Can anyone give a guestimate as to whether a VGN Blue Ridge class could haul, on a 0.3% grade, 8,500 tons of coal, at 35-37mph?
Practically identical to the C&O’s of the same wheel arrangement?
Yes, the VGN Blue Ridge class and C&O Allegheny class were virtually identical.
You might find your answer in Gene Huddleston’s book…'Allegheny - Lima’s Finest".
Per data on steamlocomotive.com:
C&O Class H-8 numbers 1600-1644 were built from 1941 through 1944 and were delivered with 25,000-gallon tenders.
Virginian Class AG numbers 900-907 were built in 1945 and were delivered with 26,500-gallon tenders.
C&O Class H-8 numbers 1645-1659 were built in 1948 and were delivered with 26,500-gallon tenders.
Comparison photos here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/trains/comments/sq4t00/just_a_quick_question_is_there_any_difference/
8500 tons total, including the cars?
If so, 9000+ tons including the engine, so rail tractive effort needs to be somewhere around 90000-100000 pounds on 0.3%, and of course the engine can’t manage that at 35+ mph.
So if someone claimed the engine could haul 8500 tons at 35-37 mph, the first guess is that the grade wasn’t really 0.3% at that location. I’ve never seen a VGN track chart – maybe they’re not that exact.
(Come to think – wasn’t the eastward VGN ruling grade east of Princeton always 0.2% or 0.6%?)
Maybe they were looking down the hill? [swg]
That’s exactly the kind of info I was looking for; thank you! No one told me that. In TS2022 I have downloaded a VGN Blue Ridge plus VGN hoppers, and was wondering how many tons I could haul to get 35mph on a 0.3 grade. I do know the eastward VGN ruling grade from Victoria, VA was 0.3 most of the way to Norfolk.
Thanks!!
More likely 0.2%. Who says 0.3%?