This is perplexing - wheel slippage problem

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

I tested some On30 equipment on my HO layout and found that my ON30 loco has MUCH more wheel slippage than the HOs on steep grades.

Specifically, I tested a Bachman Porter On30 0-4-0 pulling On30 freight cars up a 5% grade. The Bachmann pulls two freight cars with quite a bit of slippage, and cannot handle three cars at all.

In contrast, my 15+ year old IHC HO 0-4-0 pulls the same three cars up the grade with minimal slippage. The weights, driver sizes, and wheelbase for the HO and the On30 are virtually identical.

Moreover, my IHC HO 4-4-0 American pulls for FIVE (and probably more) cars up the same grade
with zero slippage. This loco weighs the same as the other two, but it does have larger drivers.

What the heck is going on here? It makes no sense to me. Does anyone know a method for reducing wheel slippage? Thanks!

2

How old and how many hours has your On30 engine been ran? When I first purchased a Lionel HO scale Challenger it wouldn’t even pull itself up a 2 percent grade because there was some type of very slippery coating on the drive wheels. After that coating was worn off, it will practically pull the paint off a wall. If your On30 engine has some type of factory coating on the drive wheels, run it enough to wear that off and the traction should markedly improve.

3

Thanks, cacole. The On30 is almost new. It’s only been run about 10 minutes or so, so that makes sense.

What’s a good way to clean the wheels? Isopropol alcohol okay?

4

In addition to cacole’s sage advice, I wonder if the weight distrubution might be an issue with this loco. Maybe one set of drivers is not getting the weight that they need. However, cacole is surely on to something. I immediately thought that the wheels surfaces might be too smooth, and need some wear, so he could be on to something.

My Lionel Challenger did not seem to have the same issues, although my grades were nearer to 2.4% where I ran it. I also never made it pull more than about 10 cars.

I hope you get this solved in a jiffy.

5

Good thought, selector. Right now, I’m letting the Porter “run in” a bit to see if that helps.

By the way, I plan to end up with grades not so steep, but I’m trying to find out what works and what doesn’t before I finalize my track plan.

Also, as best I can tell, weight distribution on the Porter seems to be close to 50-50, but I can’t think of a way to measure it.

6

Got a food scale or a gram scale. Weight it like a race car set the front wheels on a support and the rear on the scale, then swap.

Dumb question, do the bachmans have traction tires?

90% IPA will celan off the coating and the paint if not careful.

Gee, I wish I had a Linel Challenger instead of this Haunted Genesis [:(]

7

Good idea, claycts. I tried it with a postage scale and it’s 50-50, or very close to it.

I should have thought of that. Years ago (late 1960s) I raced a 1967 Corvette in amateur (sanctioned) drag racing. It was called NHRA, I think. I had almost no equipment, so I would drive the Corvette out to a truck weight station on the Interstate, and, when business was slow, the patrolmen would let me weigh my car of the truck scales. They laughed at me, saying it wouldn’t be close to accurate.

Do you race cars? That was my ambition at one time, but lack of funds prevented it.

Also, none of my locos have traction tires. Would they be a good thing, and if so, where can they be obtained?

8

I just thought of something else, although one of the mechanical engineers here might have something more educated to offer. Once the loco is hooked up to a train, a loco on four wheels will experience a torque over the rear axle imparted by the resistance of the train behind it pulling on the coupler. It might be nothing at all, especially if the axle and coupler are at the same height, but…you know?

9

Retired, ran sprints, midgets and modifieds in the 1960’s. We used that set-up with 2 bathroom scales and some planks of wood.

I do not like traction tires. To add them I THINK you would have to cut down the drives or the O.D. will change. If you just add them you would have a rake on the engine, great for hot rods, not to good for trains.