2s struggle on the grades back into the quarry to fetch cut stone to haul to the mill south of Bloomington, IN on the old Maple Hill branch. It’s not a big loco.
I’d suggest trying 3 boxcars and a caboose. If that works, live with it, perhaps even with just 2 cars and a caboose.
On the prototype, it took two Mikado’s to safely handle 70 car trains from Baltimore, MD to Brunswick, MD on the B&O - ruling grade 1.25%
At Brunswick, those Mikado’s would be replaced by two 2-8-8-0’s for the trip from Brunswick to Terra Alta, WV - ruling grade 2.2% I believe - except for the worst grade, about 2.5%, which would require two more 2-8-8-0’s (or an ABBA F3 set) as helpers on the rear.
Or about 17 cars per 2-8-8-0 for the 2.5% grade.
I have photos of Western Maryland coal branch trains - 70-100 50 ton hoppers, three BIG 2-8-0’s on the point, two RS units in the middle, two more 2-8-0’s on the rear - 2-2.5% grades and sharp curves (that limited the size of the motive power), to get hoppers from the mines to the main line yards.
So 10-14 cars per loco under those conditions.
By comparison, a single WM 2-8-0 could handle 70 hoppers on the level, no worries…
3% grades are really steep and like Mike said, sound and DCC eat up much of the space for good weight in a loco of that type…
And how heavy are your cars? Did you say in another thread all your cars are NMRA RP-20 weighted? Personally I think that RP-20 is outdated. Don’t get me wrong, most of my rolling stock is pretty close to RP-20, but I found that by installing metal sprung trucks, putting the weight down low at the wheels, cars could be lighter overall.
Most of my freight car fleet rides on Kadee sprung trucks with Intermountain metal wheel sets. They roll EXTREEMLY free, track well because of the springs/equalization, can be an ounce or so lighter with no problems.
I pull long trains, 50 to 70 cars at times, no problems, my grades are less than 2% and it still takes lots of motive power…
Sheldon