Up late at night with many thoughts. In an engine with one motor (one powered truck) would it be better if the power came from the front or rear truck? Would one provide better pulling power than the other or would it make no difference? Kind of like the difference between rear wheel and front wheel drive in cars, I just wonder if it makes a difference in the performance of toy trains. Any opinons or personal experience would be appreciated.
Proper weight distibution has more to do with how well the locomotive will behave. You need enough weight to enable truck with power to maintain traction but you would also like to have enough weight for the unpowered truck to track through switches and turns properly.
In the postwar years, Lionel suggested that for the best pulling power from diesels, the powered truck should be coupled to the frame.
I can attest to the fact that my 623 switcher, which has the powered truck on the rear axle, certainly pulls a whole lot better than my 2032, which has a virtually identical drive, but the powered truck at the front.
Of course, the obvious work around to this is to reverse the 2032 powered, and then allow the dummy to face forward, giving a normal appearance. I often do this, and it increases the pulling power of the 2032 substantially.
I just tested a (single-motor, Magnetraction) 2338 against a spring balance on O27 track. The force fluctuated between about 5 and 6 newtons in either direction, with no obvious winner.
Going uphill I think it would pull a little bit better if the power truck was in the rear. My K-Line porter is better at climbing my mainline grade when it is pushing the cars than if it is pulling them.