For the size of engine and amount of drivers you would think Bachmann’s HO 2-6-6-2 could pull more than four 40ft. boxcars weighing in at 3 3/4 oz. each up a 3 1/2 % 18 radius grade that is 8 1/2 feet in length before it levels out to straight track. Well mine won’t, as she starts to slip about half way up the mountain curve and stops with drivers spinning. Can’t see any room to set weight in the boiler as that is already mostly weight. Engine weighs 1 lb. 2 oz. by itself.
So I called in the snotty nose Bull Frogs and tomorrow ( letting the green slime dry overnight ) I will see if the little green froggys will get the 2-6-6-2 over the hill and preferably with at least 14 40/50 ft. cars.
I only applied the green stuff to the rear trucks ( engine? ) center drive axle as that is the geared axle. If not enough muscle then I’ll add to the geared axle on the other truck. So I may lose 4 electrical pickups if I need the other set of drive wheels as that still leaves 8 drive wheels and four wheels on the tender ( two wheels each truck as they are staggered for electrical pickup. ) for pick up and that is plenty as about every two/three weeks I run “Tony’s trains” brass tanker cleaning car filled with 91% rubbing alcohol so I’ve a pretty drunken--------er I mean clean track.
Anyone else have slipping wheels problem with their 2-6-6-2 or other behemoths that may need the Frogs?
And no I do not want to run two together, haven’t got another anyway. Have thought of pushing with a diesel but even in real life that looked stupid even if it did work.
To me you are pushing max weight for your boxcars. To make your engines seem to pull better drop some of the weight from your rolling stock. A 3.5% grade on a 18R curve is also pushing the max. Lightening your rolling stock will make it easier to get longer trains over the top. You may also think about regearing your engines, getting to power to weight ratio up.
You may loose more than the wheels that you coat for pick up. The added diameter may raise the wheels next to them also. Maybe it will still have enough pick up points to overcome this.
Yep, you are pushing the envelope with the extreme radius on a steep grade… Very steep grade. The real USRA 2-6-6-2 would have trouble pulling any more cars up a 3.5% grade… I have 2 of the Bachmann USRA 2-6-6-2s and they are the big workhorses for slow drags on the SLOW. Each of them can pull a 20+ car train up over a 2% grade and through 22" curves with no trouble at all.
If you have 18"R and 3.5% grades in the same location, you will have problems with stringlining with long consists very likely as well .
You do realize that what you’ve described is much more than a 3.5% grade to the locomotive. At that tight radius, the effect will be probably well over another percentage point - as a rough estimate, the effective grade may be close to 5%
Is there anyway you can rework that section into a more gradual slope, and or wider radius? It might be better in the long haul to address the problem instead of the symptoms.
Engine is the correct termonology. The steam engine is the cylinders, drivers and controls. Steam locomotive is the boiler, cab, steam engine(s), and other parts
Steep incline,too sharp a curve for a 2-6-6-2 ? Well maybe on your pike but on mine I tolerate the small overhang and the idea the prototype 2-6-6-2 couldn’t do that but on my layout it can. After all it is my pike.
One set of drivers ( middle axle rear engine which is geared ) coated with the green bullfrog stuff was like throwing sand under each driving wheel. 15 cars and not a slip at approx. 25 scale mph up and around the curve, through the tunnel, leveled out and started down a less incline to straight and level track.
Say what you want, but it ( BullFrog Snot ) does work. I watched those drivers on the climb around the sharp curve with not the first slip. I ran the 2-6-6-2 for 45 minutes at its top speed of approx. 25 scale mph pulling 15 40/50 ft cars weighing in at 3 1/2 to 4.0 oz. each, and there was no heat to be felt on the boiler area of where the motor lies ( although I think there was a hot box on RI 40’ boxcar # 22150 [:-^]. ) I’ve a P2K F7A that will pull those same fifteen cars and never slip a lick up that same 18R curve and that is not prototypical either but again it IS my pike.
Each car is is very easy rolling so that helps out a lot. None of my rolling stock is put on the rails until the wheels are changed ( usually P2K flat back or ribbed 33" and 36" metal wheels ) and sometimes I change the trucks.
I do know that the Tsunami sound decoder in the tender will shut down with too much force on the drivers, for when I had the engine turned upside down in a cradle to install the “Green Stuff*”* didn’t realize that I was putting too much pressure on the driver and the decoder shut down ( scared me at first ), so I don’t think I’ve hurt the engine any as there wasn’t any thermal shut down on the engines hill climbing voyage.
No I’m not about to tear out any landscape and start over with a lessor grade.
2-6-6-2 now has a 4.9 ounce drawbar pull using Micro_Mark “Pull Meter” on straig
Nobody said it wasn’t your Pike, and no one said you couldn’t do what you want . No one said BullFrog Snot wouldn’t work.
What a few people did say, myself included, is that your track combination of grade and radius is extreme, and that there may be better long term solutions to your problem than applying traction tires.
Based on your reply, I think I’ll refrain from trying to assist you in the future - Best of luck to you.
